Premier Trotting Review - Virtual Harness Racing by Microgaming

Provider	Microgaming

Premier Trotting is a virtual harness racing game from Microgaming, released in 2016 under the Games Global label. It simulates trotting races at a fictional venue called Valley Hills, with eight horses competing per race. Each horse pulls a two-wheeled sulky driven by a jockey rather than carrying a rider on its back, which is the defining feature of harness racing. The random number generator resolves every race in seconds, making it faster to play than a standard sportsbook market while keeping the betting structure of a real race meeting.

What Trotting Racing Actually Is

Harness racing splits into two gaits: trotting and pacing. In trotting, the horse moves its legs in diagonal pairs - right front and left hind together, then left front and right hind. A pacer moves the same-side legs in tandem, which is faster. At most tracks, pacers account for around 80% of the field. Premier Trotting, as the name suggests, focuses on the trotting gait. Horses used in harness racing are Standardbreds, a breed named after a 19th-century registry rule requiring animals to complete a mile within a standard time. They are shorter and longer-bodied than Thoroughbreds, built for sustained gait work over a flat oval course. A race sulky weighs around 25 pounds and is made from aluminium or carbon fibre - no deadweight, just the driver.

The other key rule in trotting: a horse that breaks stride into a gallop must move to the outside of the track, regain its gait, then re-enter the field. By the time that happens, the lost ground is almost never recovered. It is a real element of harness racing that the game's AI replicates in animation but does not change the betting outcome - all results are RNG-determined before the animation plays.

How Premier Trotting Works

Eight horses line up for each race at Valley Hills. Each runner is assigned odds before the start. You study the field, select your horse or horses, choose a bet type, set your stake, and place your wager. The race then plays out as a 3D animated sequence you can watch or skip immediately to the result. A replay button lets you rewatch the last race at any time. Once settled, the new race button generates a fresh field with different runners and odds, and the whole cycle runs in under a minute.

The betting slip covers four wager types:

Win - your horse must finish first.
Place - your horse must finish in the top three.
Forecast - you name the horse finishing first and the horse finishing second in the correct order. This is equivalent to an exacta in Thoroughbred racing.
Dual Forecast - you name two horses to fill the top two positions in either order. The equivalent of a quinella. Odds are lower than a straight forecast but the selection is easier to land.

The forecast and dual forecast options are what separate Premier Trotting from its companion game Premier Racing, which only covers win and place. The extra bet types add a layer of market analysis - you are thinking about two horses' relative chances rather than just picking a winner.

Odds, Stakes and Returns

The game carries an RTP of 90.65%, which sits in the typical range for virtual sports simulators. The house edge is higher than most video slots, but you are betting on a race-style fixed-odds structure rather than a volatility model. Stakes run from £0.10 to £10 per bet. There are no progressive jackpots, multipliers, bonus rounds or free spins. All returns come from backing the correct outcome, and the maximum payout is determined by the odds of the selection you backed. Forecast bets on longer-priced combinations return more than win bets on the favourite - the same logic as any real race.

Odds are displayed per runner before each race and vary based on the simulated form assigned to that field. There is no persistent form book between sessions - each new field is generated independently - so there is no advantage to tracking previous results.

Graphics and Presentation

The 3D CGI animation shows the Valley Hills track with horses pulling their sulkies around the oval. Camera angles track the field through bends and down the straight. Photo finishes are rendered when two horses are close at the line. Background music plays during races and can be turned off. The interface keeps odds, runners and bet options clearly separated. For a 2016 Microgaming title it holds up well enough for the purpose - this is a betting product, not a visual showcase, and the presentation supports that.

Microgaming runs the game through ProgressPlay-powered casinos. It sits alongside Premier Racing and Racing for Pinks in the virtual racing section of the Microgaming catalogue.

Who Premier Trotting Is For

The four bet types reward thinking about a race market rather than picking at random. Win bets on favourites are straightforward. Forecast and dual forecast bets require you to identify two horses you think will dominate the race, which gives the game a skill-framing that pure slot play does not have. The short cycle time and skip button mean you can move through races at whatever pace suits you.

The £10 stake ceiling and 90.65% RTP make this a casual-stakes game. It works well as a break from slots if you follow real horse racing and want a betting format rather than a spinning reel. If you prefer casino reviews and bonus offers alongside your game selection, the sites carrying Premier Trotting are listed below.

What type of game is Premier Trotting?

Premier Trotting is a virtual harness racing game from Microgaming. It simulates trotting races at a fictional venue called Valley Hills, where horses pull a two-wheeled sulky rather than carrying a jockey. Eight horses compete per race, and results are decided by a random number generator.

What bet types are available in Premier Trotting?

The game offers four bet types: Win (horse finishes first), Place (horse finishes in the top three), Forecast (name the first and second horse in the correct order, like an exacta), and Dual Forecast (name two horses to fill the top two spots in either order, like a quinella).

What is the RTP of Premier Trotting?

Premier Trotting has an RTP of 90.65%. This is lower than most online slots but is standard for virtual sports and fixed-odds racing simulators. All returns come from picking the correct race outcome - there are no bonuses, jackpots or multipliers.

How does trotting differ from gallop racing?

In trotting, the horse must maintain a diagonal gait where opposite legs move together. Horses are Standardbreds pulling a lightweight sulky, not Thoroughbreds carrying a jockey. A horse that breaks into a gallop is penalised and must move to the outside to regain its gait before re-entering the field.

What are the minimum and maximum bets?

Stakes range from 0.10 to 10 per bet. Forecast and dual forecast bets on longer-priced runners will return more than a win bet on the favourite, following the same logic as fixed-odds racing.

Can I skip the race animation?

Yes. A skip button lets you jump straight to the result without watching the race. You can also replay the previous race at any time using the replay button. The new race button generates a fresh eight-horse field with different odds whenever you want to move on.