Quick Fact Guide - Races

Original article written by Regina Moore posted 6 years 3 weeks ago

Racing takes place every day of the week, except Sunday. The are multiple post times on each racing day, according to where the races are being run in the world.

Entries are taken one day to two weeks before the day of the race. No scratches are other changes can be made within 24 hours of post time.

A horse can be entered in any race where it meets the conditions of the race; however, it's highly recommended that horses only enter races appropriate for its type (ie, a dirt sprinter should be entered in dirt sprint races, etc.)

Stakes races have entry fees, which are always 1% of the purse. ($1000 for a stakes with a $100,000 purse). The entry fee comes out of the player's bank at post time. Therefore, players can enter a stakes race, and later scratch, without paying the entry free.

If a horse is entered in a race for a particular day, it won't show as eligible for other races that same day. In other words, a horse can't be entered in more than one race for a particular day.

Players can enter up to two horses in each race. A player can enter three horses in Steward's Cup and Triple Crown races.

Races can have up to 12 horses. Only the Steward's Cup and Triple Crown races can have larger fields. When there's more than 12 horses in a claiming or maiden race, the first 12 to get entered are the ones who get to run. For allowance and stakes races with more than 12 entries, the 12 horses with the highest points get to run. For non-stakes races, if a fifteenth horse is entered, the race splits into two races, so everyone is able to run. A race can split multiple times. (However, races sponsored by players don’t split.)


PURSE BREAKDOWN
All races in SIM have the gross purse distributed as follows:
50% to the winner
22% to the second place finisher
10% to the third place finisher
7% to the fourth place finisher
2% to the fifth place finisher
9% to the breeder of the winning horse

If less than five horses are in a race, the purse is still distributed, per the above. In other words, if there is only one horse entered in a race, once the race is run, that horse will be considered the winner and earn 50% of the purse.


FACTORS AFFECTING THE OUTCOME OF A RACE (NOT NECESSARILY IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE)
race distance/surface as appropriate for a particular horse
race track condition, as appropriate for a particular horse
horse equipment, as appropriate for a particular horse
horse running style, relative to other horses in the race
horse post position
horse tiredness
horse fitness
horse experience
horse confidence
horse maturity level (in terms of he's an early or late bloomer in his overall career)
jockey ability (applies to nose finishes only)
random bad luck (stumbling at the start, going wide, etc)

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