Ok so now you have joined the game you want to find out more but are too afraid to ask on the forum because you think the more established players will think your question "dumb"?!
DONT WORRY!
We have all asked those questions at some point and as the game expands, the questions are being asked more and more and the forum is starting to overflow! So a few of us thought it would be a good idea to have a place where all the questions can be asked and answered, and here are the first few with answers.
I have just started and have 2 horses. How do I get new ones? The auction is only once a year and I don't want to wait so long. Can I ask people? Do you have a sale page?
There are several different ways to get new horses. The most common is to simply post on the forum asking if anyone has horses for sale. Most stables will and you will probably get several responses to that effect, so then you have to decide on which horse to buy. If you don’t get a response don’t worry, every so often a stable will offer a horse for sale on the forum and a lot of the time these will be available to new stables or with certain restrictions.
There is a sale page under construction and this should change the way horses are sold. It will be a little like “ebay”, ie either an auction or “buy it now”. It may take a while to work out the kinks but it should make it easier to get horses. Whilst all the “older” players get used to the new format, I am sure that horses will still be advertised on the forum.
If you are feeling bold, you can always contact a stable direct but this usually leads to disappointment so just keep checking the forum.
You also have to make a decision as to what direction you want to take your stable. Do you want to specialize in sprinters, classic, distance. Are you happier with horses that run on turf or dirt? Is breeding a big factor in playing the game. This game takes patience, dedication and a lot of luck but careful planning will make sure you play for more than one season.
How much is a sensible price to pay? Does the price go on how much the horse has won? how many wins it has? its AR make it etc. I can't afford much yet so I know I can't buy a star but I'm worried I might get horses that only cost money to keep and to enter in races and I'll run out of money!
There is no one answer for how much is a sensible price to pay. It can go on how much they have won, number of wins and of course the dreaded AR. The best thing to do is to see what is available in the market and if nothing takes your fancy don’t buy. Two horses can win as much as 5 if you place them right. In your first year, try not to spend over $50,000 on any one horse. You will run out of money otherwise!
Don’t be fooled by the “advert” for a horse. Anyone can say the horse is the next “Seabiscuit” but a way to find out is to do research. All the previous seasons races and data is to be found somewhere on this website. A horse that scores consistently at 90+ in all its races is a good buy. Also have a look at siblings and other offspring. If a dam is consistently throwing good foals that place/win then try to get an older runner from her.
Pedigrees offer a good guide to the potential of a horse but breeding two champion Real Life horses together wont necessarily produce the next champion. It may give you a good indication but some of the best horses in the game are products of very average parents and/or cheap breeds.
I've entered a couple of races - some are written in capital letters, some in lower case. Are the capital letter races the best ones? Or is there some other reason for the differences?
There is no reason for the Capital letters, its just how the Race Steward has the races set out. She gets the data from another source and that’s how its written.
Apart from the obvious age restrictions are there any races that you can't enter a horse in (rather than shouldn't). Do you have nominations to the big races? And what about breeders cup type races? If you think your horse is good enough can you enter it?
There are no restrictions for entering horses apart from age/sex. The Triple Crown races and the Breeders Cup races are all “open” so you don’t have to worry about nominating a horse or buying one that isn’t eligible. If you think your horse is good enough, then enter – but don’t enter the big races just in the hope of getting some money back, this the road to ruin and many a stable has fallen for this.
Remember that racers cost more to keep than breeders and a bad racer will not help your bank balance. Ask for advice if you are unsure, you may get several different answers but you will get answers!
Is there a list of significant races e.g. Triple Crown series, or races like the Arc that people are especially keen to win?
EVERYONE wants to win a Triple Crown and we are lucky in this game that there are several of them. These can be found under RULES on the home page but just for ease of reference, here they are:
3yr old Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes3yr old Filly Triple Crown: Kentucky Oaks, Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, Coaching Club American OaksNYRA Filly Triple Crown: Acorn Stakes, Mother Goose Stakes, Coaching Club American OaksHandicap Triple Crown: Metropolitan Handicap, Brooklyn Handicap, Suburban Handicap2yr old Triple Crown: Hopeful Stakes, Futurity Stakes, Champagne Stakes2yr old Filly Triple Crown: Spinaway Stakes, Matron Stakes, Frizette StakesCanadian Triple Crown: Queen's Plate Stakes, Prince of Wales Stakes, Breeders StakesCanadian Filly Triple Crown: Canadian Oaks, Bison City Stakes, Wonder Where Stakes Sprinter Triple Crown (Silver Arrow series): Lightning Stakes, Oakleigh Plate, Newmarket HandicapEnglish Triple Crown: 2000 Guineas, The Derby, St. Leger
All of these “TC’s” carry a bonus of $1million on top of the regular purse which makes them very attractive. And like in the real world, they aren’t easy to win!
Some players also like to win races that take place in their home country, ie English players will prefer to try to win the Derby etc, Australian players the Melbourne Cup and of course the Americans the Kentucky Derby.
Some of the AR reports have contradictory bits in them, which takes preference or do the contradictory bits modify each other? EG, I have a racer who likes hard dirt and turf, dislikes soft dirt and turf and prefers mud. I can’t begin to guess how this will translate in racing!
ARs can be the fountain of all knowledge or the source of all evil, depending on your point of view. A lot of players now view them as more of an “indication” of how their horse will run/mature rather than an exact rule. You can enter you horse with a scratch in each race but rather than list out all the preferences/dislikes, it can just be easier to say “scratch if NO” which means the Steward will enter your horse into the race but if she sees that the horses surface preference says “NO” or “NO!” she will scratch. That’s probably the most sensible way of entering them. Some horses can run on surfaces they are meant to hate but it can lead to soreness or long term injury.
The best advice is to run your horse a few times according to its AR and see what happens. Then you can make your own mind up as to what to change, either distance, surface etc. Also check out the Past Performances (PPs) as these contain details relating to surface preferences, speed stamina etc.
If I retire a mare or stallion at the end of the season can they be bred from straight away or must they wait until the end of the next season?
They can be bred straight away but only if you notify the Steward when submitting your End of Season report. This will have to include the stud fees etc.
If I buy a broodmare in the auction, is there time to breed from her before the next season starts?
Yes.
If you buy a racing mare can you instantly retire her to stud or has she to stay a racing mare to the end of the following season?
You can only retire a horse at the end of each season but if you think that your mare isn’t running well or is getting injured and you think that she has past her peak, simply don’t enter her in any more races, this will save money.
During the auction it is likely that you will have to bid on more horses than you really want as you will get outbid on some. What happens if you are more successful than you expect? I don't want to lose the horses I have so can you withdraw bids if you won all the horses you have space for, or if you look to be running out of money?
What happens is that if you either overspend or buy more horses than you have stalls for, the Steward will contact you advising you of the situation and you usually get a chance to select which horses you REALLY want, so if you buy 5 horses and only have room for 3, you will have to make sure you know which 3 you want. The same applies if you overspend. If you have bid $400,000 and only have $200,000 in the bank, then you will have to work out which you want. Remember, you need to have money for the rest of the season
We hope that the above answers SOME of your questions but please let us know if you have any more questions.
[Reposted from Amanda's Past Preformances-New Player's Only]
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