Claiming Those Diamonds In The Rough

Original article written by Jack Meyer posted 10 months 2 weeks ago

Hello Simsters, this article is going to be about my recent jump back into the claiming aspect of SIM and what I've noticed this time around while sifting thru them weekly. Though a lot of the game has changed since I started back in Year 35, I've noticed some things that I have done to get where I am are still being done now, which puts a smile on my face. I hope you enjoy just a few things that I've noticed over the past 12 weeks.

First a little history, when I started SIM I was told, like many new players now, that the claiming aspect of SIM is a big part of growing your bankroll, and eventually your broodmare band going forward. I was told to sift through the claimers and claim as many of those old geldings that have finished continually in the top 5 just to make sure you are bringing home checks. A little later I was told that searching claimers for well bred fillies is a chance to find that "foundation" mare to build on that will set you up for the future in whatever division, or multiple divisions, you choose. I did this tirelessly for the first 5 or so SIM years and then slowly backed off as the years went by. I would still go through them every now and then, but not like I did those first several years. It worked! I found hard knocking geldings that built my bankroll and then found my "foundation" mare named Stay Ahead whom set my course to where it is today.

As I stated, I kind of just backed away from claimers for a long while in favor of just concentrating on what I already have. This year, I decided to make it a goal to try and get back into the claiming aspect to try and get new bloodlines again, I'm still not checking like I did when I first started, but I'm giving it a pretty solid go for sure. I've found some nice ones in my opinion which makes it worth it to me.

I remember seeing several newer players coming in asking veterans for some advice on how to begin in SIM and how to set yourself up to succeed going forward, and one of the first things I always see is the advice to look through claimers like most of us did when we first started. Some new players don't want to do that, and I understand, it is a time consuming angle, but it does work. After seeing this over and over again, it kind of piqued my interest a bit, I wanted to see for myself how active the claiming races are for horses being claimed other than the ones I am interested in.

As I began to sift through all the claiming races for week 12, the first thing that caught my eye were established and very successful players like Gigi Gofaster, Randall Allen, Garylynn Farms, and Katie Stepanian still putting in tags for horses using this method. These players know how successful this angle can be in SIM, and seeing them still with multiple tags should solidify just how important this could be for newer players, and vets alike. They really don't need to do it to be successful, but they want to continue to grow and use this tool to do so. It's just great to see veteran players still doing some of what got them where they are, sets a good example for new players.

As I continued my search I began to see some familiar names that I've come to know over the last two weeks or so. I've been writing articles on Trial Park and the new players that house their horses there so I've gotten to know some players through them. I saw a lot of claims for players like Leslie Ritchie, April Hoffman, and Sy Razi, players that are very successful over there at TP in Canada. I noticed other names like Scott Moore and Logan Bruce whom are getting their footing and growing through claimers and the likes. I've also noticed some Junior and Intermediate players like David Robinson, Jenny Bowman, and Evelyne Cergerac who are still using the claimers to grow their barn, still finding those diamonds in the rough to bring in steady cash or build their mare barn around even after they have established themselves a bit moving away from Trial Park. All of these newer players had their names all over the claimers, countless claims up and down the list, I literally smiled whenever I saw one because those players "get it" and took the advice from articles written and players in chat and ran with it.

I'm going to close by saying, to all the new players who can't seem to find their niche, or are having trouble understanding this vast SIM universe, try what these players are doing, take a little time and look through 10-15 claiming races and see what you find. I recommend the cheap end to start, claimers no more than like 5K for a while, and only cols or geldings whom are earning checks 90% of the time. You have to build your bankroll with horses who can cash checks, and a lot of vets throw horses in claimers just to get rid of them, it's a good way to get your footing. And to those new players I mentioned above, keep up the hard work, it is showing and you don't even realize it. You are doing it the right way and it will pay off sooner rather than later. You took the advice given and put it into action, congrats to the success you have and will have going forward.

Jack

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