Getting Rich in SIM - Being Naughty

Original article written by Regina Moore posted 12 years 2 weeks ago

If you have a personality that tends to be a bit rebellious or contrary, I’m going to tell you something naughty that you might be able to get away with, in the pursuit of more purse money. It’s something I’ve done numerous times and only rarely have suffered any consequences.

I’m talking about racing a horse after only one week of rest. The FAQs specifically tell players not to do such, because the horse has a high chance of injury.

For some reason, my horses almost never get injured on one-week turnarounds. I’m starting to think it may be because my biggest training tool is walking. After all, the FAQs say that walking is the best thing you can do for your horse. (The vet also recommends it in one of his spiels.) I walk one week after each race, and two days before the next race. Of course, on a one-week turnaround, the week-after walk doesn’t happen, but the horse still gets the walk two days ahead.

Last Wednesday (Week 4) on mixed breed night, I ran some 50 horses, and three of them were doing one-week turnarounds. One horse won a two-horse race and none were injured. I’ve come to realize that one-week turnarounds don’t even make me nervous anymore (for better or worse).

Still, it’s important to note that I won’t race a horse on one week of rest just because. I’d rather not, and there needs to be a good reason – like the possibility of an easy win or some juicy money is just sitting there for the taking. If someone sponsors a 100k stakes, and their own horse is the only one entered, you can be darn certain that I’m going to go looking through my barn to see who I can enter in that 100k stakes for second money. If there’s only one eligible horse, and he just ran last week and is an ordinary horse without a great future anyway, I’m most likely going to enter him, in the name of getting the most I can from him. I’ll surely scratch if a handful of other horses later show up for that race, but if just one or two more enter, I’ll probably run and at least get fourth money ($7000).

I won’t let a horse race on a one-week turnaround if: he’s had at least four races in a row on two-week turnarounds, if he’s already had a one-week turnaround in the past game year, or I’ve reached the conclusion that the horse likes his races spaced three weeks apart rather than two weeks. Also, I have a vague recollection that The Steward once said something about front bandages having some sort of association with horses that need more time between races. I’d be real skittish about entering a horse on a one-week turnaround if it’s clear that front bandages is one of the equipment pieces he needs.

I make sure I give the horse at least three weeks’ rest before its next start after having raced on a one-week turnaround.

Most of my one-week turnarounds tend to be with the stock breeds. But I’ve won a four-horse route stakes race with a Thoroughbred on a one-week turn around. I’ve also won a three-horse Arabian sprint stakes, beating a SIMMY champion, on a one-week turnaround. Both of those victories still boggle my mind, since I was running for second money both times and have no idea why my horses won.

If this article intrigues you, make sure you absorb the entire article. I’m not trying to say that racing on a one-week turnaround is a good thing and the FAQ addressing such should be disregarded. I’m only trying to say that if a good opportunity is there for easy purse money, and the only way you can get at that purse is money is to enter a horse that just ran a week ago, it might be worth a shot.

If you race on a one-week turnaround twice, and each time the horse is injured, then don’t do it anymore. (Or go back and re-read the paragraph about walking and see if it helps, if you want to try it again.) Certainly, don’t do it if the naughtiness of it makes you uncomfortable.

In no circumstances would I race a horse with less than one week of rest.

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