jstu9 wrote:
Looking at the schedule, I see a bunch of F14,R100 and F12,R95. I believe I have figured out the F12 part, just means that there will be 12 runners in the race. But I can't figure out the R100, R95, R105 stuff.
Anyone?
Yes, the F followed by a number is the maximum field size for the race. In handicaps, the game will allow more horses than this to be declared for the race, with the ones over and above this maximum eliminated on the day of the race, based on official ratings, with the lowest-rated horses removed. However, when this is used for non-handicaps, it will usually allow up to the maximum to be declared, and when any extra horses are added through prep races, the lowest-rated horse will be removed to make way (the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a good example of this, where the maximum field is 20, but many preps are used to strengthen the field).
The R followed by a number is the recommended highest rating for horses in the race. This doesn't always work, as it depends on available horses at the time of declarations for the race, and also a horse might run again after the initial declaration has been made, and could therefore improve on its rating. I think it works a little better in the jumps game than in the flat. It's useful for handicaps where in real life the average highest-rated horse is nowhere near the official ratings ceiling, so it's very useful for open and graded handicaps in the jumps game, which otherwise attract fields that are far too high in quality, and also for early-season 3yo handicaps on the flat, where the highest-rated horse is usually nowhere near the official maximum.
