Top 25 PSR's of 2009

Not quite two months into our 2009 season and we have an interesting leaderboard for the top PSR's of the year.

1. Pleasant Vengeance - 125.725
2. Attack At Dawn - 124.535
3. Miss Bust - 123.335
4. Miss Bust - 122.129
5. Feellikeanumber - 121.856
6. Sverige - 121.839
7. Purple Passion - 120.798
8. Fashion Tower - 120.798
9. Diabla - 120.036
10. Attack At Dawn - 120.029
11. Queen Street - 119.898
12. Returnofthedancer - 119.435
13. Ur Wildest Dreams - 119.394
14. Fuchsia - 119.139
15. Machete - 118.759
16. Racey Lake - 118.017
17. Morning After - 117.355
18. Bold N' Honorable - 116.809
19. Yes Zippy Can - 116.735
20. Little Big Sky - 116.451
21. Vivaldi - 116.031
22. Mystic River - 115.987
23. Victory Dance - 115.855
24. Perfect Dancer - 115.675
25. Turf Dreams - 115.617

• Of the 25, only 13 of them were winning efforts! 9 came from second place horses, 2 from third place finishers, and one was even from a 4th place horse!
• Only one horse (Little Big Sky) made the list with a speed rating of less than "Very Good". He was also one of only two horses to crack the list in a race other than a sprint.
• The surface breakdown: 16 on turf and 9 on dirt.
• The list consists of 13 fillies and 12 colts. But, 10 of the first 11 are from fillies.
• Two 6YO's and two 5YO's made the list. It sure is nice seeing the older horses still in training.
• Five 2YO's in the list...all fillies...from just two races. Talk about stacked races, there were two other 100+ performances from those two races as well.
• Player owned stallion report: Eight player owned stallions are represented on the list. Bellbuster with three offspring. Bold N' Free and Revenge with two. One each from Dawn Patrol, Forest Dancer, King Midas, Spanish Midnight, and Troll Tower.
• Pleasant Vengeance?!?! Where the heck did that come from? She is a Revenge, so maybe it shouldn't be surprising. But, the other two horses in that race (#24 Perfect Dancer and Love For Thunder) managed to post 114+ PSR's as well. Despite the fact that they've combined for 1 win in 62 starts between them! Kind of sounds like the track was souped up or something.
• Three world records on the list, and two of them belong to horses from Firstholme Racing. Not a bad way to start off a season!
• Doing it on the big stage: 5 of the performances came in Grade 1's (though only two of them were winners).
• For all the fans of underdogs, isn't it pretty neat to see an offspring of Zippy Chippy do well?

Horse Passports to be Introduced

OK so now I have your attention I will start!

It’s a subject that has been discussed several times in the past but I thought it time to bring it back to the game. As more and more players join, the game evolves and more and more horses are being bred but there is only so many races that can be run in any one week.

A very heated discussion last year saw many views and suggestions put forward but none that would have been easy to implement or keep track of.

So with the Forum generally being a bit “quiet” to say the least, I have sat down with my trusty Map Britannica (oh the good old days when most of the world was pink), dusted down the abacus, sharpened all the crayons stuck in the back of the drawers and “rescued” a ruler from work and the results – lots of coloured lines criss-crossing the world all representing different journeys our beloved horses can take in the pursuit of glory, world domination and of course, money!

The map will follow but the map and figures I am working are look like this.

1. Races take place in four major parts of our “PF” world – North America (inc Canada), Europe (inc France etc), Dubai and Australia.

2. Horses based in the US (as based on their owning stables location) would pay the following shipping charges – to race in Europe they would pay $500, to race in Dubai $750 and to race in Australia, $1000. However once they have flown to the “continent” they will be able to race there in consecutive weeks without any further charges.

3. Horses based in Europe (as based on their owning stables location) would pay the following shipping charges – to race in US they would pay $750, to race in Dubai $500 and to race in Australia, $1000. However once they have flown to the “continent” they will be able to race there in consecutive weeks without any further charges.

4. Horses based in Australia/New Zealand (as based on their owning stables location) would pay the following shipping charges – to race in Europe they would pay $1000, to race in Dubai $500 and to race in Australia, $750. However once they have flown to the “continent” they will be able to race there in consecutive weeks without any further charges.

So for example, Amanda of Bally Doyle who is based in Europe, wants to run her horse in a race in America in Week 4. So she pays the “ticket” cost of $750. The horse arrives and runs in the US in Weeks 4, 6 and 10. Then she decides to run her horse in Australia in Week 12. So she then has to pay $1000 to get her horse down there. Following the run there, she selects her horse to run in Europe in Week 20 so then pays another $1000 to ship, whereas the horse then runs there till a suitable race is run in Dubai. Charges this time are $500 for shipping. Then the horse is shipped on again to the US so charges of $750 are paid. And on it goes.

If you are a little lost here is a simple breakdown:

US to Europe = $500

US to Dubai = $750

US to Australia = $1000

Europe to US = $750

Europe to Dubai = $500

Europe to Australia = $1000

Australia to US = $750

Australia to Dubai = $500

Australia to Europe = $1000

Whilst at first glance you will say the figures don’t match on “round trips” it does make sense in its own way. Australia to the US can be done “in reverse” so therefore airfares are cheaper.

And remember – this is not definitive, set in stone or approved of in any way by our Racing Steward but is simply something that I feel should be looked at in more detail whilst the game is going through a little bit of a lull.

So hurry up and get those passports ready – be they equine, feline, canine or even human!

Simple Is As Simple Does - or How to write good scratch instructions

Having taken some time out to read the Pre Race card this week, it was noticeable that scratch instructions are getting more and more intricate as the players try to give their horses a good chance by letting them run on ground they like and pulling them out of ground they wont act on, or for other reasons like too many runners for a horse that dislikes crowds etc.

Whilst one can appreciate the reasoning behind them, ie to give your horse the best chance – take a moment to think of our Racing Steward and how she interprets your written words.

Some players keep it simple, for example:

Scratch if No

Simple – if the horse’s preference for the surface is no – then its scratched and not raced that week.

There are plenty of variations on that theme – “scratch if no” “if more than 4 runners” “scratch if (x) horse is running”. Easy and straightforward and understand by all.

Then it gets a bit more complicated. When the new automated entry system was introduced the Racing Steward allowed people to have a bit more freedom with their instructions. Personally I feel a bad move by her (and not something that happens very often!).

Lets take some of the examples seen recently.

Move to 1234, 5678, 9876 if No or No!. Scr.

If no- move to 1234 if more than 12,scratch if No

if soft or mud, or 2345 scr if hard or mud

And it goes on. The permutations are endless and the Steward must sit there sometimes literally pulling her hair out trying to decipher what the players are trying to tell her to do and of course it means that the races cannot be run quickly and efficiently as it involves her moving up and down the page, in and out of races, flicking between pages etc.

What should be a straightforward run/don’t run can turn out to require an expert from Bletchley Park (google it). Its not fair on the Steward, the other players and must also take up a considerable amount of the entering stable’s time to come up with these conditions.

So what I propose is this – and yes it is controversial and yes it will upset some players but when its conditions for the sake of conditions then I say its time to stop.

Lets make some new rules.

1. A horse can only be “moved” to one other race
2. Surface descriptions can only be “fast / hard/ soft/ muddy”
3. Surface preferences can only be “OK” or “No”
4. If a horse is entered twice using the automated entry system then its automatically scratched from both races
5. A horse cannot be scratched if another horse is named – it either will beat it or it wont

And to make sure these rules are kept to – a fine to the stable breaking the rules to the tune of the cost of the entry fee of their first nominated race. Sometimes the only way to get through to persistent offenders is to hit them where it hurts – ie money! For those with several millions it probably wouldn’t matter but it might make everyone think twice!

So c’mon on people – play fair and give up on the crazy conditions. If you are going to write in the conditions make sure they are easy to read and not an essay!

Breeding Report

So the breeding season is over. All the foals have arrived safely, the mares are standing guard over their precious charges and the stallions are resting up ready for the next season.

And, for many players, the next breeding seasons starts as soon as they have submitted their pairings to the Steward. Whilst for others, the breeding season comes around way to too quickly and results in hours spent pouring over the Breeding Lists, and asking the same questions as last season “which stallion do I use”!!!

For the smaller stables, its not too much hassle to find the right stallion for their mare, especially if they only have the one! At the other end of the spectrum are those stables who have what could be considered a “breeding empire” and have to find upwards of 10 different stallions.

So – where do you start looking for your next stallion? The breeding lists, the forum, your own stable? All are good places to look and the clever stallion owners will be advertising from mid racing season and this initiative has paid off for some stables, for example Golden Acres who stand the very consistent stallion Missy’s Bridle for a reasonable fee of $30,000 and has managed to have a full book in each of his seasons at stud. This season is the first year for his runners and it will be interesting to see how well they do. The other extreme is War Machine from Otsego Farms who only has 5 mares per season but at the slightly higher price of $300,000 and his book is usually full two seasons ahead! But don’t panic – there are horses that are free, medium priced or some players will even offer deals, discounts or other incentives.

Some stables are happy to just pick names they recognize whilst others spend a lot of time carrying out indepth research – both systems work well. Others will post on the forum asking for help in finding a suitable mate for their mare.

Whilst all the players will agree that the breeding list is a good start, it is a little short on information. This is no discredit to Laurie, our Racing Steward as the list is very big but as the game progresses and evolves, perhaps it is time that a new Stud Book is produced. I have heard from sources I am at present not at liberty to divulge that some serious thought and work has been put into this project and that in the not too distant future, a new Stud Book will be available to all players to access and download.

I have had a sneak preview and so far it looks very informative. The creators have taken the original Stallion list as published in previous years and expanded it to a size that would do the Thoroughbred Times proud! It consists of a general stud page, listing All the horses, then page by page sorts the stallions down by player owed, dirt or turf preferences, then finally onto the biggies – distances and that includes all four major distances of sprinter, miler, classic and endurance.

Has this whetted your appetite? Are you excited yet? Have you already contributed and want to see what it looks like? Well according to my sources, it should be ready soon and most defiantly before next breeding season. This is the hard part, the ground work if you like. Nothing like this has been undertaken before and whilst time consuming to start with, once up and running will take very little maintenance.

So next season will be the easiest and most efficient breeding season yet – no more worrying about what stallion is a dirt miler, or which turf endurance stallion is cheapest – all this information will be there at a touch of a button (and some basic knowledge of excel!).

This is Nancy Newmarket repotting to you from the UK and keep coming back for updates!

A statistical comparison of player owned stallions

I know, I know. This is a little late to be of much use, since the breeding season is now over. Not to worry though. I wasn't holding back the info so I could be the only one to benefit from it. The five stallions I used haven't gotten any babies to the track yet. Plus, I only threw this together today anyway. Still, it's fun to look at.





A few random thoughts on the list...

• If I had asked a bunch of people for their top five stallions, how many do you think would have come up with the top five on this list?
• Two of the top three never set foot on a Photo Finish track. The third might as well not have, as he couldn't run a lick.
• Some of the greats are hanging out together down towads the bottom of the list: Dansilver, Thunder Arctic, and Memcay. What's the deal there? Is Dansilver passing along his surface pickiness and his offspring just aren't good enough to overcome it like he did? Did Thunder Arctic's first crop all get hit hard by randomness when it comes to stamina? 5.54 average winning distance?!?! Do the Memcay's just need to wait until their 4YO seasons like dad?
• Affirmation - some nice numbers there. They've all won so far. And, on both surfaces equally. Looks like he's quite a bargain.
• Not that I need to tell anyone. But, it sure looks like if you want a turf monster (not THE Turf Monster though), send one to Bellbuster. And, if you want a dirt monster, send one to Revenge.
• Golden Grace and Handsome Man - two very nice stallion prospects that are likely throwing very late maturing horses. Check back in a few years to see if those numbers start to improve quite a bit.
• Park Lane - does anyone even remember that he's an Eclipse winner (Champion 2YO Colt for 2004)? It sure is a long fall from the top, isn't it?

View from a New Stable

Darkwood Stable became part of Photo Finish racing at the beginning of August 2006 (real time). I joined at the encouragement of a veteran member after struggling with another racing sim. I picked my 2 starting horses without realising there was a way of checking their race form. Perhaps this should be pointed out at the start? Luckily I got a couple of decent mares in Dark Queen and Jungle Fever. I never picked a stallion as I thought mares are more use when their racing is over, already thinking ahead.

I was quite surprised at the basic simplicity of the game – decide on your horse, pick a race, see how it does. Until I realised it’s a bit like backgammon, you can learn the rules in ten minutes but the strategies and subtleties of the actual play can take months if not years to get to the bottom of. Picking the right race takes a bit of learning, it’s very tempting to follow the horses AR as they sound so authoritative and when you are new it seems there is not much else to go with. I later found “Amanda’s past perfs” rather more helpful in finding out about your own horse. It can be useful too, to look at the other horses in the race you are entering using the same guide, but it can take ages to do and I get confused sometimes with all the information available.

One thing you learn very quick is to give enough rest between races. All of the horses I acquired that had had a lot of rest by being at Endless Vista for a long time had really good first races. Secret Talent won her first race for me, a group 3, by 7 lengths - I thought I had the makings of a superstar but subsequent results were not as impressive. Perhaps I should just race her twice a season…………
One of the best parts of the game is the other players and the forum. Most of the veteran players are free with advice and help when you are starting out. Some will help with obtaining new horses at beginner’s prices, free visits to stallions etc. Though I find it sad and frustrating when the occasional newbie takes advantage, as it makes veteran players think twice before offering practical help.

I have also found it helpful to keep my own paperwork for each horse – how much it cost to buy, cost of entry fees and maintenance and winnings. It lets me know which horses are in profit, covering their costs and those that are making a loss. I’ve also found it useful to go through the races for the coming couple of months and make a list of likely races for each horse and I’m fairly sure others do the same.

I have found this a game with a good balance between ease of play and yet difficult and strategic enough to keep the interest going. Breeding and selling add an extra dimension. My newbie season was used to gain understanding of game basics. Hopefully the next season will be successful enough to enable me to purchase better horses for racing and keep the stable on a sound financial footing. And then there’s looking forward to retiring some of the mares for breeding, and the two year olds to race and the new competitions………………..

Roll on the new season Yipeee!!!!

Penny
Darkwood Stable

Global Sprint & Classic Challenge

Welcome!

I hope to see this as the beginning of something new, and the first Challenge of many more to come. First and for most, I can not thank enough to the stables that have donated to make this competition possible.

the rules are simple and straight forward:

Entry Fee is $5,000 per established stable.
For stables that have under $200,000 in their account, the fee is $2,500.
Please Note: IF your stable has made some form of donation towards the prize, then this entry fee is exempt.

Only 2 year old horses are viable for the Sprint and Classic Challenge. Any stable may enter as many horses as they wish into the selected races for this challenge, permitting race rules for horse entry per stable. You do NOT need to register any of your horses, and ANY horse may enter both the SPRINT and CLASSIC Challenge; IF he or she is good enough!

Points are awarded as follows:

Winnter of race: 5points
2nd Place: 4 points
3rd place: 3 points
4th place: 2 points
5 place: 1 point

At the end of the 5 races for the Sprint and 10 races for the Classic Challenge, the horse with the highest amount of points accumulated will be declared the GLOBAL SPRINT or CLASSIC CHALLENGE CHAMPION and recieves first prize. A horse may NOT accumulate points from the Sprint and Classic Challenge; the points MUST be kept separate. Prizes to be annouced once estimated amount from donations has been recieved and stable entry fees have been registered with me.

There will be a space on the forum for this competition, thanks to Laurie. The points system stable will be kept there and updated regulary by myself.

To view races go to the forum under Global Sprint/Classic Challenge; Topic: Global Sprint & Classic Competition


If you wish to register to participate in either Challenge e-mail Don at dbujak@optusnet.com.au.

GOOD LUCK

Don (Donny)

Chiquita Lodge

New "Global" Competition

Don from Chiquita Lodge is organizing a new competition for Photo-Finish called the "Global Sprint" and the "Global Classic." We have few details, but what we can tell you is that it will be a competition restricted to 2 year olds spanning a few weeks (according to the Forum). The winner will be based on points from first to fifth placings, with 5 - 10 races total. This will be a test for 2 year olds and their trainers; which races will be more important? Those in the competition, or other lucrative two year old races?

However, before this competition can commence, Don is asking for stables' aid. He needs donations to add to the prize pool - ranging from Free breeding (stallion and/or mare) services, foals/yearlings, unraced older horses, and, the ever needed, money donations.

Anything would be gladly accepted, and all inquries should be sent to Don at: dbujak@optusnet.com.au.

Once we at the Recap get more information, so will you! Keep an eye out here and on the forum for upcoming details.

10 Worst Performances in 2008

The superstar horses usually get all the ink.

Perhaps it is time to pay homage to the racers who stunk up the track. I was curious as to who had the worst racing performances last season in terms of speed scores.

So, without further ado, here they are....The Cream of the Crap of 2008.

• 10th - Spitfire 2yo colt - raced for Dolphins Stables - Finishing last in the California Juvenile with a speed score of -27, this son of Revenge obviously did not inherit his father's incredible speed.
• 9th - Dirty Dancing 2yo colt - raced for Alydar Stables - The remarkable thing about his -28 speed score in an Allowance race at Shenandoah Downs was that he did not finish last.
• 8th - Listapad 2yo colt - raced for Chiknsmack Stables - Checked in at -30 at the Racing Post Trophy.
• 7th - Old Music 5yo colt - raced for Valmont Stables - Posted a -33 at the San Francisco BC Mile. The only horse in this list who isn't a 2yo.
• 6th - Spitfire from Dolphins makes his second appearance with a -35 in the Best Pal Stakes.
• 5th - Spitfire yet again, as he lowers his already shaky standards with a -40 in a Starter Allowance race.
• 4th - Vivencial 2yo colt - raced for Establos Del Castillo - A 10 furlong Allowance proved too much for this colt who recorded a -40 speed score. Was beaten in this race by Dirty Dancing, who had the -28 score mentioned above.
• 3rd - Nature's Storm 2yo colt - raced for Port Pirie Racing - Another Revenge offspring. Had a -43 in the Remsen Stakes after going off at 99-1 odds.
• 2nd - Higher & Higher 2yo colt - raced for Long Island Hayburners - Sunk lower and lower with a -44 in the Anzac Day Stakes.
  
• 1st - Bewitched 2yo colt - raced for Norwood Nags - Recorded the worst speed score of the entire season when he loped in for a -50 in the VRC Sires Produce Stakes.

Spitfire, with 3 of the 10 poorest performances of the season, must be anoited the Worst Horse of the Year for 2008. Appropriately, he was shipped off to Endless Vista, as were Old Music and Listapad.

All of the others will be racing again in 2009. Bewitched finding a new home with Big Wills Hog Runners, and Vivencial now residing at Versailles.

Dirty Dancing, Nature's Storm and Higher & Higher were all given another year with their original stables, hopefully to mature and improve.

They Look Familiar

As the old champions retire and new ones come in to take their place - and even break their records - new legends are created. This year will be no different; there are quite a few great ones who've passed into a sort of legend. Those who newbies only hear about from "age-old" veterans and in breeding news. But perhaps "he" or "she" will come again to grace our racing ovals...

Here are some siblings to some of the best to grace Photo-Finish

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REVENGE
- By Stephen Got Even out of Serena's Song -
Legend; Dominate at 3 and 4; 1:55.3 @ 10F and 2:21.4 @ 12F; Literally broke the mold.

SpanishInquisition

- By Stephen Got Even out of Spectacular Wiggle-

2 year old grey colt Bred/Owned: Bally Doyle

(notable sibling: Canadian F TC Winner Broken Dream - Stephen Got Even)

Serena's Peg
- By Fusaichi Pegasus out of Serena's Song-
2 year old bay colt Bred/Owned: Goforwand Stable

(notable sibling: 3x BC Winner & 3x Eclipse Winner Pegasus Song- Fusaichi Pegasus x Serena's Song)

SMART MONEY

- By Numerous Times out of Dance Smartly -

Top Overall Money Earner; 3x Eclipse Winner; 2x BC Winner

About Last Night

- By Numerous Timex out of Critical Eye -

2 year old bay filly Bred/Owned: Alydar Stables

Tempest Queen
- By Numerous Timex out of Tempest Moon -
2 year old bay filly Bred: Godolphin17 Owned: FDL Lodge

Dance Zapper
- By Ghostzapper out of Dance Smartly -
2 year old bay filly Bred/Owend: Goforwand

A BUS
-By Fields Of Omagh out of Unwordly
2nd Overall Money Earner; 5x Eclipse Winner; 2x BC Winner

Queenston World

- By Kingston Town out of Unworldly-

2 year old dark chestnutfilly Bred/Owend: FDL Lodge

WAR MACHINE
-By Curule out of Mystic Lady -
7th Overal Money Earner; TC Winner; 2x BC; 2x Eclipse

Dog Day Afternoon
- By Curule out of Libidinious-
2 year old chestnut colt Bred/Owend: Alydar Stables

War Monkey
- By Curule out of E Minor -
2 year old bay filly Bred/Owned: Zippy Chippy Stables

Phantom Wings

-By Fusaichi Pegasus out of Mystic Lady -

2 year old bay filly Bred: Red Wing Stables Owned: Bonai Farms

(notable sibling: 3x BC Winner & 3x Eclipse Winner Pegasus Song- Fusaichi Pegasus x Serena's Song)

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SOUTHERN CHARM
- By Silver Charm out of Safely Kept -

11th Overall Money Earner; TC winner; 2x BC Winner

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Marino
-By Silver Charm out of Heptonstall -
2 year old brown colt Bred: Pointgiven Stables Owned: Chiquita Lodge

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MADAM DE FRANCAIS

- By Kathology out of Allez France -
9th Overall Money Earner; TC winner; 2x BC Winner

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Breaking Away

- By Cat Thief out of Allez France -

2 year old brown colt Bred/Owned: Alydar Stables

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ALYTRAIN

- By Alysheba out of Tranquility Lake -

4th Overall Money Earner (1st Female); 2x Eclipse Winner; 2x BC Winner

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Vigilant
- By Purple Passer out of Tranquility Lake -
2 year old bay fillyt Bred: Brewery Stables Owned: Bonai Farms

Glorious Technicolour

So you have got a stable, maybe a few horses and soon it will be the start of the racing season proper. Have you forgotten anything? What about - YOUR SILKS!! Yes, you can have your horses race with your own personalised colours - and here is where the "sim" part really kicks in.

In the "real world" of racing, you are restricted by the patterns, colour variations, logos, copyright etc etc when chosing the colours or "silks" of your choice. But here in PhotoFinish the only limit is your imagination!

Some players go for a traditional look, either based on their favourite racing colours or something that is personal to them. Others really go wild, using bold and bright colours and/or symbols. When I first started reporting for this great game, I would guess that less than 50% (or less) of stables playing had racing silks, but since that time - wow, pretty much all stables have them. A lot of the new players send in their silks request when asking to join the game. (Clever forward planning!)

Lets take a few examples, starting with a "veteran" stable - and where better to start than with the Founding Stable - SNOWBANK FARM. Their colours are simple but effective and officially described as "white jacket, red star centre, red sleeves, white cap" and the resultant "silks" look like this:



Then as the game expanded and players joined from further afieild, the range of silks got more expressive. We take for the next example the silks of Chiknsmack Stables, based in New Zealand. Thier colours are instantly recognised from the description of "black jacket and sleeves, with grey armbands to top of sleeves, grey and black half cap and grey New Zealand Fern centre jacket" and looks like this:



OK maybe its not "bold" or "standout" but its very personal to the Stable. So lets look at another variant, this time from one of the games European stables, that of Olmo Dorato and based in Italy. Now this is a more flamboyant colour scheme and instantly recognisable from most angles! Described officially as "royal blue jacket, yellow buttons, centre red disc with yellow edge, yellow epaulates and collar, light blue sleeves with red cuffs and red cap with yellow bobble". The resultant colours:



And finally, one of the new stables - HT Stables based in the USA. Now here is a stable that has let their imagination run to the full extent possible, no holds barred and a perfect example of "glorious techinicolour". Described as "jacket segmented into eight sections and with equal amounts of red, yellow, blue, green, orange, black, brown and pink with grey cap". Still trying to work that out? Here you go:



Spectacular!

I hope you liked this little fun spot whilst we wait for racing to resume after the breeding season. If I didnt mention your name or silks, sorry but with over 70 stables to choose from now - I had to pick just a small selection and this post is entirely in jest!

So, be you a traditional kinda player, one who likes to express themselves more creatively or just plain off the wall - ENJOY, the game is played for fun and its great waiting to see what funky/freaky/fashionable colours will show themselves.

(Thanks to Laurie for creating the "silks")

ARs - What's their Worth?

Ability Reports. Every horse has one. Some may be a bit shorter in length... but every horse gets one. Most owners will be recieving ARs for their new horses - either bought at the auction or for their new foals.

But what should be done with them? Should they go into the bin and discarded? Or should a trainer analyze each and every line; squeezing it for information.

Let me tell the newbies something they may not have heard, and some older players who may need a reminder. Ability Reports and not the hard fast truth. I know, it's amazing right? They are not the ultimate word of a horse's ability... yes, you still must look at the horse's race results.

AR's are a guide, and nothing else. Some times a guide is wrong (yes, I know crazy right)... sometimes they are mistaken... and other's they are as close as you can get. They are like a Trainer's Report. They give an owner an idea of their horse's ability, but you never really know how they'll behave when they eyeball another horse in the homestretch.

For instance, some of the fastest and greatest racehorses have an AR that states "Average Speed" and some plodders in Allowances that have never beat another horse has an AR that says "Lighting Speeed, Certain record setter."

So, my bit of advice to all who may read this: Accept ARs for what they are. They are pieces of paper that give you an idea of what you horse may do once he/she reaches the tracks. No, they are not all powerful, but they are a helpful guide.

2006 PF Special Stallion - Not so special?

For the 2006 breeding season, the stallion Sadler's Wells was introduced as the special stallion available for stud.

Sadler's Wells was a racehorse born in 1981, and sired by Northern Dancer. Although foaled in the United States, he achieved his racing and breeding fame in Europe.

In real life, his greatest success came as a champion sire. Sadler's Wells has been Champion Sire (the sire in Great Britain whose progeny has won the most prize money during a season) no fewer than 14 times with over 200 stakes winners and 69 Group 1 individual winners.

His fabulous success as a real-life sire has not been duplicated here at Photo-Finish. His 2006 foal crop of 16 horses all hit the track as 2yo's last season and had a combined record 0f 88-5-7-16 with earnings of just $998,200. The majority of those earnings ($602,600) came from three horses, Raging Wells from KRF, Wishing Wells also from KRF, and Maximize from Lakeside Acres.

Would I call Sadler's Well a bust as a sire? Not necessarily. Some of those offspring do show promise. It will be interesting to track them in 2009 when they perform as 3yo's.

But you certainly can't be overly excited about just 5 wins in 88 career starts so far.....

ATTN: Readers of The Recap

The staff at the Racing Recap is looking for full-time or part time writers for the coming season. We do not have the time to report on as many races, ideas, comments, etc. as we would like.

The job is easy. Write an article. Submit it to one of the full time staff (unless you are a staff member then simply post). And look for your name in print.

There are no annual fees... no hazing rituals... and we won't kick you off if you don't write a recap every week. AND...

YOU get to choose what you write. There are no overbearing editors handing out beats... and telling you it isn't good enough (anything is good enough for the Recap... pending of course it is appropriate)

JOIN NOW! Just e-mail Matt at shahmat_amal@hotmail.com if you wish to become a full time staff member (it's free!!!). Or if you would like to post an occasional article... you can also become a member of the Recap... or e-mail one of us ("staff members" listed to the right) and we'll be happy to post it!

Happy Reading... and Writing!

Hidden in the Shadows

This year boasted our largest group of two year old hopefuls to make their racing debut – 273 young colts and fillies were primed and ready to make their racing debuts. Or were they?

This year 13 colts and a lone filly were hidden in the shadows, their training fined tuned off the racing ovals. Endless Vista Racing Stud held five colts (Action Hero, Princely Status, Revolution, Royal Chef, and Scenic Sky); all were sold at the recent auction – from $201,000 to $590,000.

A new stable, Europa, acquired the filly Spectacular Breeze and Merlin a young colt when they opened their doors. Due to the unlucky start, Aoife could not start either of the unraced two year olds in 2008 because nominations were closed for the last races of the season.

As a new stable, the staff at Europa simply wish to keep their growing stable afloat in their debut season. Spectacular Breeze is still too young to start in the early season and will start “late in the year.” However, her training partner, Merlin, “will be seen before the Derby” according to Aoife of Europa.

But what about the trainers who had a choice? Why did they choose to keep a few two year olds back from the races?

Chris trainer and owner of Watch This Space had two colts that did not start at two – Artworld and Busted Speech. After viewing their Ability Reports (ARs) Chris decided that they would be better suited as debuting three year olds. It is highly likely that neither of these colts will make an appearance until after the Kentucky Derby.

But, Chris seems to think that it will be worth the wait. Artworld has all the makings of a fine handicap racer, who probably won’t reach his peak until late in 2009 or even 2010. But Chris expects that he will have speed to burn and will be able to navigate the ovals as a handicapper.

To his other late colt, Busted Speech will defiantly make a few showings this year, but not until after the Derby. This colt seems to be a sprinter or miler, who will make a big late charge. Perhaps Chris’ patience will be well spent on these young colts.

Another owner who is keen on waiting until her colt is ready to make his roaring debut is Crista of Rivendell Stables. Retaliate was not mature enough to join his other two year old stable mates, so he stayed back at the farm for additional training.

Crista has the patience that many seem to lack, she knows that Retaliate may not even be ready to go at three, but will see him through. He has the potential to become a good if not great handicap horse, and she has no plans to break him down before he is ready.

Retaliate will make his debut mid-season in a small Allowance, but if he still isn’t ready, he may go back into training for another supplementary year. He has the spark that all trainers are looking for – it just may take awhile for it to ignite. But once it does, the training staff at Rivendell expects that it’ll stay alight for some time.

Rivendell matched Revenge and Steal the Gold, and has seen a bright future for Retaliate that they have a full-brother waiting in the wings. Trigun, along with Retaliate, seems to have inherited their dam’s aptitude for maturing slowly.

Another stable seems keen to start their horses slowly is Hopeful Farm. Chelsey has two ½ siblings who have not seen the tracks - Handsome Affair and Handsome Bane. Chelsey says that it would be an embarrassment if these colts were to race at two. They would have been kicked around and “they may not have known which way to go to the finish line.”

They are both by Handsome Man, the slow maturing stallion who was a sprinting champion at four and five. Chelsey reminded us that Handsome Man did not make his racing debut until the age of three (although, he wasn’t “created” until three…), and was not a well-known name until he showed up at four.

She expects that these colts will be started mid-late in the season, but isn’t really expecting too much until late in the season. She says that they have enough potential that she’ll wait until the end of the season or even the 2010 season to make a decision on them.

The two other colts that did not start at two were from KRF Stables – Rhyme and Three Strikes. Although, Three Strikes was sold at the auction to new stable Round Lake Riders.

So it seems that if a trainer has the patience to wait until their young horses grow up a bit, they are willing to see them through, until they can give a true showing of their worth... even if it means waiting until the horses are three... or even four.

We've seen young horses mature heads and shoulders above their peers, and simply dominate their class at the early stages... Machete and Smart Money are a couple that come to mind.. but what about those who mature slowly? Those that will make their G1 appearances later in life... they don't seem to be as popular... but perhaps these colts and the filly may be the next "IT" horse - if their trainers wait long enough...

Will these trainers’ patience pay off? Who knows...perhaps one of the unraced 2 year olds will be the next Kentucky Derby winner! Let’s look at some stats before I sign off…

14 - # of 2 year old who did not start in 2008
74 - # of horses who failed to run in the money (min. 1 start)
18,000 – Cost in $, the amount a racer in maintenance fees.
52 - # of horses that earned less than $18,000
207 - # of horses that earned more than $18,000

Early 2009 Kentucky Derby hopefuls

There were only twelve 2yo's who had speed scores of 80 or higher on a race of at least 9 furlongs last season.

I'm sure that there will be other contenders that surface early next season, but the horses listed below have shown that they have the stuff to be considered possible candidates for Triple Crown glory in 2009.

1. Machete - colt - KRF
2. DrivingMissDaisy - filly - FDL
3. Linkoping - filly - Port Pirie
4. Unbridled Analysis - filly - Woodbury
5. Double Dome - colt - FDL
6. Taco Bell - colt - Pointgiven
7. Showtime - filly - KRF
8. Karagod - colt - Bowen
9. First Inpression - colt - Eureka
10. Tago Lad - colt - Nonnazequa
11. Hold That Train - colt - Parklands
12. Gregori - colt -Whisperwood

Good luck to these horses and others who may run their way into contention.

Flash the Cash!

Yes folks its that time of year again, the annual battle of the "newbies" vs "vets" in the Flash the Cash Stakes.

This year there are over 500 (yes FIVE HUNDRED!) horses to choose from but, if its anything like previous years, there will be less than a dozen or so horses who achieve over $1million.

So whats the best strategy to wade into this malestrom with? It doesnt depend so much on how much cash you have (although we admit that helps) but rather how long can you hold out without showing your hand. The more "auction toughened" players can hang on until the last 10 mins before wading in and "gazumping" the rest of the stables. This usually happens on the better breed/raced stock although sometimes it comes down to two stables just trying to outbid each other "because"!!

The newbies dont miss out though - there have been several instances in the past where a good horse has been picked up for less than $50,000 which is most new players budget per horse. It also offers them a better rate of return, so a horse costing less than $50,000 but who wins $500,000 in its career is a far better prospect than a horse costing in excess of $3mill who only returns $4million. (Sounds crazy but its true).

Sometimes you can land the horse you want simply by placing the maximum you are going to as the first bid and thats it - job done. But mostly horses are won by those playing late and fast - the last 10mins of the auction will see the most money flying than the rest of the period!

It must also be remembered that the vetrans will simply have more money than newer players, and that if they seriously want a horse they can afford to bid others out of the race. That doesnt mean its a personal vendetta against the under bidder, simply that the winner can afford to go higher.

But dont let that put you off if you have a small budget. Search around, look back at grandparents in pedigrees, and make a sensible bid. All horses have a minimum price of $10,000 and quite often the majority of older (4+) horses can be purchased for that sum or a fraction more.

So who will be the winners of the Flash the Cash Stakes - everyone because there is a horse out there for everyone, no matter what your budget, aspirations, stable size etc. There should be no reason at the end of the day to say "not fair" - if you cant find one horse in 500 then theres no hope!!

Eclipse Awards 2008

Its that time of the year again, where everyone has the chance to vote for their favourite horse or the horse they feel has performed best/consistently over the last season.

In a change from the norm, ie Laurie counting the votes and posting the results, she very kindly allowed Amanda from Bally Doyle who, as both a "vet" of the game and a player with no horses in the voting, to record the "ceremony" and post this on our sister site, PF Results.

Just in case you missed the link or the post in the forum, and simply prefer coming here to read the news, here is the link

http://www.freewebs.com/pfresults/eclipseawards2008.htm

Hope you enjoy listening!

Head Start Newbies?

In the last few weeks, brought on by the deals made for owners' stallions, the subject of giving new players a leg up has been debated once again. Should new players be given two horses, his or her pick from the racers at Endless Vista, or should they be given the allotted $200,000 and made to purchase their horses like some veterans did?

Well, the truth in that all veterans had to purchase their first horses isn't the case for all. Many stables quite literally took over another and were given up to five horses. Myself? When I first began was given the choice of three horses from a pool of five or six. In my recent re-start I was allowed to choose two racers from the EV horses.

So yes, there have been some players who have had to purchase their horses in the end of year Auction. But I believe that some of the new players (those in the last few weeks) are also buying their first horses at this year’s auction – correct me if I’m wrong.

Personally, I’m not sure where I stand on giving horses to new players. It is upsetting to see a upstart stable become a TC winner in their first year by a draw of luck, when others who have been playing for years waiting for their break – as some players have experienced; however, such is horse racing or any equine sport.

It’d be nice if all new players were given a nice G3/G2 pair of racers, or could buy a nice pair of dependable racers. Or were able to buy a horse that consistently placed in the money But is that the reality? If a stable were to start mid-season, would they have the opportunity to buy a horse that would keep them afloat? Only time will surely tell.

As our PF-world constantly expands so will the number of horses in our community. I believe that we will start to see a clearer definition of G1 racers vs. G2 racers and then G3 and so on. But with the expansion of PF becomes a clearer and clearer line of those who are established and those who are not.

Yes, many a few years ago, had to start from scratch. But I believe that it was also easier to get ahead. There were fewer truly established stables with dozens of strong racers and a long-term breeding plan in effect.

Today new players face a plethora of stables that have monies in the millions and tens of millions. They have funds to spend and dozens of horses at their disposable; clearly they have an advantage.

There must be a middle ground to allow new players the chance of becoming an established stable, without undermining the hard work of the veteran players.

A bit help with the breeding side of the game seems to be the easiest way that most veteran players show/give to the “novice” players. Personally, I like the idea – it’s better than handing over a polished two year old.

Odds & Ends - One Man's Opinions

Deadlines
- End of Year Report/Breeding -

This has been a increasing problem in the last few years - at least that I've seen. Many stables haven't met deadlines, and deadlines have been pushed back at the expense of the other prompt stables and of course Laurie. We all know that they are coming, Breeder's Cup week and the Hong Kong meeting are a big clue... but like anyone we tend to get lost in the wake of real life troubles.

I myself nearly missed the End of Year Report Deadline. I haven't been able to play the game in a few weeks and lost track of time and the upcoming Off-Season Activities. Only by a off-chance conversation with another member did I remember to send in that Report.

Okay. So a few stables (and some prominent ones at that) missed the Report Deadline. Perhaps some aren't interested in playing the game anymore, had real life commitments, or simply couldn't access a computer in the last few days... But let's make sure that we get our Breeding Deadline met!

Get those pairings and names in to Laurie so that she can generate foals, e-mail us their ARs... and we can get back to racing!

Speaking of Ability Reports...

Ability Reports
- The On-going Debate -

These things have changed drastically since the last time I played Photo Finish. And honestly I have to say that I think they have taken a turn for the worse.

This is how they used to look:
(well I believe that the first ARs had a slightly different style for the surface preference - stating only what was preferred)

Ability Report for horse Justa Test

Justa Test, purple fillyBy Tester's Test out of JustIn Time by No More Folly

This horse will mature quickly and be at peak performance early, ready for the Derby.

This horse will have an average performance peak, at least two racing seasons.

This horse will be near peak potential for the Derby.

This horse prefers hard dirt.

This horse prefers soft dirt.

This horse prefers mud.

This horse is good on hard turf.

This horse is ok on soft turf.

This horse shows average fight if challenged at the wire.

This horse is very hardy and unlikely to fall victim to injuries.

This horse has average ratability.

This horse has average curve handling abilities.

This horse just keeps on going after it has the lead, it doesn't let up.

This horse handles traffic ok.

This horse has consistency problems. Doesn't always meet expectations.

This horse has an average recovery rate between races.

This horse has average weight carrying capacity.

This horse usually comes from far back.

This horse has good acceleration.

This horse has average speed out of the gate.

This horse has average speed.

Handles 5f to 1.25mi, best distance 6f.

Then we made a slight chance for the 2006 Foal Crop (the red was omitted)

Ability Report for horse 0000

Justa Test II (2006), 12.3 hand violet colt

By Twice as Nice out of Justa Test by Tester's Test

This horse will mature quickly and be at peak performance early, ready for the Derby.
This horse will have an average performance peak, at least two racing seasons.
This horse will be near peak potential for the Derby.
This horse prefers hard dirt.
This horse prefers soft dirt.
This horse prefers mud.
This horse is good on hard turf.
This horse is ok on soft turf.
This horse shows average fight if challenged at the wire.
This horse is very hardy and unlikely to fall victim to injuries.
This horse has average ratability.
This horse has average curve handling abilities.
This horse just keeps on going after it has the lead, it doesn't let up.
This horse handles traffic ok.
This horse has consistency problems. Doesn't always meet expectations.
This horse has an average recovery rate between races.
This horse has average weight carrying capacity.
This horse usually comes from far back.
This horse has good acceleration.
This horse has average speed out of the gate.
This horse has average speed.
Handles 5f to 1.25mi, best distance 6f.

We decided that putting the "Best Distance" was hurting too many players who took ARs for the honest truth. But in 2007 we made another change... again to the last line.

Ability Report for horse 0001

Justa Test III(2007), 19.3 hand mauve colt
By Justa Test II out of Oh Yes by Not Another

This horse will mature quickly and be at peak performance early, ready for the Derby.
This horse will have an average performance peak, at least two racing seasons.
This horse will be near peak potential for the Derby.
This horse prefers hard dirt.
This horse prefers soft dirt.
This horse prefers mud.
This horse is good on hard turf.
This horse is ok on soft turf.
This horse shows average fight if challenged at the wire.
This horse is very hardy and unlikely to fall victim to injuries.
This horse has average ratability.
This horse has average curve handling abilities.
This horse just keeps on going after it has the lead, it doesn't let up.
This horse handles traffic ok.
This horse has consistency problems. Doesn't always meet expectations.
This horse has an average recovery rate between races.
This horse has average weight carrying capacity.
This horse usually comes from far back.
This horse has good acceleration.
This horse has average speed out of the gate.
This horse has average speed.
This horse appears to be a sprinter.

So the ARs don't have the furlongs set in stone... okay, still a good AR (in my opinion the best one yet).

But then, for the 2008 foals the ARs are cut drastically...

Ability Report for horse 0002

Justa Test IV (2008), 2.2 hand lilac colt

By Justa Test III out of Are we Done by Thrice Cut

This horse will mature quickly and be at peak performance early, ready for the Derby.
This horse will have an average performance peak, at least two racing seasons.
This horse prefers hard dirt.
This horse prefers soft dirt.
This horse prefers mud.
This horse is good on hard turf.
This horse is ok on soft turf.

This horse is very hardy and unlikely to fall victim to injuries
This horse has average ratability.
This horse appears to be a sprinter.

To me the biggest problem with Ability Reports are not the reports, but how each person interprets them. If the ARs are taken as a training guide, and not words set in stone (how many people can attest to that fact) I believe things would work out better for all. We all know that ARs are not 100% accurate and no one should take them as thus... but cutting them down is not the way to solve the problem.

To me it is like training your horse for a race or even a show. You know how they act in training, you work with them and you can tell if one horse has an aptitude for western or dressage (or sprints vs routes). You have an idea of what their abilities are before they step into the ring (for instance no one would mistake a 4-H prospect for a Nationals show horse)... even if you don't know exactly how that horse will perform on "show/race day" you have an idea at their abilities.

Which is all an AR should be... a glimpse into the training that we can not see with our SIM horses. No one knows who will be the best before they race or compete... But I know the difference between a hobby horse and a show-machine.

What do you think? Leave me a comment if you wish...