Laura Ferguson: The One, The Myth, The Legend…

Original article written by Jack Meyer posted 9 years 0 weeks ago

In any sport you look at there is always the great who redefine the sport in general; ones that become the staple of what the rest of that sport for the years to come want to be. We have Babe Ruth in baseball, Michael Jordan in Basketball, Gordy Howe or Brett Hull in Hockey, Joe Montana in Football, Richard Petty in NASCAR, and of course Secretariat in Horse Racing. All are considered “greats” in their respective sports.

Here in the SIM, we have Laura Ferguson: 7K wins, 5 Triple Crown race wins including two Louisville Derbies, and 21 Steward’s Cup wins. She has accomplished so much and has become the “staple” we all look to when we think of whom we want to be like in the future in the SIM.

I wanted to get to know Laura a little bit; I wanted to be the one to bring all of you the little secrets that our most famous SIMster has. I wanted to delve into the reasons behind her success, so I asked her to take a little time to let everyone get to know her, and she agreed!

First I congratulated her on all of her success, and then I wanted to know after getting all those wins, and winning all those big races, if the SIM is still fresh for her and what keeps bringing her back. “It really is still fun – every year is a little different. I’ve had years where my turf division is strong, others where it’s dirt; this year I have a crazy good dirt sprint filly. I dabble in mixers. I think all the variety keeps it interesting; plus, with everyone wanting to win the big races, they’re hard to pull off, even when you’re targeting them.”

Oh yeah, she is dabbling in Mixers SIM Universe, we remember Distillery quite well. Laura certainly has bullets in every gun she uses.

Next I asked her about her Derby experiences. She hasn’t won one since Sword way back in Year 31, so there had been a little dry spell in there. I wanted to know what happened, if anything, to her breeding program that got it “off track”. “I kind of got off the Derby path for a while, at least with my auction purchases. Dirt route colts and fillies go for such a premium, and there are so many more opportunities for turf horses, that I started targeting them at the sales – The Opera Ghost, Gojira, Cormoran Strike, etc. Then I realized some of my best dirt router mares were either getting to pension age, or weren’t really producing as well as they raced (Sport of Queens, I’m looking at you!), so I decided to switch over from turf and spend some money picking up some dirt route fillies, particularly from good families that I didn’t already own (Great Adventure, Memories, Inspiration, Angel). So, I’m hoping to start targeting dirt route colts again at the TBS auctions, and hopefully, the money I’ve spent shoring up my dirt route division will also pay off. I’ve had some good colts between Sword and now, but they’re usually either a cut below the best, or like Excalibur, want to be older and run marathons.”

This is such a smart way to play the game, get into each division to strive to be the best you can in every one. I know The Opera Ghost and Gojira very well, I watched the former race a lot, and have used them both consistently with several mares; I’d say she has her foot in the door in the Turf Route division.

Alright, it was time to get down to business, we have seen most of the Derby hopeful 2YO’s run so the obvious next question was how many of Laura’s 9, yes 9, prospects who won or ran second in their debuts are Derby quality. “I’m really pleased with this year’s bunch of 2yos. I actually spend a great deal of time going through fields to find softer races – if a 2yo has been working lights out, I don’t want to run against them in a maiden. My goal is to find a spot where the horse can win first out, and have some confidence going before having to tackle tougher. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some of my colts (Crusader in particular), and with any luck, we’ll be on the trail next year.”

Newbs, listen up, I’m taking note of this to, even Laura Ferguson doesn’t want to tackle the other freaks in the game in their maidens with her 2YO’s. She looks for softer fields to get her young stars wins first out. Note to self; don’t be fooled when thinking a softer field won’t attract Laura Ferguson and her horde of monsters.

I hate looking ahead in my barn mainly because it’s usually disappointing, but with dirt routers you can’t help it. I asked Laura about her yearling and foal crops, was there some hidden gems hidden away from the SIM community that we should be on the lookout for next year and into the future. “I’m a terrible procrastinator at breeding my own horses, so I end up doing them all at the end of the year. Then I’m burned out, so I procrastinate again, and the cycle starts all over again. I think I have exactly one thoroughbred foal that I bred so far this year, and that’s because I leased the mare. For yearlings, I’m excited about a lot of my fillies, but the only colt to make some noise so far is an unnamed colt by Coronado out of Skip A Beat. Every time I come up with a name for this poor guy, it’s already taken, but he’ll get named eventually. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the Swords steps it up at two – I usually have one every year improve with age.”

Fillies next year, so be on the lookout in the Louisville Oaks, Baltimore Oaks, and the Long Island Acorn. This is just great news for my little Sword filly Skeleton Witch, now I have to break the news to her that she has to deal with the onslaught of Ferguson queens come TC for the ladies time.

Enough about the racing side of Laura’s barn, what about her sires. I wanted to know about the stallions she stands. I know of Sword, he is a total beast, I wanted to know if there were any lesser known sires that don’t get the love they deserve because of the big bully Sword and his band of super horses.

“I’m fairly lucky – a lot of times racehorses don’t do as well in the shed as they do on the track, Sword is definitely an exception. Paramount, who was a major underachiever as a racehorse, is doing much better as a sire. I’m pleased that The Opera Ghost, Gojira and Shetan are all doing well as sires. As for a few that are flying under the radar, the ones that come to mind are Rob Roy, who consistently throws nice horses for me despite not seeing the best mares, and Night Fury, who has sired a number of solid runners.”

Oh how I loved How To Train Your Dragon, and the Night Fury was my favorite part. I am going to have to give some love to old Night Fury just because he was so awesome, and the little hint that Laura gave about being underused despite good results, who wouldn’t fall for that.

With all the chaos in the SIM, the debating back and forth about certain aspects of the game, I wanted to know how Laura felt about its growth and about it as a whole. “I like it. The SIM has done an amazing job of still feeling like a community, even as it expands to steeplechasing and mixers, and expands the number of players. It makes it harder in some ways, as almost everyone wants to win the Derby, but in other ways, it has created some opportunities for players to find a niche to succeed in – not everyone wants to race an Arabian, for example.”

Just a couple more questions to go, I explained. Laura has won everything in the SIM, she has great horses in every division she concentrates on, I wanted to know what else there is for her to accomplish. “I wanted to win the Two Sprint Championship, and Lightning came tantalizingly close to doing that. I’d like to win another Derby. I enjoy taking a 'project' horse and figuring out the right equipment or the right distance and seeing the horse succeed, even if it is some little allowance race. You can’t make it all about the big successes; to me, there are lots of little moments to enjoy, too.”

Makes my little SIM heart feel all warm and fuzzy, even the smallest of things can make you smile in the SIM, Laura would be the first to tell you this.

Last question: I am still new to many aspects of the game, I look for certain players when looking to claim horses, when looking to bid in auctions, when looking to avoid in races, and when looking to buy horses. Since Laura is one of those players that I look for when doing those things, I wanted to know what kind of advice she can give to the newer breed of SIM fanatics out there. “When the SIM gets tough and you're feeling frustrated, don’t be afraid to ask for advice or help. Players are fairly generous with their time and advice, and even horses, depending on the situation. I still scour the Jaysman page, and I look for opportunities that I’m still surprised more players don’t take advantage of – there are unfilled stakes, for examples, or stakes restricted to horses born in some obscure state or country. I’ve picked horses up off the Jaysman page and gotten more than the purchase price back in one race. Remember, there’s no one 'right' way to play the game. If you want to specialize, there’s nothing wrong with that. If you want to try a bunch of different distances and breeds, that’s fine, too. The important thing is that it be fun, and not a chore. When it starts feeling like a chore, that’s when I send a bunch of horses to the sales page.”

I want to thank Laura for her time; it had been a lot of fun. In closing, I realize that it takes time to get where players like Laura are; they’ve built their empire through hard work for years. I can tell by the way Laura talks that she really loves the SIM, it has brought her plenty of joy, a lot of ups and downs, but she is still here. If we newer players want to mold our SIM experience around anyone she would be the first choice, she has done everything and still has the fire to keep going meaning she is doing it the right way.

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