Inane Ramblings of a SIM Addict

Original article written by Regina Moore posted 11 years 4 weeks ago

It seems a little odd when you can have your worst win and OTB percents ever, and yet you have more stakes winners after the first quarter than the first quarter of any year before.

It seems cruel how, particularly in stock breed races, you watch your horse win by a nose, only to find out a moment later that it lost by a nose. This happens all the time when I watch those races. It probably happens frequently in real life, too.

If a mare with an excellent pedigree and a poor race record can produce good foals, then doesn't it follow that a stallion with an excellent pedigree and poor race record can sire good foals?

I have four turf miler yearlings. Three are from “formidable” broodmares, and one is from a merely “good” broodmare. The yearling out of the good broodmare is the sole “wow” galloper.

My most incredible Arabian came from a mere “has potential” CAM mare, and is by an otherwise worthless stallion. She was a multiple stakes winner herself, and her first three offspring have collectively won thirteen stakes races, so far. Her fourth offspring just broke his maiden in his second start with a 77 speed figure. Situations like these make me want to cry with joy at the unpredictability of it all.

My highest earning homebred, at 550k+, is a Quarter Horse mare sired by an otherwise worthless stallion, and was from a B- nick, back when there weren't nicks. (If there had been nicks, I probably wouldn't have bred that mare to that stallion.)

From some 40+ Steward-breds I've purchased at SB auctions, only one – acquired last year -- has ever had a comment in the notes. The comment was “Love this!” I assume it referred to the pedigree. I nicked the sire and dam, and it was only a B-. Hmm. (Steward's Note: It referred to the name!)

One of the most influential horses for my stable is a turf sprint broodmare that I've never owned. I've bought four of her offspring at Steward-bred auctions, for a collective total of $2,430,000. They earned $2,124,150 on the track, with one 6yo gelding still winning stakes races. The oldest (and cheapest) of the four is continuing to earn money as a stallion. In short, of that mare’s thirteen foals , I own the three top earners. That makes me feel smart.

How can SIM have so many filters for workouts, and yet not have a place where it lists the fastest work times, so one doesn't have to scroll through every single page, for every single race day, for every single week, to find out the best times?

How come I keep breeding Thoroughbred dirt and turf routers? Even the wow/stakes gallopers end up in Alaska by the end of their 4yo season. It seems sort of pointless.

I love doing all the little detail stuff concerning breeding. Mare quality and nicks and all that. But, when it gets down to it, I honestly believe it’s all a crapshoot. Just like gambling on a horse race. You can be really smart about analyzing a race; yet, most of the time, the outcome is going to be different than you expected (otherwise, you’d be rich from winning so much).

How come, no matter how many game points I buy on Game Point and a Half Day to give me a comfortable cushion, I end up having to buy more before the next Game Point and a Half Day? What happens to the cushion? Where does it go?

In the Gallery section, you can click on a link that just shows your own horses’ headshots. Mine are really cool, because they’re all different breeds. It says that I have 52 headshots. I wonder if anyone else has more. It would be comforting to think that somebody – better yet, a lot of bodies -- has more than I do. I love headshots, but I don’t want to be the leading headshot buyer.

Names with apostrophes should be barred. It wreaks havoc with the auto fill. Plus, the key on my new computer for quote marks and apostrophes always wants to print two instead of just one, and I have to backspace to get rid of the second one. Apostrophes are just plain a hassle and shouldn't exist in horse names.

I detest giving horses derogatory names. Then I named a horse Notworthy. It was supposed to be Noteworthy, but that was taken. I was too busy breeding dozens of horses to try to figure something else out. So, I named him Notworthy, and he’s the only horse I've ever owned that won six races in a row. I bought him a headshot that turned out stunningly beautiful. But I still feel bad for naming him Notworthy.

I once knew a co-worker who had a horse named Lightening. The horse was killed by lightening. Really. This has nothing to do with SIM, but it’s a real fact that never fails to amuse, even though it’s not really funny that the horse died.

I participate in the Triple Crown Trail every year. I don’t think I've ever spent longer than five minutes picking my eight horses. I never believe that it’s really going to matter. If I ever finished in the top five, I think I’d have an embarrassing accident.

It always amazes me when players sell youngsters with great potential. I wouldn't dare sell a youngster with great potential. I want to horde as many as I possibly can. How come everybody else isn't that selfish?

Despite hording as many youngsters as I can with great potential, I've never had an awesomely great horse. I've been blessed with countless really nice horses, but never an overwhelmingly standout horse in any division.

If I ever had an overwhelmingly standout horse in any division, would I lose interest in SIM and quit?

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