I have to admit that I had absolutely no experience with horse racing, either in video game form or real life. The times that I've been to a racetrack have only been for Jazzfest, so actively picking a winner and knowing that my horse even stands a chance was a totally foreign concept to me. In fact, I was completely prepared to ditch the analysis of the animals in the track program and bet based on the name of the horse that stood out to me.
As it turned out, that's what a lot of other betting fans did at the track as well. On our tour from the grandstand to the track and paddocks, our guide Art informed us that regardless of what was actually written up, most of the serious gamblers placed their money on a whim they had with the name or a feeling they got from the horse. Suddenly, I didn't feel too bad choosing some of the more exotic names in the field, especially when my long shot in the third, Long Dark Cadillac, hit the switches and emerged from dead last to place second -- exactly where I'd picked him to be.
As we got down to the track and observed the horses bolting from the gate, I couldn't help but feel awed watching these trained animals sprint down the track. This was even more impressive when we went into the horse paddock and observed the trainers and jockeys warming up and saddling the thoroughbreds, walking them around the ring and finishing up their final preparations. Walking away from the ring, it seemed like it'd be quite a stretch to balance both the realism of the sport and the mechanics of the game.
Imagine my surprise when, after this primer in the sport, we got our hands on the game and it appeared to be a very close recreation of our tour. We played a number of races in the included Free mode, with a few versus races sprinkled in, which included a large number of colts and fillies to select from (particular favorites of the day included Chief Missile and Naked Love), whom we took on a number of tracks ranging from turf to dirt. Not only did Gallop Racer 2006 include the warm up ring that we'd stood in only minutes before, but this preliminary area also hosted a wealth of stats on our animal, including its tendency to wear itself out during long races or how well it responds to its jockey's commands. It also gave us a sense as to whether or not the horse liked taking the lead or if it wanted to stay in the pack for most of the race.
All of this helped when we were placed in the gate and attempted to win a race with our own jockey. It might seem like a simple concept: take a horse and get it from the start to the finish line. When your controls primarily consist of either using the whip via the face buttons to motivate the animal or using reins to direct it via the directional pad, it appears easy, but it's definitely complex. Players have to initially set a pace for their animal right out of the gate that will hopefully match what the horse wants to run: too quick and the horse tires out immediately; too slow and it can't make up the time and distance lost. By flicking or reining the horse, you guide the speed that your animal will run, as well as provide extra incentive by way of three different whip strokes.
As you go along the track, you need to also direct the horse to take either an outside or inside line on the fence, in an attempt to cut off other riders and provide the shortest path for your horse to conserve its energy. Along the way, certain markers indicate your progress, such as whether or not you're driving the horse too hard or if it's fighting the jockey. If the horse is ridden just right, you have the opportunity to acquire "Revolution" points, which can provide your steed with additional stamina or a burst of speed in the middle of a race. This can sometimes make the difference between last place and the winner's circle. However, you have to be extremely careful in your chase for this emotional "state," because you can exhaust your horse so much that it simply doesn't have enough energy left to cross the finish line in a decent place.
After the race, you're given both your time, your evaluation on the race and points which, we were told, can be used in Theme Park mode (Gallop Racer 2006's story mode) to improve our horse and our stable. Not only will you be in charge of one horse, you'll have the option to raise and train multiple horses, including breeding your animals together to create champion horses and their progeny. You'll also be able to place money down on your horses, trying to wager whether or not your animal will win, place or show (aka come in 1st, 2nd or 3rd place), or if you can make a more "exotic" choice like the quinella, exacta or trifecta.
Even though it was still an early build of the final game and we weren't fully exploring separate modes it will offer, the visuals were surprisingly effective in drawing in bystanders and players alike. Employees at Golden Gate Fields found themselves getting wrapped up in the game action and the seemingly realistic behavior of the horses, while we were impressed by some of the cinematic camera angles that captured replays of a race. It looked and felt like a game that horse racing enthusiasts will be interested in checking out when it's released later this spring. In the meantime, let me know if you see Chief Missile or Naked Love on a racing form, will you? Daddy needs a new pair of shoes...