Hello, I'm new to the board. Got SO4 last week and have not stopped playing it, even took a couple of sneaky sick days off work!

I'm curious as to how to get a good horse to move up in distance. I have some good 1m2f horses, but whenever I up them to 1m4f, in hope of a Derby win, they finish dead last. This despite winning group one races at shorter distance.

Is it down to Jockey instructions, because this is happening every time, not just to the odd horse?

I'm not sure what others find, but I have found that 'game' horses are the ones that are less flexible with regards distance, i.e having to run over exactly what distance it states they need to get the best from them.

I find 'homebreds' the more flexible horse, and have won over a variety of distances with the same horse. For example, when I first started out on SO4, I could not for the life of me get a 'game' miler to win a maiden over 5f, regardless of how good they were. They just got tapped for toe every time! But with my homebreds I could get a miler to win over 5f a lot of the time, staying on well and showing good early speed.

I don't think jockey instructions matter too much to be honest.

I think SO5 should see better flexibilty with horses getting different trips to what their optimum is!

Cheers mate, that's interesting point about the homebreds and I'll look into it.

you do use the instruction challenge earlier and later when racing horses at different distances i gather? Doesnt make a great deal of difference but does help

I have, but it seems to have little effect. One thing I notice is that 90% of my horses's optimum distance is a furlong either side of its best average indicator. I usually get a top jockey onboard for the maiden run and leave it them, taking into account what they say afterwards.

a horse going up in trip you should instruct the jockey to hold up challenge later or a horse going down in trip even pace challenge earlier or sometimes race handy

Thank you mr rhodes.

no prob mate glad to help