Hi I am New and really enjoying the game.

I would like to know how people set about planning their assault for each horse in their stable?
Do you just wait til they are fit and look for their best available races?
Or are you able to assess the ability of your horses and instantly plan their year?

I have developed a reasonable stable with a few Group 1 winners but nothing world dominating. But I do wonder if my prep work for each horse is inhibiting its ability.

Also at what stage of a horses career do you consider retiring to stud?

Would be greatful of all opinions and advice. Thanks.

Interesting, i only play the NHC side of things, but i do nothing with the two year olds when they come in, i dont even put them on the gallops. I let them make their racecourse debut at three in bumpers. I ride every single horse i own in the bumpers and i tend to win the majority of them and from riding them, you really get a feel of their potential, how easily they travel, how quickly they can pick up, how laboured they are, how well they battle back, what ground they hate, where they hate to be in a race etc.. all from riding. Getting to know your horse is the first part, then world domination

Another Question That would be worth considering is this. Some people like to run their horses sparingly. i.e 6times a year of less. I have run my horses in at least 10 races per year. But Is what I do detrimental to the form of my horse or are people who sparingly using their horses missing out on prize money?

If I had a world beater would it be possible to mess it up with too many races?

The amount of times per year you run your horses depends on your aim, I think. Are you attempting to breed/select decent online league horses, or are you playing purely for single-player fun.

When playing just for fun I tend to race my horses as many times per year as they can handle (they only run when they are at peak fitness, not when they're tired). I also keep records of how much a horse made during its entire career, trying to beat my top records all the time, which means running them as much as I can while still winning.

For league (not that I stuck with the league for long, lol, nor am I any expert - far from it) I tended to run my horses very sparingly, generally only a couple of times before exporting mid-year, for a total of four races per year, per horse. This was mainly to allow me to get through seasons more quickly, as well as to prevent over-racing, thus diminishing potential growth (not entirely sure that the game works this way, just a feeling).

As for when to retire to stud, I always retire when they turn five, not racing them at all before retiring that season (this is to keep my sheet of earnings fair - all horses get the same amount of time to make their money). I don't think it matters when you retire to stud in terms of offspring's talent/potential. I've also found that most horses tend to go downhill after their fourth year and I would rather get as many foals out of the good ones as possible, rather than keep running them when they have passed their peak. I play only flat, though, for jumps obviously the ages are different in regards to peak form, etc.

I don't tend to plan out a season for my horses, prefer running them when they are fit, in the most appropriate race for their ability/preferences.

If you have a world beater, it is the same as any other horse in terms of how much racing it can take- keep an eye on it's fitness and on the head lad's comments in the training section. I've heard that over racing during two year old season can hinder development later on, not sure about three/four. So, according to what I've heard, you could mess up a world beater by overracing during their two year old year, however after that I'm not sure.

It is an awesome game, hey?

Thanks sabella. Really helpful. I have no intention to enter the league. I love this game because I dont have to worry about other players outwitting me lol. I have a lot of good horses who have managed to nick a few group races but I havent got one yet that shows the level of form I have seen in the forums.

But I am breeding 10 or more a season and buying up all the dearest horses so I hope that I come across one I can brag about soon.

and yes this game is truely awesome