THe NEWS - April 30, 2011 “Racing to be the best.”
This months features include:
Kentucky Derby Fever, Planning, Scratching horses and Tips for Claiming horses.
THE STEWARDS TOWER by Tudor:
Kentucky Derby Fever
The first Saturday in May is fast approaching. Top 3 year old Thoroughbreds are getting ready to “Run for the Roses” for the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
The “Derby” is a Grade I Stakes ran at 1 1/4 mile on the dirt. It is the first jewel in the United States “Triple Crown” followed by The Preakness and Belmont Stakes. These are the real life counterpart to our own Trophy Horse Triple.
The road to the Triple Crown is hard and expensive. Owners part with some serious money just to be considered for the Derby. A nomination fee payment of $600 was due by January 22, 2011. This fee is for all 3 races of the Triple Crown Series. If that deadline is missed, horse owners had until March 26th, 2011 to pay $6,000 (higher price). Nominations made after March 26, 2011 got charged a supplemental entry fee of $200,000
Over 200 horses were nominated this year. Out of all the nominees, only 20 starters will go to the post. These will be selected based on total Graded Stakes earnings each horse has accumulated.
Starters make a payment of $25,000 entry fee and $25,000 starting fee, plus a minimum jockey fee of $500.
It’s a big gamble, but the reward is great. This year, the minimum guaranteed purse is $2,000,000 not to mention the prestige and fame for the owner and trainer, and the breeding fees a Kentucky Derby winner can earn when retired.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the contenders.
Uncle Mo by Indian Charlie—Playa Maya, by Arch
An undefeated sensation at age 2. He was the favorite in Derby Future wagers. Suffered a setback with gastro intestinal issues in the Wood Memorial to finish 3rd.
Dialed In by Mineshaft —Miss Doolittle, by Storm Cat.
Lightly raced winner of the Florida Derby and has won at Churchill Downs. Nick Zito is his trainer and is speaking highly of him. Will likely be the betting favorite.
Toby's Corner by Bellamy Road—Brandon’s Ride, by Mister Frisky
Addition of Blinkers and a strong run in the stretch led to a big win in the Wood Memorial by defeating favorite Uncle Mo and earning him a trip to the Derby.
Mucho Macho Man by Macho Uno—Ponche de Leona, by Ponche
Excellent recent workout even though has been off for 6 weeks after throwing a shoe in his last race. Trainer Todd Pletcher who won the Derby in 2010 with Super Saver will have this versatile runner ready.
Midnight Interlude by War Chant—Midnight Kiss, by Groom Dancer
This colt continues to impress and improve for trainer Bob Baffert. Surprise Santa Anita Derby winner. Overcame trouble in his last start. He’s shown the class and stamina to be a contender.
Master of Hounds, by Kingmambo - Silk and Scarlet by Sadlers Wells
European invader. Turf runner whose ability to handle the dirt and distance will be tested.
Of course, the Kentucky Derby is often won by a longshot. Some Examples:
2009 - Mine That Bird: 50 to 1
2005 - Giacomo: 50 to 1
2003 - Funnycide: 12 to 1
2002 - War Emblem: 20 to 1
1999 - Charismatic: 31 to 1
On May 4, 2011 the final 20 starters will be decided along with their post positions.
The race will run on May 7, 2011 at 6:24pm Eastern Time. If you can’t be there, watch it on NBC.
For more information, look here:
www.kentuckyderby.com/
THE BREEDING SHED by JoeJoe Stables:
It’s good to have a plan.
One job of a breeder is to analyze studs each month, and match them to broodmares. How you go about this can make a difference in the long range results of your stable. You should have a long range plan in mind. Exactly what goals are you trying to accomplish?
If you have not planned and set some goals, do it now. For example, some breeding goals could be:
1. Produce a foal that can win $1,000,000. If that is your goal, you should work on matching your best broodmare(s) to top ranked sires and pay close attention to the breeding penalties and bonuses.
2. Another goal might be to produce some outstanding future broodmares. In that case, you should take a look at the Top Broodmare Sires list, and incorporate some of those sires into your upcoming breeding plans.
3. You might want to produce a foal you can sell for a good profit at auction. In that case, you would need to use a broodmare of at least average quality, and match her to a sire that has strong statistics combined with a reasonable sire fee to maximize your profit.
4. Another of your goals could be to produce some foals with certain special characteristics. For example, you may want some foals bred for Stamina, so look for sires with a high AWD (Average Winning Distance of offspring). You may want to try and produce some turf runners, so consider the sires found on the “Top Turf Sires” list.
These are just a few examples of how a little bit of planning can help you better organize your breeding program and work toward specific goals. Like the old saying goes - “If you’re failing to plan, you’re planning to fail.”
TIPS AND TRICKS by JoeJoe Stables:
Do you ever scratch and move your horses to a different race?
If not, maybe you should. A big part of being a good Trainer is finding races your horse can win.
Make it a practice to check the competition in upcoming races a few hours before entries are confirmed. If it looks like several other horses in a race are better than yours, it may be a good idea to scratch your horse and look for a different race.
If you do decide to move to another race, first check races available at the track where your horse was originally entered. Look for similar races but with easier fields. If that doesn’t work, check other tracks, classes and other distances.
Don’t worry so much about moving to a track your horse doesn’t especially like, or a track other than where you may have given a prep workout. If your horse had been entered in a 12 horse race against “great” horses, and you can find a 4 horse race against “nags,” the 4 horse race will usually be easier to win, no matter your horse’s track preference or workout preparation.
We are talking here about normal scratches, and not “Late Scratches.” Making a “Late Scratch” after the race has already been confirmed and carded is a seldom used option and usually not worth it. There are high progressive fees for making a Late Scratch, and your horse will not be able to enter a race on the same day. In other words, avoid “Late Scratches.”
THE GUEST RANCH this month’s contributor: D-Stables:
Claiming Horses:
This is a topic that helped me get on my feet. I was pretty new to the game, my starter horses were bad and I was broke from poor investments as most of us are when we first start. I spent a lot of time in chat talking to veteran stables getting advice. One of the stables talked to me about mares being the key to my stable and what you need to look for in a future broodmare. Some of the main things to look for are: Pedigree, SI’s in races and a price you can afford. I decided to browse through the Claiming Races and got lucky. I found a filly with great pedigree and she had some good SI’s in previous Allowance company. Here she is:
www.trophyhorse.com/users/horse_info.aspx?name=My+Baby+Doll
My Baby Doll was not all that special on the surface, but she had the criteria I was looking for so I took a chance and claimed her. As a broodmare, she ended up giving me a great horse - Lenjos Boy:
www.trophyhorse.com/users/horse_info.aspx?name=Lenjos%20Boy
Stables claim a horse for different reasons, depending on the plan they have for their stable.
The easiest way to search for claimers is through the “Claiming Book” which can be found in the “Daily Racing News.” You can click on the heading of any column to do a sort of the horses that will be in tomorrow’s Claiming Races.
When you have time, browse through the horses in Claiming Races. You might get your hands on a mare that will give you your next Champion
TRAINER TALK by El Amigo:
Stable Interviewed: Some Thing Different
Member Since: 7/25/2010
Current Overall Rank: #1
Major Breed: Thoroughbred
This time we wanted to talk to a trainer who has been in the eye of the storm several times. For some people Some Thing Different is a successful stable who worked hard to be in the top. For others he just bought his #1 spot and took advantage of the system. Let’s hear what they have to say about it…of course, we talked about horses too.
Q: You’ve been playing 9 months and are already #1. What’s your secret?
A: No secrets. Just find what your horse like and let them run in Stakes and make sure you give them several chances.
Q: How is TH different from other racing horse games and what would you change if possible?
A: I think it is a fantastic game that throws up more challenges than other horse racing games. I would love to see jumps added. I’m from the UK and jumps are a big part of UK racing.
Q: Who helped you the most when you joined TH?
A: When I first started and didn’t really have a clue. Westminster Boy played a big hand in getting my stable going and getting me on the five day schedule. Neo and Tudor have also played instrumental parts in my stable doing what it has done. So thanks to you three stables for that.
Q: What is the easiest and the most difficult part of keeping your stable successful?
A: There are no easy parts, I wish there were. The hardest I would say is remembering to workout horses out correctly and their tracks for their next races (especially when moving a date of a horse).
Q: Any particular player you try to avoid running against to, because his great horses?
A: I don’t try and avoid other trainer’s horse, I feel sometimes if they have great horses in the race I can get 2nd or 3rd as other stables seem to avoid them.
Q: It’s inevitable to talk about the posts with your name on it in the forums. I guess it hasn’t been easy for you to see some other top stables disagree with the way you do things.
A: I think there’s a lot of lemon eaters Though it makes me more determined. I love it
Q: Why do you think it has been this way?.
A: People seem to not like stables having success early on. What I’ve achieved shows new stable can be number 1 within 8 months but you do have to listen to advice else it’s not possible.
Q: Do you feel you get the recognition you deserve as the #1 TH stable?
A: Yes from most stables, I m not the best trainer but I think I’m in the top 10. McCoy, Yama and Kloq are better trainers at the minute, but I will get there.
Q: I have noticed you have used the extra slots the game allows, how it has worked for you and Do you recommend to other players to use it?
A: Of course I’d recommend it. Much cheaper than family stables and you can’t get in trouble for buying and selling between stables.
Q: You recently won the IC Sprint and Washington Derby. Was it a surprise or you were expecting those wins.
A: The IC Sprint was a surprise. Moroccan Kid got in as the 12th ranked. I gave him a mile and half race prep to improve his stamina for the fast 6 furlongs and it paid off. As for the Washington Derby I expected Daddy Gaga would do well. Both are geldings as I feel I have enough breeding options.
Q: if you could give advice to new players what would it be?
A: My advice would get on the five day schedule and don’t be frightened to buy horses and have lots of runners and experiment with them, it’s the best way to figure out how to win races.
Thanks for sharing your time and thoughts with us.