********************************************************************** STAKES WINNER ********************************************************************** Arcade & Neo-Geo Written By: CallMeSpike FAQ Version: 1.00 Date written: 19 May 2002 E-Mail: excidium1@hotmail.com * Please Note: If you have any questions or comments about the game or FAQ you are more than welcome to email me. Just make sure you make it clear in the subject that its to do with the FAQ because i get so much junk mail i tend to just delete EVERYTHING i get without looking. Alternatively you can catch me on the GameFAQs message board's . I check the Stakes Winner Board reguarly to see if anythings up. ********************************************************************** ----Contents---- ********************************************************************** 1. How To Play 2. Horses 3. Races 4. Special Items 5. Tips 6. Walkthrough 7. Copyright Notice ********************************************************************** -----1. How To Play----- ********************************************************************** Stakes Winner is a horse racing game. You are the jockey, and the objective is to get your horse past the winning post before the 7 other horses in the race. The camera is set above the track giving you a sky view of the race (like you would see on television). There are 12 races altogether, but depending on where you finish, you may find that you will be competing in either more or less. You must finish in the first 3 placings to progress to the next race. You will notice on the game screen when your racing some useful things to help you win. On the top right of the screen is a map of the track. On this map is some dots representing each horse in the race. The colour of the jockey's cap will donate what colour dot the horse will be on the map. The map also shows you where the finish line is. Knowing how far there is to go is important, because you don't want to be making your move too early or too late. On the bottom left of the screen is a picture of your horse's head, and a power bar. You have to keep your eye on the horse's head during the race. It gives you an indication of how he is travelling. If you use the whip on your horse for a long period of time he will start to shake his head This means that if you keep using the whip your horse is going to suddenly slow down and you will lose a lot of ground. The power bar must never get empty. If it does run out, your horse will slow down, and eventually stop. And thats Game Over for you. You use the joystick and 2 buttons to control your horse. If you don't press any buttons, your horse will travel at a steady pace, and you will not use of any power. The first button controls the reins. Pressing this button repeatedly will decrease your power slightly, but your horse will gallop at a quick speed. The second button controls the whip. Using the whip will decrease your power alot quicker, but it will make your horse really sprint hard. You can use your whip any time you like. Each horse reacts differently to the whip. Some can stand being whipped longer than others before they start to refuse it. Towards the end of the race (usually between the 400-600 metre mark, and depending on the horse you chose) you can whip as much as you like and your horse will never shake his head, he will keep pressing on hard, obviously knowing the finish line is close. ********************************************************************** ----2. Horses---- ********************************************************************** There are 8 selectable horses in Stakes Winner. All have their own individual abilities and statistics. So choose wisely. The horses are... 1. White Heat 2. Euro Unicorn 3. Hot Sand 4. Asian Hope 5. Brave Lady 6. Be Silent 7. US Fighter 8. Sky Dancer ------------ White Heat ------------ Speed......4 Strength...5 Stamina....3 White Heat's acceleration is huge, but his top speed is quite poor. He is very quick to begin and he can control most races from the front. However, he hates the whip. Soon after you start to use it he starts to refuse it and will shake his head. White Heat is useful in the early sprint races, but when it comes to the longer harder races, he is left wanting. -------------- Euro Unicorn -------------- Speed......4 Strength...3 Stamina....5 An OK horse. He's gate speed is only fair, as is he's ability to sprint when called upon with the whip. You will win plenty of races with him, but you have to be up on the pace to have any real chance. He's speed in the straight is not that good and he has difficulty catching leaders. -------------- Hot Sand -------------- Speed......5 Strength...3 Stamina....4 Hot Sand is by far the best horse of the bunch. He has terrific gate speed, allowing you to get to the front early and dictate races. He can also settle just off the pace behind the leaders, or towards the rear of the pack, and still give you a top winning chance. Hot Sand's other big advantage is his ability to start sprinting for home further out from the finish line then most other horses can. You can go for the whip in some races 800 metres out from the winning post and he will never give in. -------------- Asian Hope -------------- Speed......4 Strength...3 Stamina....5 Asian Hope is unlike any other horse. He has no early gate speed, so you are often forced to drop to the back of the pack. He is a hard horse to use because by dropping back you are giving the opposition a head start. You can also find yourself blocked in behind some slower horses when your trying to improve your position towards the end of the race. Asian Hope does have a big finish however. Like Hot Sand, he can start sprinting for home a long way out. And when he gets going, he really gets going! -------------- Brave Lady -------------- Speed......5 Strength...3 Stamina....4 Brave Lady is a quick horse. You must take advantage of her early gate speed by getting to the front of the field. Don't go to hard out in front, because in the longer races you will find yourself short on power. You can sit behind the leaders with her if that makes you feel more comfortable. But you have to be thereabouts at the end because her finish isn't too flash. -------------- Be Silent -------------- Speed......5 Strength...4 Stamina....4 Be Silent is a good horse for beginners. He has some good all-round stats. Very reliable and will win you plenty of races. His gate speed is pretty good and so is his finish. However he does finds some races a bit to tough for him. -------------- US Fighter -------------- Speed......6 Strength...3 Stamina....3 This horse is an absolute bolter. No horse is quicker than US Fighter. However, despite his quick speed, he also gets tired of being whipped very quickly. If your not paying attention to your horse when he's shaking his head, he will suddenly slow right down and your lead will be all but gone, and it will happen when you least expect it... towards the finish line! The early sprint races will be fairly easy, but tackling the longer staying trips like 2500 metres and 3000 metres is a nightmare. Most of the time you will find yourself stumbling over the line as your power bar will have emptied a long way out. -------------- Sky Dancer -------------- Speed......4 Strength...4 Stamina....4 Sky Dancer is another good horse for beginners. His stats are nicely evened out so you can pretty much race as you please. There is nothing to special about him, but he is honest. ********************************************************************** ----3. Races---- ********************************************************************** Race 1: Maiden - 1000m - Sapporo Race 2: Juvenile - 1200m - Sapporo Race 3: Juvenile - 1600m - Nakayama --- Race 4: Guiness - 2000m - Nakayama Race 5: Derby - 2400m - Tokyo Race 6: St Leger - 3000m - Kyoto --- Race 7: Japan Grand Prix - 2500m - Nakayama Race 8: Emperor Spring Cup - 3200m - Kyoto Race 9: Champion Stakes - 2200m - Hanshin --- Race 10: Emperor Autumn Cup - 2000m - Tokyo Race 11: Japan Cup - 2400m - Tokyo Race 12: Japan Grand Prix - 2500m - Nakayama --- Special Races ---- *Breeder's Cup Classic - 2000m - Churchill Downs If you come first in Race 5 (Derby) and/or Race 9 (Champion Stakes), you will be given the option of competing in the Breeder's Cup. *Prix de le Arc de Triumphe - 2400m - Longchamp If you come first in Race 12 (Grand Prix), you will be taken to France to compete against the worlds best in the Arc de Triumphe. ********************************************************************** ----4. Special Items---- ********************************************************************** During the races, you will notice some items lying around the track. These items can be the difference between you winning and losing. ------------- Get these... ------------- White Wings: Speed Boost Orange Carrot: Increases Power -------------- Avoid these... -------------- Brown Hole: Loss of speed for about 2 seconds Green Bottle: Loss of speed and control for about 5 seconds ------------------ And theres also... ------------------ Blue Question Mark: You could get any of the above 4 Yellow Exclamation Mark: ??? {Email me if you know} ********************************************************************** ----5. Tips---- ********************************************************************** 1. This is the most important thing to know, so listen up. Your best weapon in this game is the bumping technique. Tapping forward twice will cause your horse to bump every other horse around you and severely slow them down. It costs you one power to use, so dont overdo it. Just use it if you think you won't be able to get past the leader, or if you look like getting passed at the finish. Take note that you can only do this technique racing horizontely. 2. There is no such thing as protesting in this game. So by all means play as dirty as you like. See a horse trying to squeeze up on your inside? Shove him into the rail. He will almost always be stopped in his tracks. 3. The Kyoto race track has an unusual final turn. The inside rail ends and leaves an opening for you to cut a corner. As you turn, hold "down/left" and you can sneak past the field and save yourself a massive amount of time, as the other horses tend to go wide around it. 4. As you near the finish line, you will notice the music will change. Its a good indication that you should be starting to get a move or you will find yourself in trouble. 5. Conserve your power in races over 2000 metres and longer! You will need it. You have to have patience. Dont go using your whip for the first 400 metres just so your the first horse around the first turn. Other horses will go with you to keep the pressure on, and you'll find yourself with practically no lead, and hardly any power left for the finish. Trust me, it will never work. You can't rely on picking up power up's and speed boosts (that may not even come) throughout the race to keep you going. It's not worth the risk. 6. In the Special Races, there are no special items on the track. 7. Keep your eye on the small picture of your horse's head at the bottom left of the screen. It tells you how the horse is travelling. When you use the whip he will grit his teeth and close his eyes. If you keep using it he will begin to shake his head furiously. So stop using it or he will just completely slow down. ********************************************************************** -----6. Walkthrough----- ********************************************************************** =================== =-Race 1: Maiden-= =================== Distance: 1000m Track: Sapporo Prize: 59,000 Direction: Clockwise Special Items (1): -200 metre mark Very easy race to get you started. If your horse has good speed, take advantage of it. There's 400 metres to the first turn so if you have drawn an outside barrier, get to the front and cross to the fence. if your horse doesnt have much gate speed, then just drop back to the rear and cross to the fence. Then you can start pressing forward through the field without getting caught wide around the turn. Just keep using that whip because you will never run out of power. Also remember that when your horse starts shaking his head (at the bottom left of the screen) it means he has had enough and will dramatically lose speed (and possibly lose you the race) if you keep using it. So take it easy. Just make sure you keep to the inside rail and you shouldn't have a problem. Holding the joystick in the direction you're going is also useful and will save you from running over extra ground. There is a speed boost (wings) at the 200 metre mark if you're really in rouble, but you should be able to win easily with a comfortable 3 length victory. If by some chance you do happen to come second or third, you will race in this maiden event again. ==================== =-Race 2: Juvenile-= ==================== Distance: 1200m Track: Sapporo Prize: 320,000 Direction: Clockwise Special Items (1): -200 metre mark Similar to race 1. You race around the same track, except this time there's an extra 200 metres till the first turn. Take note that unlike the first race, the special items at the 200 metre mark will be different every time you play. The short distance of this sprint race once again means that you can use the whip and an even rate and still have plenty of power to get over the line. You should easily blitz this weak field with a 3 length win. ==================== =-Race 3: Juvenile-= ==================== Distance: 1600m Track: Nakayama Prize: 540,000 Direction: Clockwise Special Items (2): -600 metre mark -250 metre mark The start to this race is tricky. The track turns into a bottleneck almost immediately. Outside barriers are at a disadvantage, and everyone has some pretty good speed so you will probably have to settle mid-field. 99% of the time one horse will go out to a 2-3 length lead. You can work your way up to second place and sit there until you get to the 600 metre mark. Then when the music changes go for the whip. You should catch the leader, he usually gets tired and slows down around the final turn, meaning you can cruise to the winning post. If he doesnt get tired, then you've got a battle on your hands. If you dont think your going to get past him, you can resort to some dirty tactics like using the bumping technique. If you're still too far behind him to do that, then start praying that there's a speed boost at the 250 metre mark, otherwise you'll just have to settle for a place. -------------------------------------------- Training -------------------------------------------- Training gives you the opportunity to boost up your stats. You are presented with 3 choices to increase your stats with. Speed, stamina, and strength. Boost up the stats that you have less of. If you complete the course within the time limit, you get an extra point added to that ability that you chose. The course is also divided up into three sections. These three sections represent Speed, Strength, and Stamina. If you pass a particular section quick enough, you get point added to that ability. To finish within the time limit, and to complete each section successfully, you are required to tap BOTH buttons repeatedly. Of course to make it that extra bit harder for you, there are mole holes throughout the course. Run over one and you will lose speed, and will almost certainly cost you from getting a bonus point. So just stay aware and keep on your toes. ==================== =-Race 4: Guiness-= ==================== Distance: 2000m Track: Nakayama Prize: 970,000 Direction: Clockwise Special Items (3): -1900 metre mark -Left Side -600 metre mark Now you are starting to compete in the longer distance races. Whats important is that you dont use your whip the entire journey, or else you will run out of power and fail to finish. Just use it to improve your position. Im not saying dont use it at all, just keep in mind the amount of power you have. Keep pressing the reigns button to keep your horse going at an even pace. Once again you might find one horse going out to a early lead. But this time he may not get tired, so dont give him to much breathing space if you can help it. After you go around the second last turn to come down the screen, stay off the fence! STAY OFF THE FENCE. i cant stress that enough. If you are racing on the fence and you have a horse on your outside blocking you in, it could cost you the race. Why? Because at the 600 metre mark are some special items, one of them is positioned on the fence, so if its a brown hole, or a green bottle, you will NOT be able to avoid it, and you can probably kiss the race good-bye. If you are running about 2 or 3 horses wide off the fence you are giving yourself a chance. Then if its wings or carrots there, you can move in a take it, and if is something bad you can miss it. ==================== =-Race 5: Derby-= ==================== Distance: 2400m Track: Tokyo Prize: 130,000 Direction: Anti-Clockwise Special Items (4): -150 metre mark -Right side -Left side -150 metre mark Very similar race to the previous. An extra 400 metres this time. At the start if you drew a wide barrier dont try to beat the other horses out and cross in front of them, it wont work. You'll just waste power. Drop back to the rear, get to the fence, then move forward. If you are racing from an inside barrier however, then you can use the reigns (maybe the whip) and get into a position where you feel comfortable. You can start to sprint home at about the 600 metre mark, and when you approach the home turn keep to the inside. If you're struggling to pass horses don't forget to use the bumping technique. If you win this race you are invited to race in the Breeder's Cup Classic. It is one tough race, and if you don't finish in the first three its game over, so you dont have to accept the invitation if you dont want to. If you dont accept you head to Kyoto to compete in the St. Leger. However if you do accept, compete, and finish in the first three, you will skip the St. Leger. ==================== =-Race 6: St Leger-= ==================== Distance: 3000m Track: Kyoto Prize: 1,110,000 Direction: Clockwise Special Items (5): -Right Side -200 metre mark -Left Side -Right Side -200 metre mark If you came 2nd or 3rd in the previous race, or declined the offer to race in the Breeder's Cup Classic, you will be here, the St. Leger. It is a very long race. One and a half laps. As soon as the race starts just do NOTHING. Don't whip or use the reigns. Just let everyone run past and allow yourself to be last. Go up the hill, then around the first turn and you will start to come down the right side of the track. Now you can start to gently use the reigns to catch up to the other tail-enders. There are some special items down this side and its usually wings. Get them and you will move up to mid-field. Remember what i said in the tips section about the awkward turn? well, its coming up so get to the inside, and hold down/left when you go around it. You might find yourself with the leaders now, and you still haven't spent a cent of power. When the other horses see you making a move past them, they will try to go with you, and the pace will quicken, dont get carried away and try to bolt away from them, just relax and let them go around you. Keep using the reigns as you go up the left side and the back straight, getting any good special items you come across. When you get to the hill in the back straight its nearly time to make a move, use the whip a LITTLE bit to start getting your horse to run a bit faster. Then as you turn and come down the right side really start to go for home. Cut the corner on the final turn and you should be in front. Just keep sprinting hard and you will cross the line in first place. If somehow your power is almost depleted, and there are horses around you, use the last bit of power you have to do the bumping technique. It will slow down the other horses, and you can just walk over the line. -------------------------------------------- Training -------------------------------------------- Once again you are given the opportunity to increase your stats. Boost up the ones that you have least of. ============================ =-Race 7: Japan Grand Prix-= ============================ Distance: 2500m Track: Nakayama Prize: 1,300,000 Direction: Clockwise Special Items (4): 600 metre mark 300 metre mark Left Side 300 metre mark At the start of the race, get to the inside rail. Most of the horses will travel down the centre of the track. A perfect opportunity for you to sneak through on the inside and save ground at the same time. Just sit behind the leaders and stick to the inside rail and you will give yourself every chance to win. Keep on your guard towards the finish line because they will be coming home fast from everywhere. ================================= =-Race 8: Emperor Spring Stakes-= ================================= Distance: 3200m Track: Kyoto Prize: 1,300,000 Direction: Clockwise Special Items (5): -Right Side -200 metre mark -Left Side -Right Side -200 metre mark This race is the same as the St. Leger in Race 6, except with and added 200 metres at the start of the race. Just use the same tactics as you did before and you will have no trouble defeating this field. =========================== =-Race 9: Champion Stakes-= =========================== Distance: 2200m Track: Hanshin Prize: 1,300,000 Direction: Clockwise Special Items (4): -200 metre mark -Left Side -Right Side -200 metre mark This is one tough race. The tricky part is the back straight, it runs on an angle and you can get caught on the fence and will get shuffled back in the field. When the race begins get to the fence and settle mid-field. When you turn the corner to enter the back straight, try and position yourself 2-3 horses wide of the rail. Keep using the reigns with a whip every now and again. Be sure to be holding up/right as you travel along too, it will make you go slightly faster. As you leave the back straight and turn the corner to come down the right side, start getting a real move on. You cannot afford to let the leaders get away from you. Sprint hard down the inside and really hug the rail as you turn into the final straight. Use the bump technique if necessary and go for home. If you win this race, you get an invitation to the Breeder's Cup Classic again. If you accept, compete, and finish in the first three, you will not have to compete in the Emperor Autumn Cup in Race 10. Instead you will train, then head to the Japan Cup in Race 11. -------------------------------------------- Training -------------------------------------------- Last chance to get your stats up. If you'd completed the last 2 courses successfully and within the time limit, then a successful completion of this course will see your stats maxed out. =============================== =-Race 10: Emperor Autumn Cup-= =============================== Distance: 2000m Track: Tokyo Prize: 1,300,000 Direction: Anti-Clockwise Special Items (3): -Back Straight -700 metre mark -150 metre mark Hard race. All horses go hard. The only chance you've got is to be right up there on the pace. Even holding the inside rail doesn't prove to be much of an advantage. If you do find yourself in the lead, just try and slow down the pace and bump any horses who do try to get past. This race always develops into an absolute sprint to the finish line, so make sure you've got plenty of power in the tank to give yourself every chance to win. ====================== =-Race 11: Japan Cup-= ====================== Distance: 2400m Track: Tokyo Prize: 1,300,000 Direction: Anti-Clockwise Special Items (3): -200 metre mark -Right Side -200 metre mark Another fast run race. At the start, dont go hard and sprint with the rest of the horses, settle back and get yourself into a position on the fence, then begin to improve your position and move forward. Don't go nuts with the whip trying to get in front of everybody so you can dictate the race. Just do enough so that you can sit behind the leaders. Then when you come out of the back straight and down the left side make your move. Sprint hard whilest trying to keep to the inside rail. You should be right on the heels of the leaders. Then get right up on their inside around the final turn and push them out. You have to be on the inside rail or you will not win. Once again if the other horses are kicking back and look like passing you in the final straight, use the bumping technique to put them back into their place. ============================= =-Race 12: Japan Grand Prix-= ============================= Distance: 2500m Track: Nakayama Prize: 1,300,000 Direction: Clockwise Special Items (3): -600 metre mark -300 metre mark -left side This is it, the penultimate race. Win this and its off to France to compete against the worlds best. Lose, and its back to the paddock for you. This is the same race as the Japan Grand Prix in Race 7. Same distance, same track. So if you won the first time, chances are good you're going to win again! Just use the same tactics as you did then and you should win and head for the big time. If you do win, you will be invited to compete in the Prix de le Arc de Triumphe in Longchamp. Unlike the Breeder's Cup races, you dont get a choice, so you're off to France whether you like it or not. Don't worry, it's easy. ======================================= =-Special Race: Breeder's Cup Classic-= ======================================= Distance: 2000m Track: Churchill Downs Prize: 1,560,000 Direction: Anti-Clockwise Special Items (NONE) This is the hardest race to win out of them all. Every horse you are up against has an enormous amount of speed. The pace is hot and if you are out the back you have no chance. There aren't any special items to replenish your power and to give you a speed boost. The best horse to win this race is Hot Sand, and this is how to win it. From the very start of the race, no matter what barrier you come out of, sprint HARD. You MUST be leading when you get to the back straight. If you come from an inside barrier your task will be easier, because by sticking to the rails you will save a lot of ground. ITS VERY IMPORTANT to stay to the rails. If you are coming out of an outside barrier, already the odds are against you. There will be horses on the inside sprinting faster than you and if they slip away all is lost. Try your hardest to be up with the leaders going around the first corner. When you go around the first corner use the reigns and the whip, and remember to keep to the inside. When going around the second corner, hold up/left to save ground. Then as soon as you enter the back straight use the bumping technique! Hopefully you knocked every horse around you, and you will hit the lead. Im sure by the half way mark you power bar is half empty, thats alright, because now you are controlling the race. Slow the pace right down by not even pressing the reigns button. You want the speed to be a walking pace. Horses will be trying to get past you, so get yourself in a position close to them so that you can bump them again. Bumping does cost you one part of your power bar remember, so dont over do it. When you reach the end of the back straight, bump again, then start to pick up speed. Scoot around the third turn keeping to the inside. You should open up a bit of a break from the field of about 2-3 lengths. That's the hard part out of the way. Stay OFF the inside rail coming around the last turn because its actually slower there. Vary betwen using the whip and the reign in the home straight, and if anyone looks like passing you just bump them. ============================================ =-Special Race: Prix de le Arc de Triumphe-= ============================================ Distance: 2400m Track: Longchamp Prize: 900,000 Direction: Clockwise Special Items (NONE) For the final race, this one is actually pretty easy. Its an awkward track because you race in a very long diagonal line for about 1000 metres, then its almost like a u-turn at the end and you come back to the finish line diagonally. The start is frustrating, because theres not much room to move, so the entire field just plods along up to the turn. Just go with them and don't try anything fancy, your chance will come later. Go around the turn at the end of the diagonal section and start to pick up speed. When you come back towards the finish in the second diagonal section, hold down/left. You MUST hold down/left. For some reason, your horse will go twice as fast and absolutely fly past all the horses. And if you are on the inside rail, you are laughing. If your not on the inside, then you could run into trouble. Because you go so fast you might find yourself running into the back of another horse, which will block your run. You cant avoid it because if you let go of the joystick, you wont have the speed to get past everyone. But even so, i would't be to worried about it because it's just such an easy race to win. Then the diagonal section turns into a final straight where you can just sail past the winning post and salute to the crowd because you are the world champion. Congratulations. ********************************************************************** ----7. Copyright Notice---- ********************************************************************** This FAQ was solely intended for the public use on the www. It cannot be reproduced, retransmitted, or re-written in any other form except by the notice of the author. Any violation of this code will result in strict penalty and high fines susceptible by law. If this legal document is portrayed in any commercial use, you are therefore stricten under the code of law and will be punished. In full contrast, this document portrayed in the website found at www.gamefaqs.com is to be used and only used by the public itself and cannot be sold. Revisions of this FAQ are only to be done with notice of the author before hand and may be done so as long as the name of the author of the document appears in due credit. You may juxatpose this document without notice of the author but it must not be used for sales and broadcasting or commercial use. This FAQ may not be included in a promotional CD, magazine, or any other use of monetary product. This FAQ may not be used in a password protected area nor in a high security area. This FAQ is solely used and ONLY used for public use and may not be used in a promotional ad that sponsors any type of monetary use. This FAQ is to be used "just like a book" meaning that it can be read over and over again by anybody who wishes to do so. This FAQ is in no way possible to be plagerized. Doing so not only damages the person you had intentionally forged, but it also damages yourself in terms of self guilt or in terms of law, whether the punishment be civil or criminal law. To put it at best, DON'T DO ANYTHING WITH THIS OR ANYTHING INVOLVING THIS FAQ WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! This document Copyright 2002 Mark Fithall This FAQ is protected by International Copyright Law. -=The End=-