Track King

Horses are (well, in all the cases I know of anyway!) the result of breeding. As is the case with most things living, they inherit traits from their parents, which in horse circles are called their Sire (father) and their Dam (mother). Stallions from 4yo to 12yo (inclusive) can service mares from 4yo to 10yo (inclusive). Any mare that was serviced prior to her 11th birthday will still give birth to that foal, even after turning 11 years old.

When breeding, one of the best ways to start on the right hoof is to find a good stallion, set him up with a good mare....do a little bit of Cupids work for him...set the mood with some candlelight and maybe a little red wine...and voila! You have a foal! This whole process is not guaranteed to breed a future champion, it just gives you a better chance at a good youngster than just buying yearlings. Of course, like everything in Track King, there's a bit of science behind what makes two horses a "good choice" for breeding, and it may be that at the moment your mare or stallion would be better off racing? If you are a member of the Owners Club (See Owners Club) you will also be able to use the Family Tree to explore potential studs and quickly check the traits of their foals.

OK, so you've brought your stallion and mare together. The deed is done. After the big occasion, Sire is likely to be a little tired, and Dam, well, she'll be out of racing action for 3-4 weeks, and won't be as focussed on any training as the new life grows within. The healthier the mare at the time of birth, the better headstart that the new foal will have in life. Similarly, ensuring that you have a vet (or more?) on the payroll at the time of the birth will help the new foal be in as good health as possible. The Broodmare Paddock Specialist Facility may help the process run a little more smoothly - but regardless, the mare may just need a rest and a bit of vet attention after the foaling, before she contemplates any more babies...

Now here's where the mystery comes about. Horses in the Track King world seem to have invented some sort of magical growth formula for their young. After their incredibly short pregnancy, the foal emerges from the Dam and *pooof*! It's suddenly 2 years old! That's probably a good thing, because horses can't race in Class League Races in Track King until they are 3 years old...so you won't have to wait too long to try out your new little prodigy on the track!

This wondrous new foal will be the property of the stable that owns the Dam at the time of birth. As the expectant owner of a new foal, be sure that you have room in your stable for the new baby, or you'll overcrowd your horses! (See Agistment).

Line-breeding, the practice of breeding related horses, is a possibility - you're the boss! - but be wary. Breeding two horses that are too closely related might just give you unexpected results a little more frequently....but then again, maybe you'll guarantee that the trait you hoped for becomes dominant?

So if you are the owner of a stallion that has the characteristics and the racing history to make it a successful super stud, you can advertise its' services in the Stud Auctions and maybe turn a profit! (See Horse Auctions)

Genetics, and more detailed Breeding information

Each horse in Track King has DNA, which decides what traits a horse carries, and what traits it is likely to pass onto its foals. You can view a Genetic Report for any of your horses, or for any horses on Auctions, for a small fee - or even for free if you own the Specialist Facility called 'Genetics Laboratory' (See Specialist Facilities).

With some research into the DNA of your horses, you can (with some certainty) decide whether two horses are likely to be a good pairing, and whether the foals that they produce might contain the traits that you most want to breed.

If you look at the 'Report' section of your Genetic Report, you will notice two columns of information for each gene.

This first column will indicate whether the gene is ENABLED or not, and the second column will indicate whether the gene is a CARRIER or not, ie the possibilitiy of producing OFFSPRING with the gene ENABLED.

For example, the "gatespeed" gene is represented as a "g" or "G". The upper case letter means that half of the gene is "off" or "inactive". So a gene combination for Gatespeed of "gg" would mean that the gene has an impact for this horse (both letters are lower case).

For a horse to have a racing style, it must have the "racing style" gene enabled ('rr') AND have at least one specific racing style enabled.

When breeding, both parents contribute one half of each gene to the foal. Disregarding mutations (which can happen), that means that the following outcomes are possible:

• "gg" breeds with "gg" - always produces "gg"
• "Gg" breeds with "gg" - possible outcomes are "Gg" or "gg"
• "GG" breeds with "gg" - possible outcomes are "Gg" or "gG".

Genetics will have an impact on a horse in racing and training. Some of these effects may be enhanced, reduced, or negated, depending on combinations of genes

Detailed information on how to interpret a Genetic Report is available within a 'mini help file' within each Genetics Report.