HORSE RACING

CARTRIDGE INSTRUCTIONS

(For 1 to 6 Players)

You're at the Track for a "Day at the Races" -- 10 exciting speed and

strategy contests. After you check the Past Performances and odds,

place your simulated wagers out of your starting "Stake" of $750. Bet

your favorites to Win, or go for the big-payoff Exacta! See how good a

handicapper you are! One of two Players "ride" the outside horses

and try to our-maneuver the computer. Get your simulated bets

down! Watch for the start -- and THEY'RE OFF!!!

CONTROLS:

COAX -- Either Upper Side Button

WHIP -- Either Lower Side Button

WIN EXACTA (To Determine "W" or "E" Bet) -- [9] Button

MOVE HORSE NEARER RAIL -- Top of DISC

MOVE HORSE AWAY FROM RAIL -- Bottom of DISC

HOW TO PLAY INTELLIVISION HORSE RACING

1. Have each player pick a number from 1 to 6, to be used for all 10

races in the game.

This gives every player a unique identity with the computer. The

computer runs a tab of all simulated betting, and keeps each player's

"stake" total up-to-date.

2. Turn on the Master Component.

You see the Title and hear part of the William Tell Overture. By the

time the music stops, the Intellivision computer "creates" a stable of

8 horses, and randomly makes each one a unique thoroughbred with

different abilities of speed, endurance, quickness out of the starting

gate, etc. YOU'RE THE HANDICAPPER. IT'S UP TO YOU TO FIGURE OUT

WHICH HORSES ARE BEST, AS YOU WATCH THEM RACE EACH OTHER

IN DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS.

3. Press the Direction Disc or any key. The blank "Betting Sheet"

appears.

This is where you record all simulated bets before each race. Each

player starts with $750 of simulated "money" (if you go broke,

you've automatically lost the game).

4. Press any of the four buttons on the sides of either Hand

controller. The "Past Performance" display appears.

This tells you which horses are running in the first race -- and who

will control them. The computer "rides" the 2 horses on top. The

lower left horse's running can be affected by the left Hand Controller;

the lower right horse by the right Hand Controller. (See details under

"Advice for Jockeys").

5. When you release the side button, the picture automatically goes

back to the Betting Sheet. You can switch back and forth as much as

you want between these pictures. Look at the Past Performance

display to pick the horse you like. Then switch back to the Betting

Sheet to place your simulated wagers.

Since this is the first race, there are no Past Performances for you to

consider (each horse is running for the first time in his computer-

created "life"). The computer has, however, posted tentative odds on

each horse (shown as pairs of hyphenated numbers, such as: 3-1).

This would mean you'd win $3 for every $1 you pretend to bet. The

computer in not a perfect "tout" -- that would be too easy!

6. To actually place bets, EACH PLAYER DOES THE FOLLOWING: When

you see the gold marker above the dollar signs, key in your player

number (1 through 6). The press ENTER.

Players identify themselves, one at a time, to the computer. If you

don't want to bet on a race, you don't have to do anything until Step

12.

The $ in that player's line turns to gold.

7. Key in the amount of your simulated bet (maximum: $250 or the

amount of your stake, whichever is less). If you change your mind

about the bet, press CLEAR and do it again.

8. Press ENTER

9a. There are 2 kinds of bets you can make -- "Win" and "Exacta." W

means a bet To Win (there are no Place or Show bets in this game). If

you want to bet one horse To Win, press ENTER again.

9b. If you want to make an "Exacta" bet, change the "W" to "E" by

pressing the [9], then ENTER. An Exacta bet is on the first and second

horses -- in their finishing order.

NOTE: Exactas "pay off" at 15 to 1, so a successful "E" bet can put you

way ahead in this game. As you would expect, though, they're a lot

harder to win.

If you make the change from "W" to "E" and then switch over to the

Past Performances, the "E" will change back to "W" when you return

to the Betting Sheet. Just press [9] again. The press ENTER

10. When you see the checkerboard symbol, press the key for one of

the horses running in this race (you can see their names again any

time before the race starts: press a side button). Its initial letter and

color appears. If it's the one you want, press ENTER. If it isn't, press

any key and try again. Only 4 horses are in every race, and the

computer rejects bets on non-racing horses.

You're picking the horse to Win or be the first part of An Exacta

combination.

If you bet one horse to Win, your choice is now "locked in", and

cannot be changed. The computer deducts your bet from your total

stake, and adjusts the odds on the horse. If everybody bets on the

same horse, it will probably be the betting "favorite" (with low

payoff odds) by race time.

If you selected an Exacta bet, press the key for the first horse then

ENTER , then the key for the second horse and ENTER again.

If you bet a 2-horse Exacta, when you press ENTER the second time,

your Exacta bet in now "locked in."

11. When every player who wishes to bet has done so, pick two

people to be Jockeys and use the Hand Controllers to affect the

running of the outside horses. (See "Advice for Jockeys").

The left Hand Controller affects the third horse from the rail; the

right Hand Controller affects the fourth horse from the rail. If you

want all 4 horses to be controlled by the computer, don't use either

Hand Controller once the race starts.

12. When you're ready for the race to start, press 0, then ENTER.

The scene switches to starting gate. You hear the famous "Call To the

Post." After a brief delay, THEY'RE OFF!

THEY'RE OFF & RUNNING!

As soon as the starting gate opens, all four horses start moving.

Although you can't see it, the track is slightly curved. This means

that the horse running closes to the rail has to travel the shortest

distance. The computer-control horses immediately move in close to

the rail, coming away from it only to pass. At the beginning of the

race, the horses tend to have the most speed. Then they gradually

slow down (especially when the track is Muddy) after a few furlongs.

Each furlong is marked by a black post, and signaled by a soft "gong"

as the leading horse approaches it. You'll hear the hoofbeats of the

running horses and the sound of jockeys' whips as they near the

finish line.

Watch the running patterns of all the horses in the race, not just the

ones you bet on, so you'll spot the characteristics that will make

some of them winners. These characteristics will stay the same for

each horse throughout this series of 10 races. Things to watch for:

* Speed out of the starting gate

* Early pace

* Endurance

* Speed down the home stretch

* Speed on different track conditions (dry, mud or turf)

When the winner crosses the finish line, you'll hear the cheers of the

crowd and see the time flashed up on the Tote Board. When all the

horses have crossed the line, the Tote Board will show you the order

of finish, from right to left.

After a few seconds, the scene will automatically change back to the

Betting Sheet, and you'll see the effects of the betting on each

player's stake.

Let's take a closer look at the typical running pattern during a race:

All the horses run relatively fast at the beginning of the race (even

though some of them might be a bit sluggish coming out of the

starting gate). After a furlong or two, some differences between the

runners start to become evident, and usually by the 3rd furlong

mark there is considerable slowing. This is especially true on a

Muddy track.

ADVICE FOR JOCKEYS

Even though each horse's energy is depleted as the race goes on,

resulting in a slower and slower pace, all the entries do have an extra

store of speed, which can be stimulated by "the Whip" -- near the

end of the race. The computer-controlled horses will be speeded up

this way, and you'll hear the "crack of a whip" when either of them is

spurred along for a final dash. The computer always knows when to

apply this extra stimulation to its 2 horses so they won't run out of

energy before they get to the finish line. Listen for the whip sounds

and watch the computer's horses make their moves for the lead. If

you are one of the jockeys controlling the #3 or #4 horse, there are

things you can do to get to the finish line faster.

The top button on each side of the Hand Controllers will, when

pressed "COAX" your horse to get a little more speed. You can COAX

your horse during the first half of the race, and you should use this

button when you need a little burst of extra effort to improve your

running position. When you COAX your horse, its speed will increase

slightly. When you release the button, your horse's speed goes back

to what it would have been if you hadn't pressed COAX. Remember,

though, every horse has a limited amount of energy and if you coax

your entrant too much you may see all that energy used up before

he gets to the finish line.

The other control you can use against your 3 competitors is WHIP. A

WHIP command from you will make your horse sprint at absolutely

top speed -- and at a tremendous cost of running energy. When

WHIP is used, the horse goes much faster . . . But when the horse

reaches the end of its endurance its speed drops to little more than a

walk. The WHIP should never be used for more than the last 2 1/2

furlongs of the race, and in most cases for not much more than 1

furlong.

The ideal way to use WHIP is to time it so your horse is still sprinting

at top speed as it crosses the finish line. If your timing is perfect,

your horse's energy would be exhausted just as it crosses the line. To

improve your timing, COUNT THE FURLONGS AS THE RACE IS RUN, SO

YOU KNOW WHERE THE LEADING HORSE IS ALL THE WAY. FURLONGS

ARE MARKED BY BLACK POSTS AND YOU HEAR A "GONG" SOUND AS

THE LEAD HORSE APPROACHES EACH ONE.

Even if your horse is out of the picture, your controls will work.

Sometimes a horse will "come from behind" at the finish, driven on to

victory by a well-timed WHIP.

MANAGING YOUR "STAKE"

To be a consistent winner in the HORSE RACING game, you'll need

skill at handicapping. You also have to use your simulated money

wisely. REMEMBER: YOU START WITH A "STAKE" OF $750. YOU'LL

WIN IF YOURS IS THE BIGGEST STAKE AFTER 10 RACES. DON'T TRY TO

DO IT WITH ONE OR TWO LONG-SHOT BETS.

The more you know about the horses the easier for you to see the

differences among them so you can predict the winners. Raise your

betting amounts progressively. Before the 1st race, you have only

one (rather poor) clue about the entries -- the computer's rough

"odds". A bet on any of these horses is not much more than a wild

guess, so make your initial bet a very modest one, perhaps only $10.

With the 2nd race, you'll have more information, because you've

probably seen a least one of the entries run, but there are probably

new comers, too. So it's best to keep your bets small at this point.

The 4 horses in each race are randomly selected by the computer. By

the 4th or 5th race you'll probably be able to see all the horses in the

stable run a least once.

Now you can start to make more educated choices, and you should

start to bet more confidently. When the last 3 races are run, you

might even try an Exacta or two, if you're ahead. REMEMBER, IF YOU

LOSE THE $750 YOU STARTED WITH, YOU'RE OUT OF THE GAME.

THERE'S NO CREDIT EXTENDED AT THIS TRACK!

HANDICAPPING: PICKING THE WINNERS

Many of the principles of successful handicapping at a real racetrack

apply to this game. This brief discussion should help you to do better,

especially if you are not already an experienced racing fan.

Simulated wagering, even for harmless amusement (as in this game),

should be a rational, rather than an emotional process. Before every

race you are provided with a concise summary of recent Past

Performances by each horse for that day. Even though you don't

know all the variables that make each horse different from the

others, you can deduce a great deal by looking carefully at these

records.

Here's a typical kind of Past Performances display for a race at 10

furlongs, on Turf. Look at what you can learn about the horses that

will be running...

RACE LENGTH: 9 FRLG

CONDITIONS: TURF

BLU 3-1

[9 or 10 Furlongs, Dry] 47.5 P B Y

[9 or 10 Furlongs, Turf] 42.4 P B W

[9 or 10 Furlongs, Turf] 47.7 B V O

RED 4-1

[3 or 4 Furlongs, Turf] 17.1 R W G

[5 or 6 Furlongs, Muddy] 25.9 V Y R

[9 or 10 Furlongs, Turf] 44.7 Y P R

WHT 3-1

[9 or 10 Furlongs, Turf] 52.0 P Y V

[3 or 4 Furlongs, Turf] 17.4 R W G

[9 or 10 Furlongs, Dry] 46.1 P B W

VIO 2-1

[9 or 10 Furlongs, Turf] 47.4 P Y V

[3 or 4 Furlongs, Dry] 14.3 V P G

[5 or 6 Furlongs, Turf] 21.7 V Y R

This is an example of the Past Performance information you'll get

after most of the races have run. The first things to consider are the

race distance and track condition -- especially when that distance

and condition have been run earlier. As you see every horse in this

race has run at 9 or 10 furlongs, on Turf. Taking them each in turn,

we see that:

* BLUE has beaten YELLOW, WHITE, VIOLET and ORANGE in the same

kind of race. BLUE was beaten by PINK. But PINK isn't running this

time.

* RED hasn't done well on Turf at all, and ran 3rd behind YELLOW

and PINK at this distance.

* WHITE didn't even place at this distance, and it was beaten in its

last race by PINK YELLOW, and VIOLET. Definitely not a contender!

* VIOLET was beaten last time by PINK and YELLOW.

So far, BLUE looks like the strongest horse for this distance. But

double-check by looking at the times they all ran 9 or 10 furlongs:

BLUE -- 47.5, 42.4 and 47.7 seconds

RED -- 44.7 seconds

WHITE -- 52.0 and 46.1 seconds

VIOLET -- 47.4 seconds

BLUE has run the best time at this distance -- good confirmation or

his apparent superiority over these horses. RED has run the second

best time. On the basis of these clues, BLUE would be a good Win bet,

or BLUE-RED a good Exacta bet -- in spite of the computer's rough

odds which make BLUE, WHITE and VIOLET the favored entries.

To summarize: Look for match-ups of distances and track conditions.

Then look for match-ups of horses. Then compare the times of horses

that ran those distances but in different races. After a while, these

clues will point you to the winner more and more frequently.

You'll do better if you keep your own written record on a piece of

paper, so you won't lose tract of any early-race information.

By doing this, you can "save" important information. The Past

Performances displayed for each horse only go back the last 3 races

(with the most recent race at the top). In the series recorded here,

you can see that WHITE has run six times. In races 1, 2 and 3 it

showed that is was a fast horse on Mud and Turf and not too

impressive on a dry track. With this extra summary of results, a

player can easily see this pattern confirmed in races #6, 7 and 8, and

feel confident about how this horse would be likely to run in the

10th race.

REMEMBER, THE MORE RACES THAT HAVE BEEN RUN, THE MORE

INFORMATION YOU HAVE ON WHICH TO BASE YOUR PICKS.

GOOD LUCK!

SIMULATED GAMES SOUNDS

CLICK -- A Hand Controller key has been pressed and is valid.

BUZZ -- A Hand Controller key has been pressed incorrectly.

"Call to The Post"-- The race is about to start.

CLANG -- Starting gate opens.

HOOFBEATS -- The horses are running!

GONG -- A furlong marker is about to be reached by the leading

horse.

WHIP -- One of the 4 horses is being whipped to a sprint.

CROWD CHEER --     The finish!

BETTING SHEET SYMBOLS

W = A BET TO WIN

E = AN EXACTA BET (on #1 & #2 Horses)

PAST PERFORMANCE TRACK SYMBOLS

DISTANCE

Track symbols look like the following letters on their sides:

J -- 3 or 4 Furlongs

U -- 5 or 6 Furlongs

O -- 7 or 8 Furlongs

Q -- 9 or 10 Furlongs

CONDITIONS:

Light Tan = Dry

Brown = Muddy

Green = Turf

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�1979, 1997 Intellivision Productions, Inc.