Starters Orders 2 'racing novice' Quick play guide

This guide has been designed to assist the new player by stepping through the basics of entering a horse for a race, accessing form and placing a bet before watching the race unfold.

Note that during a race the player can skip to the end of the race by pressing SPACE. Also the player can skip to the end of the next furlong by pressing TAB (this key is only active AFTER the first two furlongs have been completed).


1. When starting a new game select a number of autorace form the AUTORACES list box (4 or 6 months should be enough). This results in most horses having past form at the game start and makes betting and form analysis more interesting.

2. In a Standard Training game (default) the player begins with 3 un-raced horses, usually in need of some work to attain peak fitness.

3. After starting a new game the player arrives at the HOME/STABLE menu. From here the player can organise Stable finances, set individual horses training options, enter horses for future races and view future race details, view racecourse details, view race diary, view the Trainers Table and access all Trainer data, view the Jockey table and access all Jockey data, access all individual horse data screens, view the formbook or Go Racing!

4. Click on the DECLARATIONS button on the left of the screen. The Declarations screen lists all of the coming months races along with the current declarations (horses declared to run in a race by their Trainers), Booked jockeys, Current weights  (the weight a horse is set to carry in a race can change depending on fluctuating fields) etc. 

5. Select one of your horses by clicking on the small white 'S' icon in the top left table next to the horse you wish to race (if you click on the horses name and view it's data screen this also 'selects' the horse on return. Note that the list of races in the main window has now changed. Your horse is eligible to enter any race in this window. Highlight and click on a race (in yellow). The current race details now appear in the CURRENT DECLARATIONS window at the bottom right of the screen. The available jockeys appear in the window above. Note that you can click on ANY yellow field for further data on the subject and return to this page later.

6. Click on the ENTER HORSE button in the ENTRY SELECTIONS window (top-right). Note that your horse now appears in pink in the CURRENT DECLARATIONS window along with its allocated racing weight. Exit by clicking on the top right EXIT button (you do not have to book a jockey, if none are booked then one will be booked automatically for you before race day).

7. Notice that the horse you have just entered for a race now has the race details displayed next to it in the OWNED HORSES window. If this text is highlighted in pink then the race takes place at the current days meeting. You can skip days if desired by clicking the SKIP DAY button on the left of the screen.


8. Click the GO RACING button. The field and odds for each horse are displayed on the bookmaker's blackboard to the right of the screen. Before placing a bet or viewing the race you will need to assess the form. Click on the RACECARD button towards the left of the screen. As always the player can click on any yellow field and return using the back button. The racecard displays all the important data for the field in a realistic manner. By clicking on the individual horses FORM STRING (to the left of the horses name) the player can browse all the horses previous races in detail. By clicking on the horses name the player can view the horses details and browse/filter the horses form for analysis.

9. Click the BACK button or the BARNCH QUIT button (if available) or press Escape to return to the RACE MENU with the blackboard. Place a bet by clicking on a horses name and filling in the betting slip. To fill in the betting slip first enter the STAKE in the stake input box, then select the BET TYPE and then click the PLACE BET button. Now click VIEW RACE to watch the race unfold. Note that if one of the players owned horses is entered in the current race the player can select from a range of jockey tactics or alternatively, can select to control the horse via the mouse. These options are covered in the manual. 

10. After the race has completed the result will be displayed and the runners and riders displayed for the next race.
