The Kadanzer Jockey Club

Runner Racing at Kadanzer Weyr – The Kadanzer Jockey Club (KJC)

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2857 KJC Studbook

Before I start talking about the KJC, I want to express my grateful acknowledgment to its spiritual predecessor, the Jockey Club of Pern, and to Charles Schultz, without whose programming work the Jockey Clubs would not have existed, at least in their final forms.

So what is the KJC? The KJC is a runner racing club that allows Kadanzer Weyr members to maintain and race Pernese runners in the Kadanzer setting. Members operate individual stables of up to twenty racing runners, and an unlimited number of bloodstock for breeding purposes, with all records maintained by the Racing Steward.

To join the KJC, all that is required is that a person be a legal member of Kadanzer Weyr with a properly approved persona that could logically own runners. This includes most Holders and some Crafters, but, due to the exigencies of the Pass and the demands of dragon and Weyr, does not include dragonriders. To become a member, all any eligible person has to do is contact the Racing Steward. The initial string of racing runners is free, but any others must be acquired through breeding, trading with other members, or purchasing at the KJC’s annual auction, which is announced on the Kadanzer board on E-Groups as well as through private e-mail.

All runners, to be eligible for entry in a KJC event, are required to be registered with the KJC Racing Steward. This is because the Steward maintains a database for each runner that lists certain important characteristics – how fast it can run, how long it can keep it up, and how competitive it is, for instance. It is this database that makes the races possible, and these values are also used for runner breeding.

Note: Any reference to money, marks, costs, and purses should not be construed to mean that actual money changes hands. The club has no dues, and any such references are intended for role-playing only. Again, no actual money changes hands in any fashion.

RACES AND COURSES

Races are held bi-weekly, with a race card being sent out to all registered KJC members as well as being available on the KJC website. The races are divided by age groups, as well as by sex, and it is the responsibility of the individual member to ensure that a runner is indeed eligible for the race in which it has been entered. Runners entered in a race they are not eligible for are liable to being scratched without notice by the Racing Steward. The KJC uses the program Stretch Drive, written by Charles Schultz, to run the individual races, and results are returned to the members as well as being publicly posted and announced.

There are four different grades of races – C, B, B+, and A. The race grades are a good measure of risk and reward – a higher-grade race costs more to enter, but the purse is also larger. Note that the competition is liable to be harsher as a runner moves up in grade as well. All runners must pay an entry fee based on the grade of race, but purses are paid to win, place, and show runners only. Following is a list of race types, what it costs to enter, and what the payouts are.

A grade A is a stakes race, and is comparable to a major Thoroughbred event such as the Kentucky Derby. The entry fee is 30 marks per runner, and pays 150 marks to win, 75 to place, and 50 to show.

A grade B+ is also a stakes race, but costs less to enter. The competition is also liable to be less steep as well. The entry fee is 20 marks per runner and pays 75 marks to win, 50 to place, and 25 to show.

Grade B races are minor stakes races, and are usually the next step up for a young runner from a grade C race. B races cost 10 marks to enter and pay 50 marks to win, 20 to place, and 10 to show.

Grade C races are analogous to maiden or allowance races. They are not stakes races, and are the usual starting point for young runners on their way up. C races have an entry fee of 5 marks, and pay 25 to win, 10 to place, and 5 marks to show. Once a runner has won four grade C races, or has won a major stakes race (Grades B+ or A), it is no longer eligible to run in a Grade C event.

 

Entry Fee

Win Place Show
Grade A 30 marks 150 75 50
Grade B+ 20 marks 75 50 25
Grade B 10 marks 50 20 10
Grade C 5 marks 25 10 5

Races are held on flat and steeplechase tracks. The KJC does not force a runner to stick with one type of course or the other, but owners should be aware that runners will usually show a preference for one or the other, and plan their entries accordingly. Courses are also graded at the time of the race for track condition -- muddy or dry, hard and fast, or soft and slow – and runners may also show a preference for a particular surface. One runner might like to run in the mud, for instance, but his stable mate might not want to get his feet dirty. Races range from five to twelve furlongs – a furlong is an eighth of a mile -- in length.

Total marks earned are recorded for each stable, and serve two purposes – earned marks are used to track a runner's placement in the Championship points standings, and the total amount earned is used to modify the amount available for a stable to use in the KJC’s annual auction. A stable will be allowed to enter its runners in raced whether or not it is making money.

Runners may be entered in one and only one race per card.

Once a year, at the end of the racing season in December, the KJC has its annual Runner Championships. Runners qualify by running races and earning marks. Total marks earned, after entry fees are deducted, will earn a runner a slot in a Championship race – assuming, of course, it’s one of the top money earners. Championship races are held for all ages and all race types, in both sexes, and it is not unusual for a runner to qualify for a slot in more than one Championship race. However, a runner can be entered in only one Championship series.

The Championships are series of three races of varying lengths, and all are Grade A races. If a runner wins two of the three races in its series, it is crowned Champion. If it wins all three races in the series, it is crowned Grand Champion.

NEW AND OLD RUNNERS

A stable owner can obtain new racing runners by several methods. The most common way is to obtain one from another member. The KJC also sponsors a runner auction of two-turn olds once a year, consisting of animals that are usually donated by KJC members but in some cases are obtained from elsewhere. Members with bloodstock are also able to breed their own. Please note again that all new runners must be registered with the KJC Racing Steward to ensure accuracy in the club’s records.

The runner auction is held once a year, usually as early as possible to give members a chance to race their new acquisitions as early and as often as possible. Members bid on the runners in an open bid format using a standard formula to determine the amount of marks each member has available.

Breeding runners can be done at the will of the members, as long as the bloodstock being used has been registered with the KJC Racing Steward. (Whether or not a stud fee is charged by the stallion’s owner is up to the member in question.) It is possible to breed using an active racing runner, but that particular runner from that point forward will run under a penalty if it is not immediately retired from racing. Arrangements to use another member’s bloodstock – a stallion, for instance – can be made privately between owners. New foals must be registered with the KJC Steward using the following format:

13. PLAINSMAN

               Sex: Stallion, bay, white star
                Foaled: 2850.01.03
                Died: ?
                Sire: Village Lord
                Dam: Sea Chanty
                Height: 15.0 hh
                Breeder: Lord Morgav, Cibola Hold
                Owner: Lord Morgav, Cibola Hold
                Record: 0-0-0-0

The Steward assigns a record number at the time of registration. Height is measured in hands, a unit of measure consisting of four inches -- four inches equals one hand – and fractions thereof.  The runner shown above, for instance, stands 15 hands high (15.0 hh), which works out to 15x4”, or 60” tall. A runner measuring 15.1 hh would be 61” tall, 15.2 hh is 62”, 15.3 hh is 63”, and 15.4 hh equals 16 hh, or 64”. Pernese racing runners generally range from between 13 to 17 hands, averaging around 15.2 hh or so.

It is advisable to set birthdates as early in the Turn as possible, since runners officially age one Turn on the first day of all consecutive Turns. For instance, if one colt is foaled on 01.01.2850 and another is foaled on 13.28.2850, both runners will be one Turn old on 01.01.2851. Granted, this is an extreme example, but for racing purposes, this is the way things are done. A runner with an early foaling date will usually have an advantage over a runner that is foaled later, as it has had more time to grow and mature.

Runners may begin racing at age two on all types of courses.  Subject to the restrictions above, they may race until they drop, should the owner wish – but keep one thing in mind. Sooner or later, all runners will pass their racing peak. This age is determined randomly at the time the database file is created and is not given out – it can only be determined through race results. Nearly all runners will be past their prime at six Turns of age (though a very few may last longer) due to the fact that Pernese runners generally have shorter lives than their Terran counterparts and consequently usually have shorter racing careers.

Male runners also have the option of remaining full stallions or being gelded.  Such a choice is left up to the individual owner, and it is usually done between two and three Turns of age. Gelded males usually perform better than they did before they were gelded, and have a longer useful racing career, but they cannot be used for breeding purposes afterwards.

Owners are not required to retire their runners. However, they are encouraged to do so since it will free up space on their racing string. Older runners that continue as active racers also generally make less money, cost more in entry fees for races they don’t win, and suffer a heavy penalty in the breeding barn if and when they find their way into an owner’s bloodstock.

Some common sense rules apply with runners:

You cannot unretire a runner and bring it back to active racing status.

You cannot bring a horse declared dead back to life.

You cannot ungeld a male horse and have it reproduce.

A mare can only have one foal per Turn.

Mares gestate (are pregnant) for 11 months.

Pernese runners are past breeding prime at age 15.

Pernese runners are not long lived -- 20 Turns is usually the max.

Any further questions? Ask the Kadanzer Jockey Club Racing Steward!