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Post by Rendezvous on Apr 19, 2017 13:19:52 GMT -6
RACING FUNDAMENTALS RULES - Races have a maximum of 14 in each field
- Minimum number of horses per race is two, though we prefer at least four
- Each stable may only enter two horses per race
- You may not enter your own horses in a race you are judging
- Prospect races do not count towards a horse's career record
- Please volunteer to judge races. It is a great help and will contribute to keeping us on time throughout the game year. Races without a judge will be randomized
- If you enter a horse in a turf race during the one week, say Jan Week 1, you cannot enter the horse in a dirt race during that same week
- You cannot judge a race where one of your leased out horses is running. This is to prevent bias and keep races fair for all members
- From January-August juvenile horses with 3+ HOTY wins cannot race in undercards dedicated to juveniles. From Sept-Dec juvenile horses with 4+ HOTY wins cannot race in undercards dedicated to juveniles.
DIRECTORY i. Racing Basicsii. Choosing Your Racesiii. Fruits of Winningiv. Life After the RacetrackMADE BY ★MEULK |
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Post by Rendezvous on May 21, 2017 11:24:48 GMT -6
RACING BASICS Races are run by a judge - a member of our SIM community that volunteers to take the race and decide the placings. RACE WEEKS In terms of racing, each month is broken down into four race weeks. There is one exception - March has a fifth week for the Stable Faceoff, hosted at the GHF track. You are able to enter races each week at all three tracks, but you cannot enter the same horse at two/three different tracks during the same week. For example, my horse Neigh Neigh is entered at GHF for March Week One. Neigh Neigh cannot enter at TW or BSD for March Week One as well, but could enter March Week Two at any of the three tracks. SEASONS Seasons are not overly important for racing, mainly for breeding. Spring is January through March, Summer is April through June, Fall is July through September and Winter is October through December. Breeding takes place from January - May. GRADING SYSTEM The grading scale puts horses into race grades depending on how many races they have won. Prospect is the only 'grade' where age is a restriction and there is no restriction on wins. Prospect is like a yearling show, and prospect races do not count towards a horse's career record. Below you'll see how many wins your horse needs to advance to the next level. Prospect (P) - Yearlings only Maiden (M) - 0 wins Grade Five (G5) - 1-3 wins Grade Four (G4) - 4-6 wins Grade Three (G3) - 7-9 wins Grade Two (G2) - 10-12 wins Grade One (G1) - 13+ wins ENTERING RACES To enter races, copy the entries of the person above you (or the entry form in the initial post if you are the first to enter). Add your entries, put a Code tag around them and hit reply. What do I mean by a code tag? Highlight all of your entries, then click on the button that is a white box with a C in the center (right next to the 'quote' button and creepy emoticon) PROSPECT RACES As you browse the schedule, you may notice some races with the grade labeled as P. The P stands for "Prospect" and denotes Prospect Races - races you can enter your yearlings in. These races are just for fun and in no way affect how your horse will perform as a juvenile and onwards. They simply provide a way for you to engage with your yearlings while waiting for them to race. In addition, they also provide a way for your horses to gain exposure. Other members get to know your horse by judging them in a prospect race, and this could help your horse become renown before they even start racing! To sweeten the deal, there are a couple of awards for Prospects as well. Any horse can enter a prospect race provided they are at least one year old (bred the year prior to that game year), but please note that prospect races are judged very differently from regular races. Pedigree is very heavily emphasized, while in actual races it will not be used as a factor very weightily, if at all. Thus, your created prospects may not do as well as SIM bred ones in prospect races. MADE BY ★MEULK |
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Post by Rendezvous on May 21, 2017 11:25:16 GMT -6
CHOOSING YOUR RACES UNDERCARDS vs. HORSE OF THE YEAR RACES Undercards are written like this sentence; normally. HoTY races are usually ALL IN CAPS and denoted with a * For example, an undercard race would look like this: Undercard Stakes. Horse of the Year races look like this: I'M SCARY STAKES*. HoTY races attract the best competition across all three tracks. If you enter a horse in a race like that, be prepared for the competition! NOTE: There are also major HOTY races that will have a separate purse from the usual NON-HOTY vs HOTY purse chart. These races are written like this SUPER FAST DERBY**RUNNING STYLE All horses have a preferred running style, which (for game purposes) can be determined by you - the owner - or can originate from the horse's parents or their individual personality. Learn more about the different types of running styles hereDISTANCE & SURFACE PREFERENCES Make sure you enter your horse in races that fit their preferences. You want to enter your horse in races over a surface that they are Great on and in a distance within their range. For example, let's say my horse runs Great on dirt, Okay on turf at 6-9 furlongs. My horse can run in a race that's seven furlongs on the dirt, but if that race is seven furlongs on the turf or five furlongs on the dirt they will automatically lose. Don't make a silly mistake - check the distance and surface of the race! OVER-RACING It is possible to over-race your horse - and you don't want to do that, because the judge may notice and place your horse lower than he or she normally would place on account of tiredness. Over-racing is defined as racing three or more weeks in a row - for examples, if my horse raced May Week One, May Week Two and May Week Three. It is recommended that you race no more than two weeks in a row. After that second week, rest your horse for at least one week before racing again. It is possible and not considered over-racing if you race three times in one month - you would have to race two weeks in a row, break for a week, then race again. GOOD ✔: Race May Week One, May Week Two, May Week Four
BAD ✘ : Race May Week Two, May Week Three, May Week Four
A rule of thumb would be to just completely avoid running your horse three or more weeks in a row. CLOSING RACES Once a race is posted as 'ready to run,' that race is considered closed. After a race is closed, but before the race is run, the person running a horse has the option to scratch that horse from the race. After a race is run, a horse may not be scratched. It may only be disqualified after a race runs if there is a problem with distance, surface, or gender. As far as moving horses from one race to another (not just scratching) or adding new horses to races after close, there are different courtesies to follow. If you are entering or moving a horse to a race with only one entry (as it cannot currently run without another entrant) that can be done without the permission of the current entrant. If you are attempting to move or late-enter a horse into a race that already has two entries (a race that's able to run) you must obtain the permission of all entrants in that race. This is true even if you are moving a horse from a race that cannot currently run. To prevent this, be sure to check the fields before closing time so that you can freely make adjustments as needed. If all permission is granted within a reasonable amount of time, the change may occur. If a member with a horse already entered says they would like to keep the field as it is, without an additional entrant, that is their right. This is largely out of simple fairness, and also to keep members from moving horses from 'harder' fields to 'softer' fields once they see the finalized fields, or simply entering a new horse into a 'softer' field that wasn't entered that week at all. MADE BY ★MEULK
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Post by Rendezvous on May 21, 2017 11:25:33 GMT -6
THE FRUITS OF WINNING Want to know how much your horse is earning from each race? Check out the Purse Chart! Remember to total up your horse's earnings after every race. RACE SERIES We have a lot of race series spread over all three tracks- the Triple Crown, Turf Triple Crown, Triple Tiara, etc. Try and aim for these series! Most of these series and/or big races are denoted with ** It gives you something to plan for, and it can be lots of fun to go through the series with other horses and see who will get the win that time around. Winning or doing well in a series also increases your horse's prestige and value. HOTY RACES AND AWARDS For every HoTY race your horse wins, the horse earns one point. It is very important to keep track of these points, because in order to be nominated for awards at the end of the season you need to have a certain number. The more HoTY points your horse has, the more likely other people are to vote for your horse to get an award. In terms of awards - at the end of each season, award nominations are posted in the Hall Of Fame board at GHF. Go to the nominations, find a category you would like to nominate your horse for, make sure they meet the HoTY Point requirement for the award, then fill out the form and post a reply. Congratulations, your horse is nominated! At the end of the nominating period, staff will put up a poll with all of the horses names, and members will vote on which horse should get the award. Members may not vote for their own horses, but must vote in the poll. In the event of a tie, a tiebreaker poll will be held. All award winners are announced by the end of January of the new game year. GHF HALL OF FAME Once your horse retires, it is possible that you feel their accomplishments merit an induction in the GHF Hall of Fame. f you feel this way, post a poll in the Hall Of Fame board. Check past polls for formatting of your poll and what you should include. Your horse needs a minimum of seven votes on its poll before a decision is rendered regarding whether they are in the Hall or not. To be voted in as a Hall of Fame inductee is an incredibly high honor, and you should be proud of this achievement! THE WIRE CHAMPION HALL OF FAME Have a horse that did really well at The Wire? Well, you might have a Wire Champion on your hands. The nominating and voting process for a Wire Champion is the same as for the Hall Of Fame, but while a Hall Of Fame nomination is for all three tracks, the Wire Champion Hall of Fame honors horses that did especially well at The Wire. Visit the Legend Hall to find out more information. MADE BY ★MEULK |
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Post by Rendezvous on May 21, 2017 11:42:39 GMT -6
LIFE AFTER THE RACETRACK WHEN TO RETIRE A HORSE Most players retire their horses by the age of five, although a certain few continue racing their horses into their sixth year which isn't incredibly recommended. Some may want to retire their horses right after winning a successful series, such as the Triple Crown to avoid encountering any rough last place finishes in the near future. Although the game doesn't bring injury upon your horse, the player is free to say that a horse received an injury that would ultimately end it's racing career. In Y15, my mare Mardi Gras sustained an injury that costed her her racing career, but she now enjoys a life of luxury at my stable's breeding facility. The player normally knows when's the best time to retire their horse. WHAT COMES NEXT? For most horses, they will go to a breeding facility after they leave the racetrack. However, it is always recommended (for a realistic perspective) to give a horse a year off before breeding them at all, think of it as a vacation from a job well done over the years. From there studs will be bred to mares, either mares from your own broodmare band or the mares of other players. Normally this constitutes a stud fee, which is where members give you money for breeding your stud to their mare. The price is normally a reflection of your horse's career or the success of their own progeny on the track. Studs should normally only sire 5-6 foals a year (but could definitely sire more as the member base grows), depending on how exclusive a player wants his bloodline to be. Retired studs must be entered in The Studbook before they begin their breeding career. Broodmares on the other hand normally only have 3-4 foals over the course of their entire life, some may have more depending on the owner. In order to breed any of your horses you should submit a thread of your breeding pairs to the breeding shed (optional, helps you keep track). But before you breed any horse, please look over the Breeding Your Horses article. WHAT ABOUT GELDINGS? While active in their racing career, some colts were gelded to give them an extra boost of confidence and a more level head. For some horses this helped their career immensely. But unfortunately, this process isn't reversible so this horse will be of no value to anyone's breeding program. Normally a gelding may become a track pony to accompany the player's other horses to different tracks, or even assist them in their workouts (particularly your workout articles). Others may just simply retire geldings entirely and not ask anything else of them. A recommendation for geldings would be to repeat the matched pairing of sire and dam that made the gelding in the first place and take it from there.
MADE BY ★MEULK |
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