Alexandra Jaysman’s End of Year Sale

Original article written by Danny Warren posted 12 years 1 week ago

The end of a SIMYear is a time when all newbies should be ready to take an advantage of a special once a year sale.
The majority of new players don’t magically stumble upon a superstar, moneymaking machine of a racehorse and come the end of their first year any cash in the bank is a precious commodity to have.

We all watch on in awe as many experienced and well heeled owners are able to stroll into the Stewards Sales and grab pretty much any yearling they wish, secure in the knowledge that they are very unlikely to lose a bidding war, especially against a newer, inexperienced player.

Sure, getting hold of a yearling bred in the purple by a champion, from a champion is a dream that we all would love to be part of someday, but the reality is that for new players, this is not going to happen any time soon.
A new player’s best strategy is to establish a solid base from which to build, the players who can do that tend to be the one’s who enjoy themselves the most. An insanely priced yearling that doesn’t perform can cripple a new player and ruin everything for them. Of course, if you would rather race just one horse and just hope it will perform for you, good luck. But with more horses, you have more opportunities for more winners, even if they are not the Arc de Triomphe, Melbourne Trophy or Louisville Derby.

This is where the end of year sales can be of real benefit for a new player.

At the end of each SIMYear, every horse who has been sent to “Greener Pastures” during the year is given one more chance to find a home, through the sales page. Generally speaking, horses who are not bought during the sale is “removed”.
Now comes the good bit.
Unlike auctions where horses can go for millions, these horses are all available for $100.
That’s right……….$100.
More often than not, these horses are cast offs who their previous owner has deemed as not good enough to keep, and rather than attempt to sell them themselves, they are sent to “greener pastures”.
Now while this means that 99.9% of these horses are not misunderstood superstars, there’s no reason why there won’t be plenty of good horses in there who will help a new player, in fact any player, pick up wins and prize money if placed well. There are also many great stories of horses who have been sent away by owners who have misjudged the horse’s capabilities and have gone on to be quite successful.

The key is to look and understand what is presented to you.
If an obviously turf routing bred horse has been worked only at 4f or on another surface, it is quite possible that your $100 could turn into much, much more. It might not too, but that is the chance you take, but for the sake of $100 it’s definitely worth the risk.
Does the horse just need a weaker class than it’s been running in ? Does it just want a wet track ? Is one of it’s pieces of equipment doing it’s chances more harm than good ? Have they been overtrained ? Have they been shipped from pillar to post and are jetlagged ? Are they just struggling ?

Even a past his prime gelding can be pensioned and sit in your pasture happily for little expense, and if you give them a new career as a rodeo horse or eventer, there’s a chance that in your messages one day will be a cheque if they win a prize.

Maybe you are looking at expanding your broodmare barn ?
There are many mares in AJ’s yards, some of which have simply been discarded because the previous owner has had a cleanout, maybe they are an older mare, maybe their racetrack form wasn’t outstanding. This does not mean that they cannot help you and your own situation and does not mean that they are incapable of providing you with a winning foal.

The point is that for a relatively small outlay, you can build your barn of racers or broodmare’s.
Of course, there is the distinct possibility that the horse was there because it was never going to improve but again, for $100, all the horse needs is a single prize money cheque and they have repaid you, and in the meantime, you can learn how different equipment works with the horse and generally learn from it.

For players who are not as Daffy Duck once put it “independently well off”, just $1000 can increase your stable by 10 horses. If just one of those win a race, you will receive prize money that easily covers the purchase price of the lot !

As long as you appreciate the risk and are willing to do a little research, you can easily improve your stable and have more horses in your barn to have fun with and for minimal cost.
It’s an opportunity that every new player should be aware of and utilise, currently there are over 35,000 horses from all breeds in AJ’s yard’s ready for the sale, ranging from foals to some near 20 years old.

The list is near endless as to why a horse has suddenly found itself, sitting in a stall, tears in it’s eye’s, wondering why no one loves them and looking longingly in your direction for another chance.

Surely there is something in there that you will like !!

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