It’s interesting how people do things so differently. Personally my best flat horses are always picked based on 3yo form, I pick my 3yo’s first when doing my team, and my 3yo crop are usually pretty competitive. Often as not they come back at 4yo just because I want two seasons out of them rather than on merit, but I also know at four I don’t compete with the top tier flat trainers anyway so who cares, I’d rather win a classic and get two seasons of the same horses. Then churn and waste time trying to compete with older combined types. I return NH horses on the same basis also, neither of my 9yo world hurdle candidates are in the team on pure merit alone my novice entries are far better.

But I will echo what I have said before, too much is made of one game type having an advantage over another, they all offer advantages and disadvantages. What people should be moaning about is why in the name of god did mark create hidden stats and make game form different to exported league form, though personally I am tend to think now it was less by intent and more by random bad coding. If your starting pool of horses does not have these hidden factors or you miss the ones that do, your screwed and will never catch a player who has these things in abundance. So it’s just blind luck, as I have always said .

The only thing league mode did, was prevent everyone from being on an even field. With the tff any trainer like I did, could join the league and catch up, it just took effort. With league mode we decided to punish people making the effort to help those who either could not or did not want to do the same. The effort for reward aspect now, is keep playing new games to find those hidden variables, my new US game at 40 seasons is light years ahead of my 90 season old Aussie flat game, and at 25 seasons my U.K. one has pretty much reached the same level now too, I am not doing anything different between, they just have better available horses, or I missed them long ago in the Aussie game.

I've had a look and my team goes against what Paul says.

Steinbeck and Get Stuck in mopped up between them all the top 6f sprints as 3yo's 2 seasons ago.

Nifty won the Commonwealth and just ran into 2 of my monster sprinters. Angie Baby who won the irish 1000 won grade 1's against older horses. White Poppy and Birchwood also won grade 1's last year.

I'd say i had 9 quality 3yo's the last 2 years and 7 won grade 1's in open company and the other 2 ran second in grade 1's.

It can be done but they have to be top class horses to beat the older horses. I'd say the older horses have probably 1 or 2 pounds advantage over the younger horses.

But you already admitted you play a combined game which I believe has an advantage

Vinny was saying a week or so ago how he's plays and trials and I think I do the opposite of him on the flat. But both ways work. If we get another season then I will split my jumps game up into 2 and have 1 for my chasers and 1 for my hurdlers, ill get through less seasons than everyone else but I feel it suits my breeding . I think by having smaller games I get to know my horses more, for me less is more. While other people have massive games , having around 100 to 120 mares is more than I can handle.