#WinnersCircle (aka #RoyalTurf, aka #TurfHorseRacing) is one of the most faithful board game adaptations of a horse race I’ve seen. There will be a deluxe re-release of Winner’s Circle early in 2017, so I tracked down a copy to try out before then. If you have a copy of #CamelUp, you probably don’t also need to own this, but if you can’t get enough racing, or if you really love the horse racing theme, it’s worth looking into. Like Camel Up, it’s a fun, die-driven racing game with some interesting tactical decisions to make. There are 2 phases of the game: the betting round and then the actual horse racing. Each horse is assigned a random horse card with stats that determine how many spaces the special die will move it. There are 4 symbols on the cards that match the ones on the die: horsehead (3/6 faces), horseshoe, saddle, and jockey cap. Since the horsehead is the most common face, it’s often the best indicator of how well a horse will do, but some horses have serious bursts of speed assigned to other symbols, so you never know! At the end of the race, horses will pay out for finishing 1st, 2nd or 3rd but the more total bets a horse receives, the less each bet will pay out. But, beware, because if you bet on the last place horse, you’ll actually lose money! During the race, each player rolls the die once on their turn and chooses a horse to move. Each horse can only move once until all other horses have also moved, so you can either use your roll to help one of the horses you bet on, or hinder one you didn’t. Horses can’t occupy the same space at the end of their moves, so it’s possible to “try” to move a horse and make no progress, but still use up its move for the round--you'll probably also make half the table groan. 😉 There’s also a variant with hidden bets that allows for some bluffing and intrigue. A full game is 3 races, and the player with the most money at the end wins. It’s a really fun design that will have you cheering on your horses, jeering at the others and marveling and laughing at some wild comebacks. Solid game that’s definitely worth a try.
