Congrats on being an aunt!!! How exciting!!! Future SO10 League Champion right there haha!

The racing system in Hong Kong is completely different to the rest of the northern hemisphere, as the majority of top class horses in Hong Kong are imported from other countries, usually in their 3yo season, hence the lack of 3yo-only races. This is the reason for a 4yo triple crown. Hong Kong's other triple crown (Stewards' Cup, Gold Cup, Champions & Chater Cup) is officially open to 3yo+, but the reality is that this is the triple crown for older horses. If you look at the race history, 3yo and 4yo never run in this race. The progression for a top horse in Hong Kong is to run in the 4yo triple crown, sometimes followed by the QEII Cup or C&C CUP, then if they're good enough to go to the HK international races later in the year, followed by a shot at the older triple crown as a 5yo, and again in future seasons if they remain in training. There is zero chance of a horse ever taking in the older triple crown the year before the 4yo triple crown. It's one of these cases where the official age restriction is a little strange and misleading, and it also doesn't tie in too well with the fact that all overseas horses in the game only run from 2-5yo. The most realistic way to do it would be to have the 4yo triple crown, then to restrict the other triple crown to 5yo+, although this means most HK horse in the game sitting idle for two years!

It's really a case of how much realism you're looking for. They wouldn't be denied entry, but the horses that go on to have racing careers in Hong Kong wouldn't even be in Hong Kong at the start of their 3yo year! They would likely still be stabled in the UK, or elsewhere in Europe or beyond. Most Hong Kong horses only move there during their 3yo year. This is also why there are no 2yo races in Hong Kong. The 3yo+ age restriction is a strange one, as if you look at the fields for these races, going back 10 years, you will not see a single 3yo, and you might only see one or two 4yo in all of that time. The progression in Hong Kong is definitely the Classic Mile/Classic Cup/Derby triple crown one year, then the Stewards' Cup/Gold Cup/C&C Cup triple crown in subsequent years. This is why my initial suggestion was to change the 4yo triple crown to a 3yo triple crown, then to have the older triple crown available from 4yo+.

I wish they did that in real life... The Breeders Cup committee should have moved it to turf. Would have attracted more European horses. But the goal of the Marathon was to attract South American horses, not Euros. Failed, just like the Juvenile Sprint.
Also, for a US Turf Triple Crown, Belmont Park officials talked about a possible one: "What's so wrong with an American Turf Triple Crown? Maybe it will be the Belmont Derby at a mile and a quarter and maybe the Secretariat [at Arlington] at a mile and three sixteenths, and I haven't talked to Arlington Park about this, so I'm not trying to shock them into something," Panza said. "Maybe NYRA puts the Hill Prince at a mile and a half on Sept. 15." Possibly something that could be done.

I think for the Breeders' Cup Marathon to work as a target for top European stayers, they would have to make it a 2-mile turf race, and also increase the prize money to at least $1m, as the $500k prize of last year's running is the same money currently available for the Long Distance Cup at British Champions Day in October.

I'm a big fan of the Breeders' Cup, but I do think there's currently a risk of fewer European horses being sent over for it in future years, or at least fewer of the very top European horses. Aidan O'Brien sent over a fairly weak team last year, and fewer of the top UK stables are sending horses. I think part of this is a prize money issue, with Breeders' Cup prize money fairly stagnant in recent years. The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (£4m) is now far more valuable than the Breeders' Cup Turf (£1.8m), while the prize money increase and move to mid October of the Champion Stakes (£1.3m) and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (£1m) at Ascot might now also reduce the appeal of sending a horse over for the Breeders' Cup Mile (£1.2m). Add to this the potential lure of very high prize money for the international turf races in the Far East in November and December. I think big increases in the prize money for the turf races at the Breeders' Cup will be necessary in the future in order to start attracting the top European horses in larger numbers again.

Sadly, I doubt it will ever return to Belmont. The Breeders' Cup Committee is trying to get rid of a lot of track differences. No more synthetics, only 1 mi tracks. Odds are better to go to Aqueduct, althought NYRA wouldn't really like that. Monmouth Park seems to be the Northeast's best bet for another BC. This is how I see the next 7 years playing out (based on how the BC is usually).
2014- Santa Anita (confirmed)
2015- Keeneland (confirmed)
2016- Santa Anita (confirmed)
2017- Del Mar (confirmed)
2018- Gulfstream Park (site of Eclipse Awards, hasn't been there since '99)
2020- Santa Anita (obvious bias)
2021- Monmouth Park (was close to getting 2014, been bidding for past many years)
2022- Churchill Downs (10 yrs without one)
2023- Saratoga (160th Anniversary, would be cool to host, but very unlikely)
2024- Del Mar (if '17 BC is successful, will defiantly be in rotation; if no NYRA in '23, then maybe Belmont here instead and Del Mar in 2023)

Of course who knows if it will even be around in 10 years. I think there needs to be a rotation set with 5 tracks and only amend every 15 years. They would be: Belmont, Santa Anita, Keeneland (which I think is better than CD and nicer owners who care about the sport rather than hiking up takeouts and building casinos), Gulfstream Park, and Del Mar. Of course that would leave out many great tracks like Monmouth, Churchill, and Arlington (though unlikely to host unless it gets rid of synthetic), it is balanced and fair (and looks at BC trends). I'm still waiting for the day the BC goes to Los Alamitos, my favorite meet thus far in 2014 and one of the nicest tracks in the US. Would love to go there one day.

Belmont is really good with security. Although the turns are tough for jockeys who aren't used to them as the mile and a half makes the turns not the place to start closing. Saratoga has a really small grandstand , but I know I've gotten lost behind it haha. But I don't regret getting lost, I got to meet Todd Pletcher! Aqueduct is the smallest, but actually my favorite of the three. A few years back I wasn't a big fan cause it kinda looked like an airport terminal, but ever since the renovations, the stands have been really nice. Monmouth is another great track, although I'm usually in the picnic area than the stands. I get what you mean about Parx, I wasn't a fan of the glass either, but it was in the winter so I was happy not to freeze! When I went we all snuck up into the owners boxes and had our own little area cause the owners whose box it was never showed up haha! One track I absolutely adore (and one that got the glass infront right) is Meadowlands. If you haven't been there since the new renovations, go. Absolutely amazing. While it is smaller than the old grandstand (which wasn't bad. I thought it was nice) it works out well. The simulcast area is so nice! And even outside is a great spot one amazing track!

There is an error with race 278 in the showcasefile, any help? (tried uk and us sched, both the same error)

I get a race error 107 on UK flat only. Combined works though.

Once again, nice job! I finally got to play around with it (after all of the courses i've done already, i needed a break haha!) Really great work and I can't wait til the Australian schedule is done (probably the only other country I play often besides the US).

Also, I was wondering if you were interested in adding in some races into my upcoming "fictional" schedule which would be made up of races named after our homebreds. I know you were interested in adding in homebred named races before, and so I was wondering if you'd still be interested in it. Here is the link to the mod thread: http://www.startersorders.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=10097

Hello,

like Killamonjaro i got an error 107 on uk flat schedule only.

Sorry to hear all that atigger. My prayers are with you and your family.