DERBY OWNERS CLUB / PLAYER HANDBOOK

Every horse has a story to race.

The complete guide to playing, building your Stable, breeding new generations, and getting more from Winner's Circle.

Explore the guide Enter the arcade

The arcade is free to play. A paid subscription is never required to race or breed at a cabinet.

AT A GLANCE

Preserved for players. Built for new generations.

Start with a free Stable. Try the limited online Starter Lab. Add the full breeding toolkit only when you want it.

25Free stable

3/dayStarter limit per account and network

200Winner's Circle

PLAYER GUIDE / CHAPTER 01

Pick your level

Everyone starts with the same arcade game. Membership changes which optional online tools and how much cloud space you get.

Not sure? Start with a free Stable account and upgrade only when you want advanced tools.

PLAYER GUIDE / CHAPTER 02

Feature comparison

Search features

Feature	Free / Visitor	Stable	Winner's Circle
Watch live cabinet racing	Yes	Yes	Yes
Browse records and guides	Yes	Yes	Yes
Browse the Stables directory	Free sign-in	Yes	Yes
Play, train, feed, and race at a cabinet	Sign in	Yes	Yes
Personal cloud stable	Sign in	25 horses	200 horses
Breed at a cabinet	Sign in	Free	Free
Starter Lab using house / CPU parents	Sign in	Up to 3/day, account and network	Full Lab access
Play and join eligible community events	Sign in	Yes	Yes
Chat and manage stable name	Sign in	Yes	Yes + member badge
Full online Lab with eligible retired horses	Not available	Not available	Included
Studbook and Potential Mates	Sign in to browse stables	Browse stables	Full tools
Breeding Advisor, Planner, and Genealogy	Not available	Not available	Included
Feeding Advisor and Form Guide	Not available	Not available	Included
Multi-cabinet Theatre	Not available	Not available	Included
Priority in the full-cabinet seat queue	No	No	Yes

The free Starter Lab is the limited online breeding experience. Winner's Circle uses the full Breeding Lab, not an additional three-free-foal entitlement. Supported Lab versions and optional features can change.

PLAYER GUIDE / CHAPTER 03

Your first race: quick start

Open the DOC Online lobby. Watch the live action immediately, then choose HD or tap for sound when you want a fuller stream.
Sign in to create your free Stable account and claim an available seat at a live cabinet.
Follow the cabinet's prompts to start, create or load a horse, and insert its card when prompted.
Race, train and feed on the cabinet. Your cloud horse is saved through the cabinet workflow, not a separate paid game.
Return to My Stable and confirm your horse appears. Versions matter when loading horses on a different cabinet.

Keyboard controls

Same layout as the real cabinet — take a seat and ride.

↑ ←Z→ ↓

Selectarrows move · Z = OK

Enter

Startthe yellow button

X

Holdgreen button — save the gauge

C

Whipred button — go

I

Insert cardat the card screen

DOC Online hosts different game releases including World Edition, EX / Rev D, and Japanese editions. Not every horse card works on every cabinet.

PLAYER GUIDE / CHAPTER 04

Managing your Stable

Your My Stable page tracks the horses you have saved. Select a horse to inspect its card, current externals, birth statistics and available career information.

Autosave

Both free Stable and Winner's Circle players can use cloud autosave. Check your save preference and verify your horse after playing.

Name your stable

Use the pencil beside your name to change it. The members' Stables directory also finds former names.

Retire at the cabinet

Retirement happens in the actual game. The website does not have a separate retire button.

Foal naming

Name Lab-created foals on the result panel before their first race. There is not a general horse rename action.

The Glue Factory

Deleted horses go to the Glue Factory in My Stable. Restored horses may be held for review before they can become Lab parents.

PLAYER GUIDE / CHAPTER 05

Breeding: everyone can participate

Breeding is part of the original DOC experience and never requires a subscription. The online Labs offer additional ways to create future generations.

FREE AT THE ARCADE

Cabinet breeding

Retire eligible horses inside the game and follow the cabinet's breeding screens. No Winner's Circle subscription is needed.

FREE STABLE ACCOUNT

Starter Lab

Choose house-roster (CPU) parents and create a playable foal online. The free allowance is up to three foals per Pacific day per account and shared network across offered Starter versions, including Rev C, DOC II and Rebalance when available. Players on the same network can share the same allowance.

Try Starter Lab

WINNER'S CIRCLE

Full Breeding Lab

Use supported house, eligible retired horses you own, and approved community Studbook parents. Preview probable outcomes and generate playable foals without the free Starter daily cap.

Explore full access

A horse must be eligible for the selected Lab, and your own breeding parents generally must be retired. Rev D availability is gated by version and account. DOC II has dedicated breeding tools. There is no universal compatibility across cabinets.

PLAYER GUIDE / CHAPTER 06

Winner's Circle: the complete toolkit

For $8 monthly or $80 annually, Winner's Circle expands your tools and supports the ongoing DOC preservation project. Original cabinet racing stays free.

Breeding Lab + Foal Generator

Preview expected outcomes, evaluate breeding combinations and create playable foals from eligible parents.

Open Breeding Lab

Studbook + Potential Mates

Explore shared bloodlines and discover eligible mate choices beyond the game's house roster.

Open Studbook

Breeding Advisor + Planner

Compare pairings and project multiple generations. The Planner offers goal-based modes, not an automatic relatedness safeguard.

Open Planner

Genealogy

Trace ancestry and follow the families that produced a horse.

Open Genealogy

Feeding Advisor + Form Guide

Understand food effects and race form. The Feeding Advisor plans choices; food is still bought and used inside the cabinet game.

Open Feeding Advisor

Theatre + member conveniences

Watch multiple cabinet screens, keep up to 200 horses, and receive priority when every seat is taken. The usual cabinet-switch cooldown can still apply, including when loading a saved horse on a different cabinet.

Open Theatre

PLAYER GUIDE / CHAPTER 07

Explore the community

Stables

Browse other players' horses and stable histories. Every signed-in member can see every stable, including former stable names.

Browse stables

Leaderboard and Census

Explore track records and bloodline achievements. Some cabinet records post after a save and processing delay.

View leaderboard

Breeder's Cup

Follow breeding success from races, G1 results, and eligible descendants. See the current published scoring rules on the board.

View Breeder's Cup

Events

Find scheduled competitions, entry rules and results. Event availability and hosting options may vary.

Explore events

Whip Charts

Read community riding charts and compare live riding data. Historic tips are guidance, not guarantees.

See Whip Charts

Help and community

Read version-specific answers in the verified FAQ or join the Discord community linked from the footer.

Open FAQ

PLAYER GUIDE / CHAPTER 08

Common questions

Do I need to subscribe to play or save horses?

No. Sign in with a free Stable account, play on the arcade cabinets and save up to 25 horses.

Is the Starter Lab the same as the Full Breeding Lab?

The free Starter Lab is the limited on-ramp within the online breeding experience. It uses house-roster parents with up to three daily foals per account and shared network, across offered versions. Winner's Circle provides the full Lab, compatible owned and Studbook parents, predictions and deeper planning.

Why is my horse absent from the online breeding list?

Check retirement status, version, and eligibility. Some cards may be held for review. Rev D / Cab C online Lab access depends on its enabled feature gate and account; you can still breed inside the supported cabinets.

Why can't I switch cabinets immediately?

A three-minute cooldown can apply when changing house cabinets. Returning to the same cabinet is treated differently. Winner's Circle queue priority does not guarantee an exemption when loading a saved horse elsewhere.

Why doesn't my track record appear immediately?

Some boards update after a cabinet writes a save and the platform processes it. Some game versions keep their records locally.

Can I host my own cabinet?

Yes. Winner's Circle members can run a cabinet on their own Windows PC with DOC Host and plug it into the lobby. Setup is instant and each account hosts one cabinet. See Host a cabinet for the download, the install guide and what your PC needs.

THE TRACK IS OPEN

Ready for your next race?

Start free, grow a stable and see where your bloodlines take you.

Enter the arcade Winner's Circle