Newbie Q & A - Part I

Original article written by Jillian Eaton posted 15 years 4 weeks ago

I am a visual learner. I do best when things are laid out right in front of me, whether they be pictures or text. I especially do well with a question and answer format and so have decided to compile my own Q & A that should prove helpful for the newer players of the SIM. The questions have been drawn from a variety of sources: my own head, the forum, fellow players, etc. If you have any questions that have not been addressed in Part I of these series please send me a message through the SIM and I will be happy to include them in the next segment!

Q - I JUST STARTED THE GAME AND WANT TO BUY SOME HORSES. WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO DO THIS?
A - Go to the main page and click on Horses for Sale. While you are a new player you will have your own special link that says New Players Sales Page. I highly advise you buy all of your horses off this page for the first few weeks! These are all horses that are priced at $10,000 or less.

Q - WHAT KIND OF HORSES SHOULD I BUY?
A - You will want horses that are inexpensive but will make you money. Look for older horses (especially geldings) that other players are looking to get rid of. Try to find a horse that has only been run on one surface (which means all of their races have been on either dirt or on turf, not a combination of both) and has not been in a lot races. You can look up their dam and sire to get an idea of their quality. DO NOT BUY A MAIDEN STEEPLECHASER.

Q - WHO IN THE WORLD IS ALEXANDRA JAYSMAN?
A - Alex is the computer. She collects all the horses from farms that have been abandoned and distributes them back in to the game. Usually these horses are priced at $1,000 and there are quite a few jewels to be found if you know where to look.

Q - HOW OFTEN SHOULD I RACE MY HORSES?
A - The general rule of thumb is to race your horse every three weeks. Sometimes sprinters (horses who like to run less then 7 furlongs) can run every two weeks but you will probably get better results if you wait three.

Q - HOW OFTEN SHOULD I WORKOUT MY HORSES?
A - Every horse needs two mandatory workouts before it can start racing. However once a horse does start racing it should not need a workout unless it takes a LONG break.

Q - WHERE SHOULD I BOARD MY HORSES?
A - I would suggest boarding your horses at Madrona Ridge Farm ($0 cost), especially if you are still eligible to race at Trial Park or Junior High.

Q - WHAT IS TRIAL PARK?
A - Trial Park is a racetrack that is only open to new players! It is a FANTASTIC place to race your horses when you are first starting out.

Q - WHAT RACES SHOULD I ENTER?
A - Well, that depends on your horse. There are Maiden Races (for horses who have not won), Claiming Races, Allowance Races, G3 Stakes, G2 Stakes, and G1 Stakes. As a new player you should be aiming your horses in maiden and claiming races unless you have a horse that has broken it's maiden and is winning every claiming race you enter it. Then you should take that horse and go up the chain - enter it in an allowance, if it does well enter it in a G3 stakes, and so on and so forth.

Q - CAN SOMEONE TAKE MY HORSE IF I ENTER IT IN A CLAIMING RACE?
A - Yes, they can! That is why you need to choose your claiming races wisely. Cheap claimers will be easier to win but your horse will also be more tempting to claim. If you have a good horse that you don't want to lose race it in a higher level claiming race. There is never a guarantee that you won't lose the horse, but the odds will be in your favor and if the horse IS claimed you will get a bigger pay off.

Q - WHAT IS EQUIPMENT AND HOW SHOULD I USE IT?
A - After every race your horse runs they will be given a running line describing what happened to them in the race (for example they flattened out, angled in, was bumped, etc.) Sometimes the right equipment can help correct these problems and get your horse a better finish. You can change the equipment on your horse whenever you want, right up to the start of the race. There is an excellent article on the Forum in the Newbie Section by Alexis Ramsey describing running lines and some links to other articles on equipment suggestions.

Q - SHIPPING?! HELP!!
A - Everyone has a different opinion on shipping horses. One thing that is indisputable is that horses get better rest on a farm then they do on the racetrack and shipping a horse a long distance really tires them out. So if you are racing your horse on a track that is more than five hours away I would suggest shipping them out two weeks in advance. Look up a farm that is right next to the track and ship them there. 3-4 days before the race ship them to the track.

That's it for this segment. Hopefully at least one of these Q & A's have helped you! Remember that nothing is concrete in the SIM - just like real life different things work better for different people. These are simply suggestions and guidelines that should help you get a better idea of how the game is played. Part II will answer some of the following questions:

- What is the Dare to Dream program?
- How do I sell a horse?
- What do I do if I'm running low on money?
- What do I do if I have a horse that can't seem to win?

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