Breeding is one of the most asked about features here at Sport of Kings. Our system is a comprehensive and in depth one that allows the bloodlines of the virtual race horse champions to be carried on for generations. It was developed to reward research and pairing compatible blood lines.
How does breeding work?
Breeding begins by identifying and selecting an eligible sire and mare that will be paired to create the foal. In order to be eligible the sire and mare must be at least three years old and retired. Sires (ungelded males) have a maximum of 20 covers (breedings) per season while each mare is limited to 2. Additionally, owners may allow their horse to be publicly bred and set a fee for their service which will be paid directly to their account.
If an owner is having trouble choosing a pair, or would like a little guidance, we offer a breeding evaluator who will grade the pairing and return a report card for a nominal fee.
Once a pairing is selected the breeder simply needs to click on the 'Breed selected pair' button and the foal will immediately arrive!
Advanced Breeding
Breeding is meant to be a reflection and simulation of real life breeding. This means that, much like real life, there are very few if any certainties but the best practice is to breed to best to the best and it will increase your chances of getting a quality foal. However, it is important to re-iterate that, just like real life, there are no guaranteed outcomes regardless of how great the pairing of horses.
Does on the track success mean it will be good for breeding?
Generally speaking on the track performance is a good indicator of the overall quality of the horse and it's genetics. A horse can excel on the race track without having good genetics behind it but that is the exception rather than the rule. This is how bad blood lines can produce a star horse on rare occasions.
What are certified Genetics?
Genetic certification is a feature that allows owners to get an unbiased certification as to the quality of the genetic bloodlines that run within their horse. This is an expensive option that is generally used to verify the quality of the stallions that are up for public breeding. The certification has two components: Genetic Ability, which is a rating of just how good the bloodline is at an overall level; and Genetic Strength, which is an indicator of how likely the horse is to pass on it's genetics to the foal.
How do I get a good horse? and what makes a good pairing?
In order to increase the likely hood of a quality foal you should begin by pairing two horses that have demonstrated ability on the track. As previously stated the chances of producing a top offspring increase as the quality of the parents increases and the opposite is equally as true.
Second, it is advisable to pair horses of similar preferences together in order to match the genetic traits. A turf bloodline should be bred with a turf bloodline and dirt with dirt. Crossing the two can work and you could end up with a horse that will run on both surfaces but the chances of that being successful are not very high.
Third, understanding distance preferences are important when creating a potential match. Each horse has a unique distance preference on a scale of 1-10 that is carried in their genetics. When the pairing occurs one of them is selected and used (with some variation possible up and down from that number). As an example if you select a sire who was a stayer and a mare who was a sprinter you could have the following result. Let's say for example the mares distance preference was used (which is a long sprint pedigree) and applied to the offspring, resulting in a sprint. It is possible to get a blended result as well (so you could get a middle distance horse from crossing a sprint / stayer) but you would never get a stayer from two sprints or a sprint from two stayers. Adding stamina in the form of a stayer to a sprint mare doesn't ensure that stamina will be passed on, but it is possible.
Can I get a good horse from a bad pairing?
Yes. The chances of getting a good horse increase as the quality of the pairing does but it is still possible to receive a good horse from a bad pairing as it is also possible to get a bad horse from a great pairing (again, less likely). The reward for creating quality pairings is in that the average ability level of the foal will be higher than those of poor pairings. This is very much designed to reflect the realities of breeding in the real world and will keep the game and breeding viable for a long time.
What are breeding rights?
Breeding rights allow owners to privately sell breeding privileges to other owners. This is a unique feature that gives our owners full control over the breeding of their stable. These rights extend through the current season and will expire if they are unused by that time.
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