Game Rules

Race Day Game Basics

A Race Day game is a pay-to-play horse racing game available on the Group 1 Sports platform.
The aim of the game is to win the most points.
Each game is based on a real-world horse racing meeting taking place at a specific track on a specific date, such as Flemington on July 1st.
Each player drafts a stable of real-world horses and competes against other players to score the most points. Points are awarded based on the results of the real-world races and special Group 1 Sports bonus outcomes, such as the Hot Streak bonus.
Each player pays the same entry fee to play a Race Day game and real cash prizes are paid out to the winners at the end of the Race Day, according to the game’s prize table.
A player can only create one stable per Race Day game. Multiple entries for a single player are not permitted.
Playing a Race Day Game involves:
1. Joining the game by selecting it on the Home Screen and paying the entry fee;
2. Drafting a stable from the fields of horses scheduled to run at the Race Day meeting;
3. Earning points as horses in your stable run 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th in their races or score special bonus point outcomes;
4. Making tactical stable adjustments during the Race Day, to maximise point scoring;
5. Ranking on the leaderboard which updates in real time throughout the Race Day;
6. Winning real cash prizes for the top players!
You are a Race Day winner if you rank high enough on the game leaderboard at the end of the day to qualify for a cash prize.
Players are ranked based on how many points they have scored in the game (in addition to the tie-breaking rules). The Prize Table shows you the cash prize to be awarded to each winning rank. Tap “Game Details” on the main Race Day screen to see the Prize Table.
You can check your leaderboard position and the prize payout table throughout the day and make the necessary stable adjustments to stay competitive.

Joining a Race Day Game

A game is open for entry once it appears on the Home Screen in the “Games to Join” section.
Race Day games are generally available to join up to two weeks in advance of the meeting date.
Enter a game by clicking the yellow “JOIN →” button on the game card.
You’ll then see a confirmation screen which allows you to review the point scoring rules and current prize table before committing to your entry.
If you have insufficient funds in your account balance, you can “Top Up” first.
Each game’s Game Card displays details about that game, such as the entry fee, the number of players entered, the current total prizes, etc.
When you click “JOIN →”, you’ll be taken to the confirmation page. From here, click “Game Details” to see the prize table indicating the current prize amounts for each winning rank.
While the game is still open for entry, more players joining means bigger prizes and more winners! The prize tables update regularly to display the most up-to-date prize information.
If you’ve joined a game more than a couple of days ahead of the meeting date, you’ll need to wait until the Draft Market opens before starting gameplay.
The Draft Market opens soon after the final race fields for that game’s meeting are published. This is generally about 48 hours before the scheduled jump time for the first race in most Race Days games.
Don’t worry! If you’ve joined a game early, we’ll send you a notification once the Draft Market opens. At this time, you’ll be able to enter the Draft Market to browse the race fields, view horse profiles and their form, and draft horses into your stable.

Free Games

Some games in “Games to Join” will have a $0 entry fee. These games are free to play and do not pay out any cash prizes. Besides the lack of real money entry fees or prizes, free games offer all the same gameplay features as paid games.
They offer a great opportunity for new players to learn the game rules and test out their skills before entering paid games. Points accumulated in free games still contribute towards a player’s Lifetime Points.

The Draft Market

The Draft Market is where you select the horses for your stable. All players in a game see the same information. Multiple players can draft the same horses.
The Draft Market lists all of the horses running in the real-world race meeting associated with that Race Day Game. It gives you access to information about each horse, including its form and draft price.
If you choose to draft manually, you will browse the Draft Market to see race fields and details, view horse profiles and forms, and purchase horses for your stable.
For more information, see the Drafting My Stable section.
Each player who joins a Race Day Game is given an initial stable balance of Ʊ10 million “horse bucks” to spend on drafting and managing a stable for that game. The stable balance is your budget for a specific game and can only be used in that game.
Each horse in the market is assigned a draft price in “horse bucks”, which is shown in the Draft Market.
Every horse (except Early Scratchings) is assigned a draft price in “horse bucks”. The draft prices are calculated by Group 1 Sports and are roughly based on the betting market odds.
Draft prices DO NOT change once assigned and all players see the same draft prices.
Note: One potential game strategy is to follow the fluctuations in live betting market and use these movements to find “undervalued” or “mis-priced” horses in the Group 1 Sports Draft Market.
The Draft Market closes at the scheduled start time for Race 1.
Before the first race starts, your Game Card will show a countdown timer on the Home Screen, with a label “Draft closes in”. The main Race Day screen for the game will also show this countdown timer.
The timer counts down to the close of the Draft Market, which is also the scheduled start time for Race 1. We will send you a reminder notification 1 hour before the Draft Market closes.
Before the Draft Market closes, you can Trade Back horses to the Draft Market for a full refund. You are free to experiment with different stable combinations at no cost.
When the Draft Market closes, any remaining stable balance you hold will be reduced by 25%, the “Late Draft Tax”. This is to incentivise players to build their stable before the Race Day starts. However, for strategic reasons you may choose to pay the Tax and keep some of your budget to use over the course of the Race Day itself. This is up to each player.
After the Draft Market closes, you’ll still be able to make changes to your stable, but when you “Trade Back”, you will have to pay the Late Draft Tax, so will only get 75% of the listed draft price back into your stable balance.
If a horse is scratched before the Draft Market opens, it will show “EARLY SCRATCH” in the draft price column. These horses were never assigned a draft price.
If a horse is scratched after the Draft Market opens, it will show “SCRATCHING” in the draft price column along with the originally assigned draft price.
You are not able to draft a scratched horse.

Drafting My Stable

After joining a game, you’ll land on the Draft Market introduction screen.
If the Draft Market is not yet open, you’ll be instructed to return later (and will receive a notification when the Draft Market is ready). The Draft Market for a game will generally open at least 36 hours before the scheduled jump time for the first race.
If the Draft Market is open, you’ll see a description of the stable rules and two options for drafting a stable. You can decide to draft manually (by selecting your own horses) or with the auto-draft option (the Bloodstock Agent feature).
The standard set of stable rules are:
• All players start with the same initial stable balance of Ʊ10 million “horse bucks” (per game).
• A player’s stable can have a maximum of 15 horses total at any one time.
• A player’s stable can have a maximum of 3 horses in any single race.
If you select "Choose Your Horses" at the Draft Market introduction screen, you will be taken into the Draft Market.
You can navigate the market by using the race filter at the top of the screen. You can view the field for each race one by one or select “ALL” to see all runners for the day.
Horses you own have a highlighted row and a green tick mark on the silks.
At the top, you will see how many horses you’ve drafted out of a maximum of 15. You will also see your current stable balance. For every Race Day game, you are given an initial stable balance of Ʊ 10 million "horse bucks". Spend the “horse bucks” from your stable balance to draft horses.
Tap on a row to bring up more info and find the “Draft Horse” button.
Basic information for each horse is shown in the Draft Market, such as runner number, name, barrier draw, jockey, trainer, and jockey silks.
Tapping a horse's row will bring up a short form with basic metrics on the horse. You can buy the horse by clicking “Draft Horse”. If you already own the horse, you’ll see a “Trade Back” button.
From here, you can also access a horse’s “Full Profile” which gives you full form details.
If you want a quicker and easier method for drafting a stable, select "Let Our Bloodstock Agent Pick" from the Draft Market introduction screen.
This will take you to the Bloodstock Agent. (A Bloodstock Agent is an equine professional who buys and sells horses on behalf of their clients.)
If you want to have some input into the auto-drafting process, you can make choices in one or more of the four selections (Favourite Jockey, Favourite, Trainer, Favourite Colour and Favourite Number). Leave the questions unanswered if you wish to have a fully randomised stable.
Once the Bloodstock Agent has created a stable, you are free to make changes by drafting and/or trading back horses.
Note: If you initially select to draft manually, you will not be able to access the Bloodstock Agent for that game.

Managing My Stable

After joining a game, it will appear under “My Games” on the Home Screen. Click “PLAY →” to get into that Race Day game. Scroll down to find the “My Stable” and “Draft Market” buttons underneath the top summary card.
Drafting horses: You can view all horses in a race field from either the Draft Market or the individual race screen.
Trading back horses: You can view horses you currently own in the Draft Market, My Stable, and on the individual race screens. From any of these locations, you can trade back a horse for a reimbursement.
Note: Trading back a horse before the Draft Market closes results in a 100% refund of the draft price. Trading back a horse after the close results in a 75% refund of the draft price as you must pay the Late Draft Tax.
A trade back is the process of selling a horse in your stable back into the Draft Market.
If you trade back a horse before the close of the Draft Market, you will receive a full refund of the listed draft price.
If you trade back a horse after the Draft Market closes, you will receive only 75% of the listed price, as you must pay the Late Draft Tax.
To trade back a horse click on your horse on the My Stable screen or in the Draft Market and choose “trade back”.
When a horse is scratched, it is treated like an automatic trade back and is subject to the trade back rules.
If your horse is scratched before the close of the Draft Market you will receive a refund of the full draft price listed in the Draft Market.
However, if your horse is scratched after the close of the Draft Market, you will receive a refund of only 75% of the listed draft price, as you must pay the Late Draft Tax.

Point Scoring

The primary way to score points is by owning a horse that finishes in the top 4 places in its race. These are referred to as placing points.
The quantity of placing points awarded depends on the level of the race and the specific placing of the horse. For more information, click here.
However, a key part of the Race Day game scoring involves two bonus scores: Hot Streaks and Threats. These bonuses play a large role in determining final player rankings so you should consider them when building your stable.
A Hot Streak bonus is awarded for players scoring points for multiple races in a row. The size of the bonus grows as the streak gets longer.
The Hot Streak bonus is awarded in addition to any placing points you score in a race. The bonus is awarded incrementally (race by race) as the streak extends.
To see more information on scoring, click here.
Note: Once a streak reaches a length of 7 races, each additional race extending the streak will receive 30 bonus points.
For example, assume a player Bob enters a Race Day game and scores placing points in the first race, Race 1.
In Race 2, he scores more placing points. At this time, he has started a Hot Streak of two races. He is awarded +10 points immediately to his score on Race 2.
He scores placing points again in race 3, so he is now on a Hot Streak of three races, another +10 bonus points are added to his Race 3 score.
In race 4, he does not score any points so the streak is broken and he does not receive any bonus points on this race.
If Bob goes on to score points in race 5, it is considered a new streak starting back at length 1.
Note: A Hot Streak does not depend on the level of race or how many points are scored in each race. It simply depends on scoring at least some points in two or more consecutive races.
A Threat bonus is awarded to a player with multiple scoring horses in the same race. The size of the bonus depends on whether you have two or three scoring horses and the level of the race.
A Double Threat is awarded for two scoring horses and a Triple Threat is awarded for three scoring horses in the same race.
The Threat bonus is awarded in addition to the placing points you score in the race. For more information on scoring, click here.
For example, assume a player Bob enters a Race Day game and owns 3 horses in Race 1, a Group 2 level race. His horses perform very well and place 1st, 2nd, and 4th. As per the table above, he gets a Triple Threat bonus of +80 points for Race 1. He gets this bonus in addition to the points he gets for his horses placing 1st, 2nd, and 4th.
Note: The Threat bonuses do not "stack" – you can earn a Double OR Triple Threat bonus in the same race, but not both.
Press “Game Details” on the Race Day screen or Leaderboard of any game and you will see the prize table. Swipe to the right and you will see the quick reference tables for placing points and the bonuses.

Race Results

From the main Race Day screen, scroll down to find the section labelled “Race Schedule”. You will see a Card for each of the day’s races.
Each Race Card indicates the scheduled start time of that race. Once a race jumps, the start time will be replaced by “In Progress”. Once the horses cross the finish line, the Card will indicate “Interim” and then “Final” once finalised results have been recorded.
If there is a protest on the race result, it may take longer to see a “Final” race result.
Tapping the yellow arrow on a race card will show you the field for that race, including results as they come in. “INTERIM” and “FINAL” results show the top 4 places. The full field results generally take a bit longer to appear (approximately 20 minutes after the race).
Note: Points for a race are only distributed when the race status becomes “FINAL”.

Leaderboards

Go to the Race Day screen for the relevant game. The score summary card at the top of the screen shows your current point total, your current rank, and the point total for the leading player.
Tap "Leaderboard" at the top of a Race Day screen to see the Leaderboard. This screen shows how many players are in the game and where you currently rank. Rankings are based on points and ties are subject to the tie-breaking rules (see below).
Once the Race Day is over, the leaderboard will show a “Final Results” status. At this time, the leaderboard will display a “Prize” column – this indicates the prize money awarded to each player holding a winning rank.
If one or more players are tied on points, either during the Race Day or at its completion, the following tie-breaking rules are applied in an attempt to break the tie.
Tied stables are first compared for the number of 1st place horses. The stable with the most 1st place horses will receive the higher ranking. If they are still tied, the number of horses coming 2nd are compared. In the case of continuing ties, this process is repeated to compare the number of horses coming 3rd, and finally the number of horses coming 4th.
If two or more stables are still tied after the above comparisons are made, they will share a rank and be considered to be unbreakably tied. This will always be the case for players holding identical stables at the end of a Race Day.
Note that if two or more players hold unbreakably tied stables at the end of the Race Day, they will equally share prizes associated with the ranks they jointly occupy. See the Prizes section to understand how prizes are handled in the event of unbreakable ties.

Winning & Prizes

After the last race, Group 1 Sports will conduct a final audit of all player points and the leaderboard will become finalised. When this happens, the leaderboard will show “Final Results” and the “Prize” column will indicate how much prize money will be awarded to each winning player.
The prize table for a Race Day game is always available to players by viewing the Game Details. Press “Game Details” on the Race Day screen or Leaderboard to see the prize table.
Before entries close for a Race Day game, the prize payout schedule is dynamic. The potential prize size is uncapped! As more and more players enter the game, the size of the top prizes and the number of players eligible to win will increase.
The Race Day game prize payout structure is designed to award the very top players with large cash prizes, while also paying out a lot of players with smaller cash prizes.
Much of the excitement of Group 1 Race Day games involves the uncapped nature of the prizes. As the number of players in a game increases, so does your opportunity to win big cash prizes.
Congratulations! As a winner, you don't need to take any action. Once the leaderboard for the game is finalised, your cash prize will be distributed directly into your Group 1 Sports account.
You can use these funds to enter more Group 1 Sports games or request a withdrawal.
Please note: Accounts must be identity verified (KYC) before withdrawing cash. Please contact support@group1sports.com if you are having any problems with prizes or withdrawals.
As explained in the Leaderboards section, players tying on points are subject to the tie-breaking rules in an attempt to break rank ties.
However, sometimes players will still be tied after the tie-breaking rules are applied. This is always the case when multiple players hold identical stables.
In the case of rank ties, the prizes for the ranks occupied by the tying players are summed and then split evenly amongst the tying players.

After a Race Day Game

Your stable and stable balance are only relevant for this game.
After the Race Day concludes, your stable and any remaining stable balance are wiped away.
You will, however, still be able to see information about previously played games from your Account screen. Points scored in a Race Day game are added to your “Lifetime Points” at the account level.
Yes.
The “My History” section on the Home screen will display completed Race Day games for 1 month past the meeting date.
If you’d like to see games older than 1 month, go to your “Inbox” and scroll down to find notifications referring to previous games.

Abandoned or Cancelled Race Days

Horse race meetings are sometimes abandoned due to adverse weather conditions or other reasons. An entire meeting may be abandoned before starting or it may only be abandoned once the day has begun and some races have completed.
In any case, these situations are out of the control of Group 1 Sports.
If even a single race in a meeting is abandoned, Group 1 Sports will abandon and void the entirety of the Race Day game associated with the meeting. All entry fees will be returned to the entered players. Any points scored by the player are also discarded and not counted towards Lifetime Points.
Due to the strategic element of game and the interrelatedness of race results against a players total score, we consider it most fair to void a game if even a single race is abandoned.
Group 1 Sports also reserves the right to cancel games at its discretion. In this scenario, all entry fees would be refunded.