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Just Take It From Me!
Original article written by Jaycey Rae posted 13 years 1 week agoBeing a new player in a world as complex as The SIM can be intimidating to say the least. There are so many aspects to the world that has been built upon over the last 28 (going on 29) full game years. For a new player these things can be a little overwhelming. There are so many things you must learn before becoming successful, and even then, it isn’t easy. Just take it from me!
First, you have decisions on how to go about building a stable. I’ll admit, and I’m sure everyone else would as well, it would be great to jump right in, buy a cheap two year old, and it miraculously become the next world beater of The SIM. Unfortunately, there is a much greater chance that you won’t win with that horse, because you (most likely) have not done the research on it and discovered what it really was… But, man, did that $100 price tag look good. Just take it from me!
I think there are more or less two types of new players on The SIM. We have the players who just want a stable full of horses that can place in claiming or allowance races, and make them a little money along the way. Then we have the ‘strategic players’ who would much rather take their starting money, and buy one (maybe two) good horses. To be honest, it’s probably much easier to be the first type of player, as the world of quality horses is a vast and scary jungle to walk into unarmed, but I’m pretty brave, so I marched right into the forest. Beware, though, because this isn’t the path for everyone… Just take it from me!
I am a researcher, that’s how I spend my free time, so that was the best route for me to go in picking horses to fill up the barn. When you open up the sale page, its totally chaotic, there are hundreds of horses of all different kinds, and you have to decide what would suit you the best. After some researching, I quickly decided that Thoroughbreds were where I wanted to start on the SIM. Just for the record, looking for a decent quality Thoroughbred, on a budget, is not for the feint of heart. Just take it from me!
Now, if you decide Thoroughbreds are for you, as I did, then get ready to do IN DEPTH pedigree research. There are many different types of Thoroughbreds… You’ve got classic runners, turf routers, turf sprinters, steeplechasers, dirt sprinters, and the list goes on and on. The SIM has VERY specialized breeding for each division of the Thoroughbred racing world, and I suggest deciding what division you want your soon-to- be horse to be before beginning this research. Otherwise, you risk brain overload! Just take it from me!
After deciding what type of horse you want, I picked dirt sprinters, then you have to look at ages you want. Do you want a yearling that you will have to wait to race? Do you want a two year old just beginning his/her career? How about a three year old already well into its racing career? Better yet, an older horse that could be at the peak of his career, but at any moment could begin his/her downward spiral into retirement? Be prepared to make this decision, because its one you will have to make before buying a horse! I chose to get a two year old, simply because I would have a few years to run it and get the hang of The SIM experience. It would have probably been easier to get a three year old who had a more established record… Just take it from me!
Rest assured, you aren’t done just yet. Now do you want a filly? Remember, if she does well then you have a broodmare who is worth a great deal, and who you can raise more foals from. Maybe a colt is more for you? There is definitely a bonus on the money making end IF he turns out to be as good as you hope he will, but that’s an IF not a WHEN. There is also the choice of geldings, who you can race for years to come, but who have little value after their racing careers are through. This is a decision you cannot take lightly, but in the end I chose a filly, because I would be able to raise foals from her if she turned out good enough. A gelding may have been the easier way to go because there wasn’t the temptation to retire them for breeding hanging over you all the time… Just take it from me!
Okay, so now you are ready to go out and buy the horse of your dreams right? Wrong… Picking a horse isn’t easy, and you can’t just pick the first thing on the sales page. You have gone through all of this research on pedigrees, and now you have an idea of what you want, but there is another aspect to picking a horse. The horses race records! Luckily for those of you who picked a two year old, there won’t be too many races the look at. On my filly there were only two. Chances are, the horse you are looking at has placed in races but maybe didn’t win right? Well how do you decide if those losses make them worthy of your money… I chose to look at the horses who beat my filly, and quickly discovered that both horses who beat her went on to win stakes races in their next starts, making me confident that my filly was beaten by good horses and that she had promise. For your information, it isn’t easy to be as picky as me and be looking specifically for a granddaughter of Saturn, with Em’s Always Busy also in the pedigree, add to that the fact that I wanted her to be two years old, have three or less races with at least second places in all of her races, all for under $70000 (the budget I set for myself)… Just take it from me!
The good news is that now you are officially ready to make your purchase, as long as you find what you are looking for. I personally looked for days, then thought over it for days before actually buying a horse. The bad news is that you now have a horse with potential on your hands, and it is YOUR job to develop that potential into a horse worth of running against good quality horses. You WILL make mistakes in your judgment, but that’s what makes The SIM so great, it’s like life. You will also, over time, grow more confident in yourself and your horse, and you will begin to bring in other horses. You will become more comfortable in choosing races for your horse, and when your aren’t sure, you will learn that its okay to ask! There is much much more to The SIM than choosing your first horse, but those things all come in time. I’m just now learning to recognize bloodlines outside of the dirt sprinting world. It pays to be patient… Just take it from me!