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 New to the game 
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Selling plater

Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2019 9:53 pm
Posts: 10
Post New to the game
Hi all,

I'm new to the game (and the series) and all I can really say is 'wow' - this is an incredible simulation game. I've been a casual follower of Racing for ten years or so and this has far surpassed my expectations. I think I've sunk about 20 hours into it over the last few days, most of which have been used to learn some of the basics, the interface, game concepts etc

I've read a few forum posts about general strategy and feel like I've learned a fair bit. I do feel like I'm hitting a bit of a glass ceiling though so would appreciate any help.

By way of background / context, I am in my second season of an 'Easier' save. I sold most of my stable at the start and lucked out when the AI paid me £1m for 2m Colt. I invested a fair bit in infrastructure - AW track, starting gates and breeding barn. The rest went on a handful of horses, including £900k on a very attractive 4yo Colt who was clearly being mismanaged. This horse is the star of my six horse stable and has just landed a (albeit weak) Group 3 race.

My issues:

(1) Financial Management - I can't work out if the revenue costs of running the yard are mostly fixed overheads or variable to the number of horses. Should I be trying to expand my stable more aggressively as the marginal running cost of more horses will lessen with number of horses? Or will I be bankrupting myself through largesse?

(2) All of my other horses are progressive sorts. They have all reached or surpassed a Rating of 100 but this is starting to be a hindrance. I have two horses who seem be stuck on a rating of 107 / 108 and they are nowhere near good enough to win a G3 or a Listed Race. I now can't enter them into handicaps - what is the most effective way of depressing their rating so that I can get them back into handicapping?

(3) I really want to get into the breeding side of the game but I'm finding it inpenetrable (no pun intended, ok a bit intended....) My stable is entirely made up of males so the breeding barn isn't getting any use at the moment! I don't have the spare cash to go and buy a quality breeding mare but my plan would be to get the G3 winner to stud as could create some interesting lineage.

(4) If anyone has any suggestions on (3), any ideas on the optimum point to send the G3 winner to stud? More broadly, how best to approach the breeding side of the game that is any better than just trial and error?

I'm sorry this post is so much longer than I was intending! Thank you so much to anyone who made it to the end. And thank you so much to the team behind the game, this is an extraordinary achievement.


Wed Feb 13, 2019 10:10 pm
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Handicapper

Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2016 3:57 pm
Posts: 481
Post Re: New to the game
(1) I find the balance suits a steady expansion. Depending on your bets* you can expand faster or more steadily. Yes, of course, drop horses that won't pay their way ever. But, I was once the #2 trainer in the early seasons with no Group/Graded wins at all. My claimers/low-handicappers paid their way just fine, My win% was quite high compared to AI.

(2) To depress the rating, intentionally run them at the wrong distance or pace. Or both. Mismanage them. :) But buy the turn-out field first, esp. if any have low confidence bars. If the horse has a good distance adaptability bar, also make the pace off. So take an even pace miler and drop it in a 12 furlong race of the right class, and tell it to lead the pack and start for home late. Don't take that miler and take it 7f tell it handy/early if it has a good distance bar (as that might work fine!). You may only need to do that once for a horse with low confidence, it will run badly then until it gets a turnout, usually at least a month in the field. Keep running the confident ones at off distances/paces. Be careful if you do it too long, there is a non-tryer fine in game and a "horse's form improved too much" fine. Had one in SO6 that hated right-hand courses, always got fined when he found a perfect race to the left. ;)
* good betting opportunities when you run them back at form

(3) Grab some seller/claimer mares to start. The good news is they have at least the quality to win a start. Also, check the sales of breeding mares by the AI. Look for some with no/little race records, but that have either produced some, at least average, runners or have parents who did. Sometimes one of those, in their teens can be cheap. Before you retire your stud, breed them to studs that look the same (cheap, but good family or runners) for some cash and maybe you get a lucky roll on the breeding. If not sell those foals, preferable as 2yos, but sell them as yearlings if you need quick cash too. Then when you retire your stud, you have something in the barn to prove he is at least fertile. The AI cares.

(4) When he no longer wins high purse races. You can also breed him when there aren't races to suit, and pop him back out and train him for a couple races that are perfect. The game lets you "unretire" at will, just give yourself enough lead time to get him fit. So don't worry if you notice one race you think he could still grab but you retired him. You don't need the stud barn right away. You can retire a stud to breed just to your own mares into the "mare barn". You won't get outside offers. But then again, you probably wouldn't get any anyway until after he has foals to race. So may as well sell his crosses with the claimer mares them to buy first the better mares, and then stud barn.


Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:46 pm
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Selling plater

Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2019 9:53 pm
Posts: 10
Post Re: New to the game
Thank you so much!


Thu Feb 14, 2019 11:15 am
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Handicapper

Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2016 3:57 pm
Posts: 481
Post Re: New to the game
Good luck and have fun!


Thu Feb 14, 2019 5:49 pm
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