We’ve reached the summit—Season 26 has arrived!
Since the Beta days, Season 25 and the retirement of horses have always been circled in red. Last season, we bid farewell to Generation Zero horses. Season 26 ushers in another significant shift as CROWN Vouchers are retired, making way for key changes designed to reinvigorate the racing ecosystem.
We’re excited to share full details of what’s to come on the cusp of a brand new day in Photo Finish™ LIVE.
Lock in. Read up. And get ready to be the change you want to see by getting to know the changes we’ve put in place starting….NOW.
Disclaimer: This is SO MUCH reading. We have a lot going on, and even more to be excited for heading into Season 26. If you’re more of the audio learning type, tune into our Season 26 Foal’s Day Twitter Spaces this Monday, March 11, at 9 am ET.
Key Breeding Changes
- Increased Breeding Fees: TTG Fees rise from 25% to 50% to help subsidize race purses.
- Minimum Listing Prices: Horses now have grade-based minimum prices, ranging from 2,000 DERBY (Common) to 8,000 DERBY (Legendary).
- Reduced Stud Covers: Stallions can now breed 18 times per season (down from 35), aiming to create urgency in the stud market, and push external breeding to more horses/stables
- Fixed Listing Prices: No price changed during first 12 hours. Between hours 12-48 you may change the price of the stud. Of note, this is a temporary measure likely to be adjusted. With the big change to the process we wanted a slight window for adjustment if need be.
- Studs Entering the Barn: Studs have to be in breeding barn by the start of the breeding window.
- Retirement Age: Horses born in Season 26 and beyond must race until at least age 4 before retirement.
- Variable Breeding Age: Instead of a fixed age 25 breeding limit, newly born horses will now retire from breeding at a random age between 18-25, which will be displayed on their profiles.
Racing Updates
- Rake Reduction: Most races now have a 10% rake instead of 20%, pending external funding for purse subsidies.
- Purse Distribution: $DERBY payouts are now more evenly spread across all entrants, with at least 1% of the purse awarded to every racer.
- $CROWN Gifts: Consolation rewards now favor non-Top 2 finishers rather than being distributed equally among all entrants.
New Race Formats & Payouts
- Earnings-Based Races: A new race type, where you need to have earnings under a certain level to get into the race. A way to grow that horse against more like competition.
- Non-Winner Races: Expanded throughout the schedule.
- Major Qualifiers Adjustments: Now classified as G1/2/3 races with varied buy-ins and point allocations.
- Major Purses: Spots 11-20 earn $50, while 6-10 earn $100.
- Hardcore Races: Now strictly $1 or $2 allowance races.
- New High-Priced Claimer Series: “Claim to Fame” at Celtic Monke Raceway, with 27,000 Derby (Juveniles) and 36,000 (3+) Claimers added.
- Bukidnon Breeder’s Bonanza: Two juiced Kingmaker races on Day 1 rewarding top breeders from past seasons.
- Legends Series: A new format of undercard for majors with paid entry, but subsidized pots and breed credits to be won from the sponsor, on Celtic Monke Raceway.
- Middle Aged Madness: A new allowance series for 5+ horses at RD/LD/RT on Blue Exotic Equestrian Club. Leading to freeroll finales sponsored by Exotic Ridge Crypto Company
- Horse-Pilled Series: Sponsored by Big Brain Stables. All the allowance races on the Horse-Pilled stream lead up to some juicy allowance freerolls on the final stream.
$CROWN Milestone
- $CROWN Token Fully Diluted: With the expiration of Season 26 vouchers, there will no longer be sell pressure every 28 days, marking a shift towards long-term economic sustainability.
Graded Racing Gets a Shake-Up
- All MAJOR qualifying races have been moved from Restricted Stakes to Graded (G1/G2/G3) racing.
- Every win in a graded race now counts toward the Graded Racing Wins Leaderboard.
- $200 per top 30 spots in the leaderboard (payable in Crown).
- New buy-in tiers and an adjusted point structure allow multiple ways to qualify for the pinnacle events.
- First and last qualifying race for each Major event will be a G1 Premier event.
Graded Race Buy-Ins & Scoring
- G1 Premier: 12,000 Derby buy-in, scoring 40/20/10/5.
- G2 Races: 6,000 Derby entries, scoring 10/4/2/1.
- G3 Races: 3,200 Derby entries, scoring 4/2/1.
Major Championship Schedule
All major races will take place during the final week of the season, scheduled between 7:30-8:00 PM ET (00:30-01:00 UTC):
- Wednesday: Third Time Championship (RD) – Silver Stakes Undercard
- Thursday: Harbor Series (LT) – Rookie Rally Undercard
- Friday: Artemis Cup (RT) – Kentucky Oaks Undercard
- Saturday: Kentucky Derby (LD) – Baxus Cup Undercard
PFL Legends Series on Celtic Monke Raceway (more on that later) will also be part of each undercard. A legendary stable will kick in $100 in overlay, and podium finishers will win free breed covers with the race sponsor.
The races will be a higher buy-in race for 4+ and one for 6+ horses.
Juvenile Grade Restricted Series (Monthly)
- Wins count toward the Grade Restricted Wins Leaderboard.
- $150 per top 30 spots (payable in Crown).
- No structural changes apart from minor pricing adjustments.
- Finals continue at 6 furlong & 10 furlong distances, running on the season’s final day.
3+ Grade Restricted Series (Weekly)
- All wins contribute to the Grade Restricted Wins Leaderboard.
- $150 per top 30 spots (payable in Crown).
- Weekly series now structured across weeks 2, 3, and 4.
- Finals are held on Saturdays, with qualifying from Sunday to Friday.
- Mid-distance racing gets its own funnel.
- Weekly rotating distance formats:
- Week 2: 12/9/6 points
- Week 3: 11/8/5 points
- Week 4: 10/7/4 points
- Prize pool remains unchanged but is now distributed across multiple weeks, offering strategic flexibility.
- Earnings-based & wins-based grade restricted races now count toward qualifying at 75% of the normal entry fee.
Claiming Races Overhauled
- Claimers at 7,500 Derby or lower continue to count for Claiming Leaderboards.
- $100 per top 50 spots (payable in Crown).
- New structured tiers:
- Weather funnels: Above/below 50%.
- Distance funnels: Three distinct categories.
- Claim price funnels:
- 400/800 Derby
- 1,200/2,500 Derby
- 5,000/7,500 Derby
- C- to A+ weight formats applied to all “green” levels and lower.
- Limited Claiming Availability in Week 1: Only 2,500 Derby and lower options for greens.
- Daily race availability across distance and price funnels, with alternating weather funnels.
- Open weather and S Grade funnels run in opposition.
- New Allowance Categories: NW2 and NW4 allowances available at multiple claim price levels.
- New Claim to Fame Series sponsored by Celtic Monke Raceway & Blue Elder Racing:
- Juveniles: 27,000 Derby claimers.
- 3+ Horses: 36,000 Derby claimers.15,000 Derby claimers added (not leaderboard-eligible).
Benchmark Races Expanded
- All races count toward the Wins Leaderboard.
- $100 per top 30 spots (payable in Crown).
- New benchmark limits and weight adjustments:
- 90 Max (unlimited entries).
- 75 Max category added.
- 61-70 range: 0.25 lbs per BM penalty.
- 51-60 range: 0.25 lbs per BM penalty, with 95% of entries returned to purse.
Hardcore & Knockout (KO) Races
- Streamlined race formats:
- C- to A+ Allowance: $1 entry.
- S- to SS- Allowance: $2 entry.
Allowance Races Adjusted
- All wins now count toward the Allowance Wins Leaderboard.
- $100 per top 30 spots (payable in Crown).
- Adjusted entry fees ensure smoother race flow and competition.
- A new series, sponsored by Exotic Ride Crypto Company, exclusive to the Blue Exotic Equestrian Club track. It will feature S-/SS- allowance racing for 5+ horses that qualify for a juice freeroll at the end of the season.
Kingmakers Remain Elite
- Wins count toward the Graded Racing Wins Leaderboard.
- $200 per top 30 spots (payable in Crown).
- Qualifying points have been added to help ensure we get increased field sizes in the finales. Each race pays out 20/4/2/1 points, so it’s still heavily incentivizing to WIN.
- Bukidnon Breeders Bonanza introduced as a new early-season highlight for Juvenile Kingmakers.
- Royal Cup on the final Monday of the season is a high buy-in race that is a Kingmaker Qualifier. With $150 in purse subsidy in each race and ALL entries going towards the prize pool, it kicks off a jam-packed final week of big racing each season.
Exotic Ridge Crypto Company Sponsors Middle Aged Madness Series
Middle Aged Madness, a brand-new 5-year-old+ racing series, aims to change the narrative that a horse’s most fruitful days occur in its early years. Sponsored by Exotic Ridge Crypto Company, this exciting event is set to give older horses a fresh shot at glory while keeping competition fierce at the Blue Exotic Equestrian Club track.
Claim to Fame Series Sponsored by Zedge and Blue Elder
The high-stakes Juvenile Claimer Series at Celtic Monke Raceway, hosted by Zedge and Blue Elder, features daily high-value claiming races with stakes-level entry fees and a low rake. Competitors can race across all archetypes and distances, vying for big purses and a chance to win $100 in breeding credits by ranking among the top six earners.
Introducing the Bukidnon Breeders Bonanza
Sponsored by Celtic Monke Raceway, La Jolla Fields, and Bukidnon Farms, the Bukidnon Breeders Bonanza is an exclusive new event designed to reward the most dedicated breeders in Photo Finish™ LIVE! This NEW competition recognizes top breeders and offers an exciting early look at the strongest juvenile horses of Season 26.
PFL Legends Series
The PFL Legends Series brings high-stakes competition to the undercard of major events, with four legendary stables fueling the action.
Each G1 race is backed by one of these dominant stables, setting the stage for thrilling matchups.
YSM Racing leads the charge in LD races, Pocono Racing takes on LT, abSOLute Horsepower powers the RT division, and Tombstone Stables commands the RD category.
The series features a mix of 4+ races with a 6,000 Derby entry fee and 6+ races with a 3,000 Derby entry fee, all contested at a challenging 10-furlong distance. Every entry fee is added directly to the race purse, ensuring substantial prize pools.
To raise the stakes further, each race includes a $100 overlay, and the top three finishers earn a $50 breed credit from the race sponsor.
The Royal Cup: Kingmaker Qualifiers at Celtic Monke Raceway
The Royal Cup marks the start of Majors Week with an exciting series of Kingmaker Qualifying races at Celtic Monke Raceway. Held on the final Monday of the season, these high-stakes events provide a thrilling new way to kick off the week.
Each race in the Royal Cup features big buy-ins and a $150 purse subsidy, ensuring highly competitive fields and significant payouts. Additionally, all entry fees contribute directly to the prize pool, making these races some of the most lucrative of the season. As contenders battle for a chance to solidify their place among the best, the Royal Cup sets the tone for an action-packed week of championship racing.
Get ready to saddle up and take on the challenge of Photo Finish™ Live Season 26!
