In the last devlog we talked about Pre-Alpha, coat DNA system, race and npc logic and more.
Alpha
For the past four months, we have been in Alpha testing phase, and during it we made over 50 builds! It has been incredibly valuable for our team, our community has been more than helpful, big thanks to everyone!
This stage has been focused on fixing bugs, improving stability, and polishing core systems, but also on testing how new features feel in real players hands.
Alpha testing has been a nice reminder that this project is not just about building a game based only on our vision, but about building it with the community.
Sponsorships, Auctions and Economy
Economic side has grown since last devlog. One of systems we've working on is sponsorship, your horses now can land sponsor deals, which will provide you with extra income, we are still working on names and logos and polishing the system, but we have the core system and we are excited to expand on it.
Auction has seen major and minor updates. We've added first version of auction announcer audio, which we feel like adds authentic atmosphere to the scene. We added autobid option, where player can let CPU automatically bid up to set amount, and also we added quick bid buttons.
We've reworked Market and Auction UI with better filtering, visuals and skill displays.
Social Systems and Relationships
We've added a new social system that brings descriptions to horse and staff profiles, showing their closest friends and enemies.
System is still in its early stages, but it already makes profiles feel more personalised and adds a sense of connection between individuals. Now when player looks at a horse or staff member, player can also see the bonds and rivalries that define them.
Racing Gear and Equipment
Horses can now be fitted with gear, such as blinkers, facemasks, halters and legwarps. These can be equipped in horse option menu, some of the colours are still being polished, and more options are on their way.
Turnout coat preview
Facegear preview
New Visual and Sound Improvements
We have taken large steps in atmosphere during summer and been improving both visuals and audio. On the visual side, we have improved shadows, polished animations such as gallop starts and idle horse movements, and in latest update we added water to race scenes. Stable backgrounds have also been added to horse detail views, instead of just plain background.
On the audio side, we've expanded ambient effects, did balancing on race day crowd sounds, and introduced prerace music to set the tone before event begins.
Stable background
Horse Traits and Genetics
We expanded breeding and horse individuality, bringing few of new features. DNA profile unlocking gives deeper and better insight into breeding potential, you can purchase this unlock each time you plan to breed, or build a Genetic Lab as a bigger one time investment to unlock DNA information in future for free.
Base temperament and intelligence stats have been added to horses, which can be trained but within the limits. No horse can change completely, but personality and habits can be influenced.
We have also added automatic foal naming that comes with notifications, makes new generations easier to track, and as usual, we have expanded coat colours and markings to bring more variety. 
Preview of breedings DNA profile
Stable Life and Management
We've added features to make the world feel more alive. End of year awards will highlight the top horses, jockeys, trainers and managers. Inheritance system now ensures that if NPC owner dies, their stable is passed down instead of vanishing.
Since last devlog, we added sanctuary and retirement options, where player can now send horses to sanctuaries or put them down, depending on circumstances.
UI and Quality of Life Improvements
We've added more features to make stable managing feel more intuitive. Stable tab on the home screen to make managing multiple horses and staff faster. Horse navigation has been improved with arrow keys and dropdown menus. Inbox shortcuts, giving you possibility to respond quickly with W/S/Y/N keys. Trade history now appears in horse trade and market pages, and for players who wants to take a deeper look at data, we have added stats page and SQL editor.
Simulation & Systems
We've changed stable capacity system, stables are no longer unlimited, but now each one has a defined horse capacity, which creates realistic management pressure and of course stops hoarding. Additionally, horses now receive experience from participating in races, experience improves performance over time.
Reworked CPU race registration, the way npc stables register for races now has been improved to make races fill out more naturally and ensure variety across events.
Added failsafes for NPC stables, to avoid situations where too many stables collapse financially, support systems were added that inject stability in the economy when needed.
Autobalancers have been added, it is a new balancing logic that automatically adjusts race frequency and horse populations, keeping the world competitive.
Ko-Fi Support
If you'd like to support our developers throughout the journey, we created Ko-Fi page for Horse Racing Manager. Donations are completely optional and won't grant any perks. That said, any donations are appreciated! Ko-Fi link here!
Discord Server
We have member count of over 500 already. If you have suggestions, ideas or something else you want to talk about, it's a great platform and an easy way to reach us. Join the server here!
What’s next
The next milestone for Horse Racing Manager is Early Access, which we are aiming to launch mid-October. This will be first time a wider audience gets to experience the game, and we are thrilled to share everything we have been building.
Until then, we will continue working, polishing existing features, improving balance, and fixing remaining rough edges that we uncovered during Alpha. Early Access is just a beginning, and we are so excited to see where it leads us.
Development is ongoing, and we will keep you updated on our progress. We are continuously working to enhance Horse Racing Manager, and your feedback is invaluable. Our goal is to make this franchise the most realistic horse racing simulator in the world. Don't forget to add Horse Racing Manager to your Steam wishlist! Your support is crucial for us and greatly appreciated.