How It Works
Two draft modes, HIGHER OR LOWER: RACING and a Daily Challenge. One target: 550 Group 1 wins.
The Idea
Draft 8 jockeys for an 8-race Group 1 card. Every jockey carries their Group 1 wins in Australia and New Zealand since 1983, but you do not see the number until you pick them. Add up your card and try to reach 550.
The Card
You fill 8 races on the track, Race 1 to Race 8. Every jockey can ride any race, so each pick goes straight into the next open race.
The Modes
| Mode | How you draft | To win | Wildcards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 550+ | Roll 3 jockeys, pick 1 | A full card on 550 or more | 1 of each |
| HIGHER OR LOWER: RACING | See one number, call the next one Higher or Lower before time is up | The longest run of right calls | Run It Back and Reroll |
HIGHER OR LOWER: RACING
Three lists to call: Jockey Group 1 Wins, Big Race Wins (the Melbourne Cup, Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup, Golden Slipper, Doncaster Mile, Stradbroke Handicap, Victoria Derby and Australian Derby) and Horses’ Group 1 Wins (every horse with 3 or more, from Winx down). All count Australia and New Zealand since 1983. One wrong call, or no call in time, and the run is over.
Wildcards
- Reroll: bin the current offer and get a fresh one.
- Reveal Wins: show the Group 1 wins for everyone on the current offer only.
- Remove Jockey: take one jockey off your card. Their race reopens and they go back in the pool. If your card is full but short of the target, you can still use it before you lock in.
Wildcards come with a free CAST Profile: one of each per game, or two of each with CAST Pass. Guests see them locked until they sign in.
Legends
Now and then in 550+, one offer is a Legends Pick: three great retired jockeys, like Damien Oliver, Shane Dye and Glen Boss. You get one at most per game, and it can turn up late in a game, just when you need it most.
Legends keep their wins hidden like everyone else, and they count their Group 1 wins since 1983 too. They only appear in 550+.
The Daily Challenge
A new challenge every day at midnight, Sydney time, with three goes and your best one counting. Sunday to Friday take turns through the decades and eras (the 1980s and 1990s, the 2000s, 2000 to 2012, the 2010s, Since 2013 and the 2020s: only jockeys who won a Group 1 in those years), Saturday is the Spring Carnival (only Group 1 wins in Melbourne count: Flemington, Caulfield, Moonee Valley and Sandown), and Sunday is the hard day.
The Rules
- Every jockey can only be picked once.
- Picks are final, unless you use Remove Jockey.
- You have 20 seconds to pick, or the first option goes in. That’s in 550+ and the Daily Challenge. The other modes have no clock. The clock waits while the Shop or a pop-up is open.
- Your running total and how far you are from 550 are always on screen.
- Offers are random, but jockeys with more Group 1 wins turn up a little more often.
- Your result shows the luck of your draw: how many wins were on offer, against an average game.
- Every jockey rides in the silks of their signature horse (James McDonald in Verry Elleegant’s, Hugh Bowman in Winx’s). A jockey whose silks we could not confirm rides in plain royal blue.
- No bonuses, no form guide, no tricks. Just Group 1 wins.
Where the Numbers Come From
Wins count Group 1 flat races in Australia and New Zealand from 1 January 1983 to now, as graded at the time of each running. Wins overseas, jumps races and wins before 1983 are not included, and a dead heat counts as a win for both jockeys. Every jockey with 3 or more Group 1 wins since 1983 is in the game.
Group 1 results from breednet.com.au and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), checked race by race against each other. A few jockeys from the 1980s appear by their initials, as the records show them.
Spot something that looks wrong? Let us know and we’ll check it.