The Really Nasty Horse Racing Game
Text in bold clarifies or amends the game as
outlined by the rules included with the 21 st
Anniversary Edition.
THE GAME
Each game is a race meeting, at which six races will
take place. Each race you may earn money by:
 Your horse finishing in a prize winning position.
 Your placing a bet on the winning horse.
PREPARING TO PLAY
The board is layed out in the middle of the table.
Players choose a colour of their silks.
The Really Nasty cards are shuffled and the
number shown dealt face down to the players.
3 players – 6 cards 4 players – 5 cards
5 players – 4 cards 6 players – 3 cards
These cards are for the entire race meeting, and
are concealed until played.
Each player receives £20,000 and a betting slip.
Again, these are for the entire race meeting.
To establish the order of the races, the Race cards
are shuffled and dealt out face up in a row. The
players enter the names of the races on their
betting slips in the Race column.
HORSES FOR COURSES
Each player has a stable of six horses, graded 1
(better) to 6 (worse). A horse’s grade dictates
where it will ‘double up’ (in its turn move up to twice
as many lengths as the number rolled). For
example, a grade 1 horse ‘doubles up’ when it ends it
initial movement in any of the Early Pace, Quicken
Up and Finish Well sections. Lesser horses 'double
up' in fewer sections, see the board for details.
Remove 4.7 centimetres and the result fits in the box unfolded.
Players must now choose which of their horses will
enter which race, by secretly entering the numbers
1 to 6 on their betting slip under the Stable Entry.
UNDER STARTER’S ORDERS
Before each race all the Lane cards are shuffled
and one dealt to each player. Players place their
horse on the lane number dealt to them.
My wife says you should use only the lane cards
numbered up to the number of players.
Each player in turn calls out to the Bookmaker their
stable entry (horse's grade) and their lane number.
These are marked up on the Bookie's Board next to
each player's silk colour. The odds are calculated
by consulting the Odds Table on the game board.
The horses' odds are then entered in the Odds
column on the Bookie's Board.
PLACE YOUR BETS
You many now place a bet on one and only one horse,
your own or another player's. Each player needs to
consult the Bookie's Board to consider the odds,
stable entry and starting lane of each horse in
order to place bets wisely. Each player writes the
colour they have selected, on their own betting slip
along with the odds and the amount of the wager.
Without showing what is written on your betting
slip, fold it and place it on top of your colours in the
betting ring along with the stake. All players can
see how much other players have wagered but not
on which horse. Players do not have to place bets.
AND THEY’RE OFF!
Whoever has lowest lane card dealt starts play by
rolling a die and moving their horse. Play continues
clockwise.
MOVING HORSES
You move lengths until you cannot move another
length or the number of lengths moved is the
number rolled.
You move a length by moving to an adjacent empty
space. You may not move backwards. You may not
reverse your last move. You may always move to a
higher numbered lane (move out). You may only
move to a lower numbered lane (move in) if you
rolled a six and only once per turn - even when
doubling up. You may not take back a legal move.
Diagram time!
Red is wrong, white is right, green is right (once)
when you have rolled a 6.
DOUBLING UP
Horses double up by finishing what would otherwise
be their last move in an Early Pace, Quicken Up or
Finish Well section, and being one of the grades
listed on the board as doubling up in that section.
The Early Pace section applies to the first straight,
not to the finishing straight.
You only double up once per turn.
When you double up, you continue to move lengths
until you cannot move another length or the
number of lengths moved is double the number
rolled. Normal movement rules apply. If you rolled
a six and have not yet moved in, you may move in
once during this movement. Otherwise you may not.
THEY THINK IT’S ALL OVER!
All races are one and a quarter circuits long.
Horses that pass the finish line are removed
from the race track, the first three with riders
to do so taking taken their places in the Winners
Enclosure.
When no more horses can enter the Winner’s
enclosure, the race is over.
If only one horse is left in the race it must
complete the course to win.
PRIZE MONEY
 If 5 or 6 horses race, 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes
are paid out.
 If 3 or 4 horses race, 1st and 2nd prizes are
paid out.
 If 2 horses race then only 1st prize money is
paid out.
Any unclaimed prize money is paid to the winning
horse's owner.
If there are no finishers, no prize money is paid
out.
WINNING BETS
After each race (including any card play) is
complete, bets on the winning horse, and only the
winning horse, are paid out.
Winnings are calculated by multiplying the stake by
the odds. All stakes on the winning horse are
returned. All other stakes are lost.
If there are no finishers, all bets are lost.
AGAIN!
Discard the race card for the race just completed,
If race cards remain, return to Under Starter’s
Orders. Otherwise, the race meeting is over.
AND THE WINNER IS
At the end of the race meeting, the player with the
most money is victorious.
V1.0 Monday, 21 January 2013
THE REALLY NASTY CARDS
Except where stated, the play of a card is to be
complete before another card is played. Subject
to this and where stated, cards are played when
a player likes, not necessarily in their turn.
Except where a race is recalled, cards are only
played once per race meeting. Because of the
Recall card, cards played at the start of the
current race should be kept separate and only
discarded when a horse has reached Briars Brook.
Except where stated, a player’s horse need not
still be in the race for them to play a card.
(a) Whip Round
When played, the player nominates a horse whose
player has not yet rolled in the current race. This
completes the play of the card.
On the nominated player’s first turn, they do not
roll but simply turn their horse the wrong way
round.
On the nominated player’s second turn, they do not
roll but turn their horse the right way round to
face the right direction.
On the nominated player’s third turn, they race as
normal.
(b) False Start (Recall)
To be played in a race before any horses have
reached Briars Brook. The race is restarted. All
horses that started the race restart the race,
including those that fell, in their original lanes. All
bets are unchanged. Except for the False Start
(Recall) card, all cards used in the current race are
returned to those who played them.
(c) Faller
These cards may be played when a horse ends its
turn on the named fence (the Briars Brook fence
includes the adjacent water spaces).
These cards must be played before the next
player rolls.
Horses on the named fence (including in the water
at Briars Brook) may fall.
If only one horse may fall, it is falling. If more
than one horse may fall, the player who played the
Faller card says which of the horses are falling. He
may include his own horse.
Cards ‘Riderless Horse’ and/or ‘Remount’ may now
be played.
Horses that are still falling now fall. They are out
of the race and are removed from the race track.
This completes the play of the Faller card.
Another Faller card for the same fence may now
be played.
(d) Riderless Horse
This card can only be played during the play of a
Faller card or Slipped Up On The Flat.
The riderless horse replaces on the race track
one of the horses that is falling / the horse that
is slipping up. This horse is no longer falling /
slipping up.
For the remainder of the race, the player whose
horse was replaced on his turn moves the riderless
horse. This horse moves according to the normal
movement rules except it need not move as many
lengths as indicated by the die roll and does not
double up.
The riderless horse is not placed if it crosses the
finish line.
(e) Remount
This card can only be played during the play of a
Faller card.
A horse that is falling as a result of Faller card is
chosen by the player of the remount card. This
horse is no longer falling.
A remounted horse can fall if another Faller card is
played, in this or any future turn.
(g) Horse Under Pressure
These can only be used on the final straight. They
are produced before the player, to whom it is used
against, rolls the dice. That horse must then veer
sideways in the direction indicated on the card.
The horse must move the maximum number of
spaces sideways that are available in accordance
with the dice roll. It can then progress forward.
(h) Slipped Up On The Flat
This card can only be played by a player whose
horse is still in the race.
It cannot be played on a horse that is on a fence
(including in the water at Briars brook).
Card ‘Riderless Horse’ may now be played.
If the horse is still slipping up, it falls. It is out of
the race and is removed from the race track.
(j) Objection and Steward's Enquiry
These can be played when no more horses can
enter the Winner’s enclosure.
A player playing an Objection Card must deposit
£10,000. They then nominate which horse in the
winning enclosure they are objecting to, and roll.
A roll of 1 sees the objection sustained. The
nominated horse is disqualified, and removed from
the winning enclosure. Any horses below it in the
winning enclosure move up a position. The deposit is
returned to the player of the card. Any other roll
sees the objection denied. The result stands, the
deposit is lost.
A Steward's Enquiry card requires no deposit and is
successful if a one or a six is rolled.
More than one Objection and/or Steward's Enquiry
cards may be played per race.
(h) Photo Finish
This card can only be used after the first horse has
crossed the finish line. The card is played to the
very next horse whose turn it is to move. Should
this horse cross the finish line on it turn the judge
makes a mistake and declares the second horse the
winner. The horse that crossed the finishing line
first moves to second place. If the horse does not
cross the finish line, the card is still considered
used.