2026 Orphan Racing Global Sports Series Overview
It’s that time again to write up another one of the Orphans Residency contests, with the Global Sports Series kicking off this weekend. After strong interest from residents in 2025 and competitive fields most weeks despite it being sometimes tricky to find a suitable runner to meet the race conditions the Orphan Racing Global Sports Series is back for 2026.
The format has been reviewed after resident feedback resulting in a redesigned, sharpened and expanded offering we hope will deliver an even more strategic and exciting campaign for trainers and also level the playing field to give the little guy a chance at some success. This competition doesn’t count towards the trainers premiership this year, which allows players to be a bit creative without affecting their bids to unseat CoolK.
Spanning 15 races across 10 months, this series celebrates some of the worlds biggest sporting events while challenging players to breed horses using only sires whose career breeding rank is over 1000. (This has caused some headaches early with players having to breed a 3yo female for the first race so unless you were organised and used a mare at the end of last year, you are playing sim roulette in trying to get a filly.) For the first event, a few residents flew close to the sun…Home Affairs was used by one resident and he just fell in by cut off time with a rank of 1006.
It took me 5 tries to get my entry because I stupidly forgot to change it to 3yo on the one filly I got and the next 3 were all colts! (Could we get an “are you sure you want to breed a 2yo” pop up for scratch breedings in the rewrite Frank?)
Apologies for the digression, now back to the write up – aside from the 1000 ranking, we then add in conditions such as local sires that are close to where the sporting event is held – eg January is The Australian Open Tennis, so only Aussie sires can be used. All bar 3 of the 15 races are for first starters, and our fearless leader Chips has even thrown in a race on the Poly for an unknown sport called International Karen day to round out the series. I’ve only just seen that added event while doing this write up, so Chips…. f*** you and the horse you rode in on!
Also to the surprise of many who know how staunchly opposed Chips is about bonuses and these sort of things, a Joker has been added for each player to double their score in one particular race, however you must nominate your joker prior to final fields being declared. This will add another element of strategy. It amazes me that Chips didn’t add in a bye for everyone except me in the Karen race!
Below is an overview of all the new rules and changes.
1. First Starters Only — With Three Exceptions
All races in the series are restricted to first-time starters, with the exception of Races 11, 12, and 13, which are open to previously raced horses.
2. Stand-Alone Series
Results will not count toward the official Trainers Premiership, giving everyone a fresh shot at success without affecting their seasonal campaigns.
3. The Return of the JOKER CARD
A fan favourite, not a Chips favourite – the JOKER CARD is back.
- Each player may use it only once in the 15-race series.
- When activated, the horse’s points for that race are doubled.
- Trainers must nominate the race before final fields are declared.
Choosing the right moment will be crucial.
4. Local Sire Restrictions
Every race is a LOCAL race, meaning entries must follow local sire rules—
except Races 5 and 15, which allow only sires from specifically listed international locations.
5. No Elite Sires Allowed
To maintain a fair competition:
No sire ranked inside the global Top 1000 may be used in any event.
6. Spread of 2YO and 3YO Races
The 2026 series balances developing youngsters with maturing runners, creating more varied breeding and training strategy.
The 2026 Races
Below is the list of events that make up the series
1. January 24 — Australia (AUS Open Tennis)
3YO Fillies · 8f Turf
2. February 7 — California (Super Bowl)
2YO Open · 5.5f Dirt
3. February 14 — Italy (Winter Olympics)
2YO Open · 5.5f Turf
4. March 14 — India (ICC T20 World Cup)
2YO Open · 6f Turf
5. April 11 — South Carolina / Washington (Masters Golf)
2YO Open · 6.5f Dirt
(Restricted entry based on sire locations)
6. May 16 — Pennsylvania (PGA Championship)
2YO Open · 6f Dirt
7. June 20 — Mexico (FIFA World Cup)
2YO Open · 6.5f Dirt
8. July 4 — England (ICC Women’s T20)
2YO Open · 7f Turf
(ENG-only sires; no GB sires allowed)
9. July 18 — France (Tour de France)
3YO Open · 14f Turf
10. July 25 — Great Britain (Commonwealth Games)
3YO Open · 12f Turf
11. September 12 — Germany (Women’s Basketball World Cup)
2YO Fillies · 8f Dirt
(Not required to be first-time starters)
12. September 19 — Japan (Asian Games)
3YO Fillies · 10f Turf
(Not required to be first-time starters)
13. October 17 — Argentina (Rugby World Cup)
2YO Open · 8f Turf
(Not required to be first-time starters)
14. October 31 — New York (NY Marathon)
3YO Open · 16f Dirt
**15. November 21 — Ukraine / Trinidad & Tobago / US Virgin Islands / Sweden
(International Karen Day)**
2YO Open · 8f Polytrack
(Sire-location restricted event)
Prize Money & Bonuses
Full prize allocations are T.B.A., but one major incentive has already been confirmed:
Players will earn 800 credits for winning any of the following race pairs meaning even if you aren’t competitive overall, you still have a shot at picking up some bank.
- Races 3 & 10
- Races 5 & 6
- Races 2 & 13
- Races 4 & 8
- Races 9 & 14
This adds to Chips’ favourite strategy of planning.
In summary, the 2026 Orphan Racing Global Sports Series promises tighter competition, fairer breeding rules, and a rewarding structure that favours thoughtful long-term planning. With local sire restrictions, a broad mix of distances and surfaces, and the tactical JOKER CARD option, trainers will need to balance risk, opportunity, and timing across the 10-month campaign.
Who will be crowned the Orphans Sports Superstar?