Much better day two, the return to Ascot where the majority of my trials are definitely helped my string, very happy with most performances in day two.

Cactus Jack (2nd) - Best result of the season so far with 2nd in the Victoria Cup in what looked a decent race, has been very consistent without winning, increasingly likely to be heading to the Royal Hunt Cup with an outside chance.

Suprastar & Kew Corner (Unpl) - Once again Suprastar gives up a handy position and then runs into trouble before fading tamely, she's a monster at home so no idea what's going on here. Kew Corner flew home late to just miss out on the places. She will be winning when back up to 1m5f/1m6f. Suprastar will be aimed at the King George V with Kew Corner likely to head to the Duke of Edinburgh.

Zoro (1st) & Octavian (Unpl) - Zoro built well on his unlucky second last week to win well in a competitive race and likely will be joining Cactus Jack in the Hunt Cup but may have done his winning for the season. Octavian tamely faded and is slightly better performing than Zoro at home on the gallops so disappointed there.

Rose Alley (2nd) & Moon Crescent (Unpl) - Was always going to be a tough ask against Padraig's two but happy with both runs, Rose Alley stayed on well and will be better up to a mile. Moon Crescent ran OK enough but will need 0-70/0-60's to be competitive. Both will go to Sandown or Redcar over a mile/9f next week depending on marks.

Marie Curie (Unpl) & The Outlaw (4th) - Really happy to have a qualifier! The Outlaw did have a good run with a good draw which helped but only got beat by three useful types who have been campaigned in a higher quality of race. Marie ran a cracker as always but booting to the front from 17 was always going to result in her dropping away late. The Sandringham at Royal Ascot screams out for Marie Curie and I'm certain there's a big win from the front somewhere for her. Hopefully the Outlaw can squeak into the Wolferton but the AW finals will be her main aim now.

Just to clear things up on the Wincanton hole, that was pure speculation and guess work and possibly a bit of bullsh1t!

To set the record straight I have done a bit of research courtesy of Google Maps and in real life it is not "a" hole, it is in fact 9 holes which doubles up as an 18 hole course when played from different tees.

So here's a question for the group, how many racecourses can you think of with golf courses in them? I'll name two others to get you started, Sandown and Salisbury. Bound to be more but I can't think of any (maybe Newbury?) - it has been 35 years since I lived in the UK so the memory's not great!


Anyhow onto day 2 and some decent performances on the flat for me. Another win (but to be fair a three horse race and I had two of them so I would have been pretty disappointed not to get up).

A couple of places too in handicaps which is obviously where I need to be concentrating my efforts in the weeks to come.

And lastly, I keep re-watching the race and I am convinced Recommendation is going to get up, but somehow he doesn't! I'll blame the jockey, he stopped riding a couple of furlongs out, then all of a sudden thought I'm a chance here and left it too late!

Congrats to all the winners and place getters.

Paul

On the golf course front - I used to work at Sandown and we used to have to go up the 5f track before every race meet picking up rogue balls from the range and course.

Lingfield also has a golf course, not inside the track but you have to cross the straight turf track to play five holes, I have played it on a race day and had to wait to cross.

There is a course at Goodwood although it is just over the road over the back of the finishing chute, a lot of the guys at the RP used to play there in an event with trainers/jockeys/racing faces etc. just before the festival.

Also - my cricket team played Royal Ascot Cricket Club which is inside the track at Ascot in a friendly last season, unfortunately I couldn't make that game as I was rather keen to play it. They do get regular interruptions on race days from the helipad nearby! Royal Ascot Golf club is also right next to it but none inside and I've also played Epsom Golf Course which again is just over the road from Epsom but not in the middle.

Many years ago, about 50 years, but I think I played a 9 hole golf course in the middle of Musselbugh.

I'm of the cold list :lol

Two nice wins by my 3m4 horses. Nice to see my long stayers run well, it probably suits them to run with another front runner, they ran as fast as they could for as long as they could. Just like in my trials, hopefully run like that in the national.

That days racing has meant I have started a US flat game. Utter madness as no chance of getting top horses now. But gonna have fun with it an learn it for next time

U never stop learning with this game, something happens and it makes u think. I see someone was complaining in the other forum about the bars on that new game touch there is only 3 bars . It still Sounds like a awful game:(

First time ever playing a none UK game, but the advantage in most the big races the Foreign bred horses have is far too big not to try now

Yeah I had the touch one an it definitely isn't detailed enough for a league game if you ask me. I'm not sure it'll be the same as SO8 though surely?

Its not that foreign horses have an advantage over the UK types in the non UK races, its more the UK advantage you normally have is neutralised, I started a UK game to counter your stable in the races my US types were destroyed in. You only get a distinct advantage in your home tracks. But having two stables in different countries does spread your possible advantages around. See last years breeders cup results to see my US team with an advantage over non US.

Josh

Yeah pretty much what I meant sorry. probably came across a bit salty

I mean the foreign races usually determine the money side of things. That's the advantage I meant. I do get that each Country does have it's own advantages. I am planning on having 2 now just for the last season if I can breed anything from this game

Not salty at all.

This is a new experience for me so money was not in my thinking, wins is basically the only thing I think about.

Ideally you would have all countries covered. Maybe for SO8 if my enthusiasm holds. Right now I am back in my NH game having just made something of a discovery

yeah I'm basically just getting a hold of this US one now for SO8. There's talk of me changing job soon tho an going back into the office. So that could put a huge spanner in the works anyway. I will definitely have 3 games in SO8, if it's the same format, in a US, UK an a Jumps. I may contemplate an AUS one for stayers, but that seems very optimistic

Having only played UK in 6 and my US game in 7 I think u get better cruise in the UK game and I think perhaps better speed in the US. It makes me wonder if Mark has kind of followed real life in that way. Or perhaps it's just the way AI intereprates u schedule. I think if u only use the US stock game u can't breed stayers because there are no stayer races, where my US game is a mixture of all races and that how I could breed stayers.

I have always used my own customised schedules based on a UK game and filled with modified UK races.

If you look at a schedule using Notepad, the schedule starts with something like this:

[pool]9999
[fpoolperc]25
[secondary_nat]Ireland
start=70
end=355

I think this means the number of horses is 9999, 25% foreign horses from Ireland, and the start and end days of the season.


I was thinking about creating a schedule that started like this:

[pool]18000
[fpoolperc]50
[secondary_nat]Ireland, North America, France, Australia
start=70
end=355

So, double the number of horses, increase the percentage of foreign horses and also include more countries.
I tended to predominately use UK races, so reduce the UK races and replace them with races from around the world.


I have no idea what affect this would have on the horses but maybe having a larger foreign pool of horses plus exposure to a wider variety of countries & tracks might help.


Has anyone tried something like this?
I would be interested in any thoughts on the logic behind this type of schedule.
I don't have the time to run multiple saves so wondered if one save could cover more possibilities.


Jim