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How to Build a League-Competitive Kennels Fast
Many of you may feel that it would take you dozens and dozens of seasons in order to build league-competitive kennels. That at least in Greyhound Manager, is simply not the case. It seems that game dogs stay competitive against homebreds much longer in this game than game horses do against homebreds in the Starters Orders series of games. Some of them could possibly be your primary competitors in your kennels for the Inaugural Season.
The Value of Good Game Dogs
I thought I had built up quite a team of 875m homebred racers, then LA BELLE SIMONE (
http://www.startersorders.com/phpBB2/vi ... .php?t=346 ) a game dog, came along and completely dominated that distance. A game dog of mine by the name of EVELYN ONE (
http://gallopracerseries.yuku.com/topic/13524 ) was just retired with over £359,000 in earnings in his career which totally shattered my next highest Hall of Famer's record who happens to be a game dog as well. And THYOLO (
http://www.startersorders.com/phpBB2/vi ... .php?t=352 ) who is a game dog, tied for third place in the number of Wins for the Exhibition Season. So I feel confident that game dogs can still be competitive in the Inaugural Season. That fact most likely will fly out the window when Season Two comes along though.
Where to Find Good Game Dogs
You could find a sensational game dog just about any time. I am in my 23rd season and my homebreds are still competing against some awesome game dogs. In fact my single player game's overall track records, from 275m all the way through the 525m are still held by game dogs.
The place to find good game dogs is of course, in the 1 yo and daily auctions. I don't fill up my breeding barn entirely each year with pregnant bitches. I try to leave around 4 to 5 slots open for those possible champion game dogs that might pop up in either of the auction types the next season. The 1yo auction is where I have had the most success though. I re-arrange them so that the most expensive ones are visible at the top. Then I buy as many of them as I can regardless of their breeding distance preferences. Half of them might turn out to be pretty good and maybe one of them could be a true champion.
Checking the Daily Auctions, Daily
I know that it takes time, but I check the daily auctions on a daily basis. With just 2 clicks of the mouse you are viewing the daily auction offerings. It only takes a second to see if it is worth spending any more time at that auction as well. Those who might feel compelled to jump forward days, weeks and possibly even months at a time could be missing out on some real gems in the daily auctions. I don't bother with dog in the daily auctions that does not have a starting price of £10,000 or more. Even then I will carefully check the dog's race record. I usually only buy 1yos at the daily auctions as well. I really like to see a dog have several TR & OR wins at several distances. Those I will buy right away. If a dog has several 3rd, 4th & 5th finishes in TR & OR races even if the going price is over £10,000 I don't bother with it.
Finding Older Champions
On rare occasions you will find a 3, 4 or 5 yo dog that had been giving your dogs fits in the past seasons. Snatch that bad boy up quickly. Sometimes they are still competitive and can win some good ones for you kennels. If not, then I retire them immediately to my breeding barn so they can start working to help build up my various blood lines. Why the game allows trainers to sell champion dogs instead of retiring them, I don't know. I am just glad it does. This season in fact a 3 yo that had consistently beat my 525m homebreds came up in the daily auction and I snatched him up. He has now won two major events for me that my homebreds would have lost out on. So yes, it does slow your game down a bit to view the daily auctions, but if you just found one or two dogs that won consistently in the Greyhound Pro League, wouldn't it be worth it?
Handling Dogs from the Daily Auctions
When I buy dogs from the daily auctions I put them into races right away and I study them in each and every race that they compete in. That helps me to know what their best distances are so that I don't miss out on putting them in their major events when they come along. If a dog with a 375m breeding preference is a hot 525m racer, I want to remember him/her everytime a major 525m event comes along and not just think of them when a sprinting event shows up. I don't give any of them the boot until the end of their 2nd year. If they have not performed well by then, then they have to make room for other game or homebred hopefuls.
By following this strategy a player could have a few competitive game dogs in probably a dozen or less seasons. They would also be a good base to start building some good homebred bloodlines from as well. And as far as homebreds are concerned, carefully breeding only my best game dogs with each have produced league competitive dogs in 2 to 3 generations. LEONICA HABICHESSFF's (
http://www.startersorders.com/phpBB2/vi ... .php?t=346 ) father (LEONICA) (
http://www.startersorders.com/phpBB2/vi ... .php?t=346 ) was a game dog and his mother was a 2nd generation homebred. WESTERN DESERT PEARLS' (
http://www.startersorders.com/phpBB2/vi ... .php?t=346 ) father and mother were 2nd generation homebreds.
What to Look For When Breeding
Past champions with each other is of course a high priority, but that is not all that I look for. I have taken mediocre performers that have pretty good Attribute Bars and have bred them to each other. I am not so much interested in their career record as I am in hoping they will have offspring that will compliment them with similar or higher Attribute Bars. For sprinters I just watch the SPEED and ACCELERATION bars in the beginning. Once the bloodline has improved those two I then start breeding in higher TRAPS and RAILS Bars. And if a game dog comes along and has extraordinary SPEED and ACCELERATION Bars I will throw him or her into the bloodline right away as well.
For middle distance dogs I still concentrate on SPEED and ACCELERATION, but ACCELERATION more than SPEED. Good TRAPS and RAILS Bars are important in the middle distance dogs as well, with the emphasis more on the RAILS.
With stayers I first concentrate on the STAMINA and ACCELARTION Bars. But just this season LA BELLE SIMONE's 3yo offspring has broken her 875m record and he not only has her STAMINA and ACCELERATION, but he has tremendous SPEED as well. UNDERDOG's father was a 2nd generation homebred. His first generation mother was a sprinter bred to a stayer and that is where is SPEED comes from.
In Summary
So if you buy up the most expensive 1yos in both of the types of auctions you are going to come across some true champions that will be setting your game's top records for you. Breed highly successful dogs together as well as those dogs that have extraordinary Attribute Bars. If you are lucky, you could have some league-competitive game dogs in a dozen seasons or so and some league-competitive homebreds in possibly 2 to 3 seasons as well. They may not finish on top every week, but they will certainly have you highly anticipating their results.