There is a new president role vacant:

Put your name below if you want to be considered for the role.

Stating what you can bring to the role.

Non applicants feel free to ask either candidate questions

Steve Speight (Liberal Democrat)

What I can bring to the role:

A season that almost mirrors real life:

One Flat season per year that starts in March and ends in November

One jumps season that starts in September and ends in April

The deletion of the USA league.

Fixture list of 35 races per week.

Increased stable size

A weekly newsletter to keep everyone up to date with whats going on in the league.

A real life handicap system including 0-60, to 0-110 handicaps.

The introduction of selling and claiming handicaps.

Introduction of a three run maiden rule to determine handicap mark.

Boundaries for race entries including numbers and distance ranges.

Limits on number of races per season per horse.

All the major handicaps and group races.

A finance structure within which players must work - money from betting not included.

Horse auctions (horses must already exist and have raced in the league) - but money from accounts used to pay for them (not donate and draft)

Limited use of new uploads to keep horses circulating in the game and keep form stability.

Player sponsorship of races from betting accounts only - the more you win the more you can sponsor races.

Realistic entry fees for races - to make people think more about placement of horses (especially group races).

A determination to give all players opportunities and a voice in the league.

My mission statement

A league for all - played in the spirit of fairness.

Strategy

I believe the solid foundations of the league put in place by Colm et al, should provide the springboard for a bright starters orders future.

The role should not be just one person - it is too big.

I propose a coalition post where work can be shared - bring in Colm in advisory role so his experience is not lost.

Three people covering one role to avoid staleness and give players time to work on their own stables.

A committee of five to discuss and develop new proposals made by any player.

A committee of three to decide on and make announcements concerning players conduct - excluding me!

I may add more later

A committee l believe is an excellent idea mate and that is a must!

I'll help out with what i can, your ideas sound good steve, a lot of hard work though!!
I can spare a couple of hours a week, with which to help out with what was needed.

i will be able to give a couple of hours a week after a month if you need any help

Great idea steve

You'll have my vote Steve.

Some good points in your manifesto......

I'll continue to assist in handicapping if you wish and maybe more (glutton for punishment me!)

Stu

I'm not looking for a US style debate. As I've said on yuku I would be interested in the role however I wouldn't remove USRA and I wouldn't necessarily look at a shake-up of the financials due to the large amount of coding in TOM this would require. I would look for someone to assist Dodgy is this was to take place. I think it is something for SO5 when stable interbreeding can be properly coded (potentially through the league kit) so it can be maintained appropriately.

My idea for USRA is thus:

Recreate what happens at the moment in real life and have the game follow individual horses careers. The same faces reopposing each week will encourage positive banter. For this I propose a few major changes:

* Stable size starts at 15 (minimum 8 2yos), expanding to 20 after the first upload window (you can see why below)
* Around 15 races a week
* Max 12 runners per race, unless G2 which would be 15 runners, G1 20 runners.
* In order to avoid disappointment from this have a 1st choice and 2nd choice race each week (not compulsory)
* 2 runners allowed in a single race from one trainer
* When you upload a horse you upload it at ages 2, 3 and 4 or 3, 4 and 5 option. If you don't the horse is automatically retired in the year you havent uploaded.
* Fewer G1s, entrance to G1s dependent entirely on earnings. Invitationals are based on earnings too for the first 15, 5 wild card options at the discretion of someone.

Juvenile Section:

Week 1: Delmar & Belmont Futurities (no Grade 1s, 3x 7f G2s, 2x 7f G3s, 1x 1m G2, 3x 1m G3s, rest of the races couple of minor allowances for 2yos, some 3yo races)

Week 2: Santa Anita Breeders Cup (Breeders Cup Mile, Classic, Turf etc. All the Juvenile races. Another couple of G3s at a different meeting)

Week 3: Churchill Downs & Hollywood Park Futurities (mainly focussing on juvenile races, only 2 G1s both over a mile and 1/2 a furlong, G2 over 9f, some 3yo races as well, Graded handicaps)


1 WEEK BREAK - upload window, new year, 5 more slots available

Classic Section: (NO 2YO RACES)

Week 4: Dubai World Cup (4yo+ races only), then "Classic" preps Santa Anita Derby (g1), Florida Derby (g1), Arkansas Derby (g1), Louisiana Derby (g2), Illinois Derby (g3)
Week 5: Kentucky Derby Meeting
Week 6: Preakness Meeting
Week 7: Belmont Meeting

1 WEEK BREAK - upload window available, 3 retirements allowed

Invitational Section (very similar to the current meets but with irrelevent races removed, group handicaps to pick up the poorer horses)

Week 8: Haskell Invitational & Travers Meet
Week 9: Arlington & Woodward Meet
Week 10: Woodbine Meet
Week 11: Breeders Cup Meet

1 WEEK BREAK - no uploads, new year, stable size reduced to 10

Become a Legend section: (NO 2YO RACES)

Week 12: Dubai World Cup meeting (inc. Dubai World Cup, Turf, Mile, Sprint)
Week 13: Haskell Invitational & Travers Meet
Week 14: Woodward Meet
Week 15: Breeders Cup Meet (without the juvenile races)

The reasoning behind this?

1) You may have a great 1m2f horse but if it hasn't got the speed to win over shorter it's not going to get enough graded earnings to qualify for the Classics. A 1m horse might earn a lot but not get the classic distances.
2) More realistic, rather than having a completely unraced horses being uploaded and winning the big race. In the first upload window you may be able to upload a 3yo but it will have to do very well in the trials.
3) More fun, horses will be tackling more distances meaning results will be unpredictable but real quality will stand out.
4) Less meaningless races (there will still be 5/6f races as well as mile races but more emphasis on the classic races)

Hi rich, looks like you put a lot of work in mate and it looks good, Couple of questions tho mate, Why would you upload at 2,3 and 4? Surely you cant race horse in same season at different ages. Also if you have a max of 12 runners but trainers allowed 2 wouldnt this be cause dissapointment even more if you have a really strong trainer you would have to beat both there horses not just 1? As l say tho mate does look good and if we could save it would be nice

LOL sorry scrap my age question when l read it right l see now but as happens to me what if l have a star 3 yo but was dreadful at 2yo. Would that mean it wouldnt qualify???

love the spirit and determination here guys, its made my weekend to see so many people determined to keep this going. ive stated before and will say it again, i will help out as much as i possibly can. i will continue to do the nhc comms and can also take on another role if needed. come on guys lets make sumthing work

I'm with you on that ryan, just shows you my horses are rubbish, but i get so much enjoyment from the league.........Lets keep it going!!!

Potentially! It would have to qualify in the Derby trials when's its 3.

Interesting point about the 2 good horses for one trainer. However if they were both in the same race it gives you an opportunity in maybe a lower class race, winning a G3 > 3rd in a G1.

I like the thought put into proposed changes for the SOPL, but I do want to nix one idea and that is about the SOPL Int Presidency being converted into a possible 3 person committee. Every group on the planet needs a single leader in order for them to be truly effective. They can have Boards of Directors that can assist the leaders, but its the leaders that set the tone, pace and goals of those groups. A leader is the goal maker of the group and committees and Boards carry out the individual steps that bring those goals into existence.

As the founder of the ORLWorld I created every league that has operated in this organization and was the leader of them as well. I also recuited the staffs that assisted me in the running of those leagues. In later seasons, I stepped down as the leader and appointed new leaders (Presidents) to those leagues. They all ran well during their existence. They probably all would still be running if those various games still held interest with the ORLWorld members. Every one of those Presidents and their staffs were part of my ORLWorld staff. I could not have kept the ORLWorld going for 9 years without them. But the ORLWorld would not exist today if there had not been one person as its leader/goal maker. And that is what the SOPL Int. will continue to need.

The SOPL Int has grown considerably from the time that I held all of its hats in Season One, 7 years ago. From what I am reading it may well be that the SOPL Int President should have a support committee. I can say from first hand experience that having enough staff can drastically reduce burnout as a leader of one these leagues.

So please continue discussing the idea of committees, but look at them as a support group for the President of the SOPL Int and how they can be most effective for him/her and the leagues.

I intend to ask Colm, Paul and Jimbo to sit on the committee for conduct, with myself and one other added for development.

Obviously the decisions made by the committee will be binding.

All other decisions will ultimate be made by myself, as that is the nature of the role.

That doesn't mean I won't be asking for other peoples opinions first.

The league needs to build on what has been achieved so far and I am ready to make that happen.

Just so everyone is clear what I would do initially:

I would disband the current season.

Put in place a team for a full NH season starting in September 2010 finishing in April 2011, disband the US league completely and work towards starting a completely new flat season in March 2011 through to November of the same year.

Obviously if players wanted to see this season through to conclusion they could make that happen, but I would not be part of the process apart from continuing the chief handicappers role - this is under the proviso that I am asked to carry on.

On a different note:

Providing this meets with the approval of Richard Coates and any other candidate I suggest the following:

Once this thread is done I would ask for a poll to determine who has the backing of the players - Jim can then take his choice from the overall picture presented.

If that choice is Richard Coates then I will step down from the roles I currently occupy including Newsletter writer and take part in the league purely as a competitor.