I've been playing SO4 for a while now and, quite simply, it's fantastic...totally addictive. I love the realism of it even if it can be a bit painful at times,

I'm in a NH game only - 6/7 seasons in [and I had a game on old comp that was over 10 seasons old] and after never losing one before, I've now had the dreaded 'Dead' in the comments in running with two of my horses.

Both were 4 mile chasers. The first died in a 4 mile chase in Cork. The second died in the Grand National - a pretty bittersweet feeling as I had two runners in the race and the other won actually went and won it. I'd been laying them out for two years and fecked up both their training schedules the first year so didn't run them. Ran them over hurdles to keep their mark and, sure enough, the 8 year old won and the 7 year old fell at the fence before Bechers travelling well. I couldn't believe it when I went to comments in running and he was 'Dead' and gone..'this horse has left the game'.

Anyway, it's not a complaint, cos it really does make it high stakes with good horses. But, is it just staying chasers on fast ground that get it - or has anyone had experience of average 2 miles croaking it. I've a few dodgepot handicappers on 2 miles who've fallen tons of times without so much as an injury. Then, the lightly raced talented 4 milers seem to have a poor strike rate. Is there any pattern to this or just coincidence?

No it is not only 4 milers but very tired horses run a greater risk so it may happen more over longer distances. Deaths are very rare but they can occure at any distance and even over the flat (horses can fall and become injured if clipping heels).