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Becoming a Junior Player
Original article written by Tiff Severson posted 12 years 3 weeks agoBeing a New Player in the Sim is great. Trial Park is there for the Monday races, fees are reduced, and there is the New Player Horse list to take advantage of. Then the clock strikes midnight on your 21 st week and off you go to the Junior levels.
One of the first things you will notice as a Junior player is the change to the "Buy Horses" list. No longer will there be a "New Player" area of recommended horses 10k and under. No more new player first dibs on dispersal horses for 1k each, and no more "Recommended" filter. Not that this is the end of the world. At this point in the game you will be getting more discerning about your purchases. My advice to you is to spend your last weeks as a New Player combing the New Player Horselist for dispersal horses of quality to build your stable. All dispersal horses will be sold with the owner listed as "Alexandra Jaysman". As a Junior player you will find yourself more involved with breeding. The dispersal list is a great place to get your start with broodmares to breed. As a New Player I was able to buy my best stud and some of my best mares off this list. When looking for breeding stock look at their record and bloodlines. It is well worth it to go in and look at the race and progeny records of these ladies. Do you see a mare on there out of a top stud? Look deeper into her record. If she has any progeny that has raced how much have they earned? If they have not raced what workout times have they posted? Another thing to look into with mares is the their race record. How fast were they? If you have SImperior (which I highly recommend) what speed figures did she run? If you see a filly or mare with speed figures in the 70's and up they are worth giving a shot at breeding to. A stud is a rare thing to find. Don't grab an ungelded male and expect him to do well as a stud. Follow the stud guidelines. You cannot stand a stud as a New Player but you can own them. As soon as your status changes over set his stud fee so he can be used.
Your next shock in the transition to being a Junior Player will be the change of tracks. Trial Park will no longer be available to you. Luckily you can still use Peyto stables as a base to farmrest your beasties. Junior High is similiar to Trial Park in that it is a park reserved for your level in the game. Races are still only run on Mondays. There are a few more races to partake in, but there is no Dare to Dream program for Junior players. You will not be able to enter any horses into the Junior High races until you are officially a Junior Player. You will also automatically be scratched from any Trial Park races you are entered in, but that take place after the status change. This will likely mean you will miss racing at Junior High your first week of Junior status. No worries though. You will have plenty more to partake in as the weeks pass. Keep looking for the race the best fits your horse and make sure to rest your horse at a farm between races. YES THS WILL COST YOU A MINIMUM OF $200 IN SHIPPING! Yet it is worth it. Competition is more tough as a Junior and that $200 spent in shipping can translate into more earnings.
My greatest worry in my move to Junior Status was the increase in fees. As a Junior player you will immediately start paying a day rate of $5 per horse for every horse in your stable not pensioned or a foal. Pensioned horses will incur a weekly board fee still, but not the day rate. For example if you have 300 eligible horses in your barn you will pay a day rate of $1500 per day, or $10,500 per week. The day rate is charged daily and is separate from your board fee. At the end of the week you will find yourself charged for BOTH the day rate plus the board rate. If your weekly board is $5,000 you will be paying $6,500 on Saturday at day end going into Sunday. This made me double think some of my horses. Were they worth $35 a week in additional board to keep around? If they are not I recommend selling, giving away, or GP'ing them.
To prepare for these additional horse fees simply make sure to budget. If you think your bank is going to get too lean then write an article. I never count on my horses to win, I have a couple that seem to spite me one race and then run like a dream the next. COunt on the monetary parts of the game that you can. Sell some horses. Get rid of some horses. Geld some colts that are not studworthy (at $1,000 a snippy with a boost in ability its well worth it). My guideline with running a big stable on a small bank account is to make sure to have enough in my bank to cover the day rate for 2 weeks. Preferably longer, but a minimum of 2 weeks.
The main thing as a Junior is to keep listening and taking advice as needed. Enjoy the game. Standing a stud, breeding mares, getting to race your first homebreds is a nice thrill and addition to the game or Juniors.