Stewardbreds - Old School Players Vs the New School

[Matt Feldman]

This in an interesting question, but I don't think the answer is as cut and dry as many people seem to believe. I only know from my personal experience, I don't think profitability on Stewardbreds, OVERALL, is much higher than my profitability on my average homebreds. (Of course this may depend on what division you run in, and the average stud fees of the better studs in that division).

Sure, I had a Stewardbred that I paid $256,000 for that went on to win $1.8M on the track (but only a few hundred thousand in stud fees because he wasn't a great stallion https://www.simhorseracing.com/horse.php?HorseID=560317), but more often than not, my purchases are like https://www.simhorseracing.com/horse.php?HorseID=719530, a $2M purchase who earned $800k racing and hasn't done much as a mare. I can go on and on with examples, but I think many people have the same results.

I've only sold one Stewardbred, unraced, back in Year 45, and I made $1,000,000 in a day by flipping. I'm not posting that horse to protect the buyer, but lets just say that the horse is still running today in Year 52, as a low claimer. So if I want to make a safe profit, selling often makes sense,and if I'm a newer player, with a bank account less than a couple of million, selling for a profit would give me the freedom to bid more the next Steward auction without worrying that a bust would wipe me out (and there are plenty of examples of high priced Steward busts).

But even if Stewardbreds aren't that profitable in the long run, I still try to get at least one every year because they are usually much more fun than my homebreds! That, and the fact that I have enough money now that a bust won't wipe me out!

[Mike Bryant]

If I may...here is an example of a horse I got a while back at a TBS sale...galloped stakes, but was under performing because of any number of reasons...but likely mainly my suckitude as trainer. So, I sold him at a loss...now the person I sold him to sold him again at a huge loss. Thankfully, none of us gelded him, because he went on to win Y39 SC Classic, Y40 Long Island Gold Cup and has 188 winners with earnings over $17 million.

https://www.simhorseracing.com/horse.php?HorseID=431945

So the lesson? Patience...patience...and hang onto your Stewbreds!!!

[Nena Olson]

I think its one thing if somebody buys Steward breds just to pinhook and never keeps them vs if somebody buys a horse, they realize that it wasn't what they wanted/needs the money/got an underbid that they had changed their mind on/etc. Steward breds are expensive and very rarely make back the money you spend on them, especially if you buy a DR colt and its not a freak. Everybody wants to find that random DR with a <3 in its notes for cheap. Thats why I bid on random horses because I am broke and hope to find that diamond in the rough LOL.

Like all horses, sometimes you hit and sometimes you miss by so much on a Steward bred that you feel like throwing the money into a fireplace would have been a better way to spend it. I think if you are short on cash and want to take a gamble, go for a division that is not TR or DR, especially not DR. That being said, Ive never sold a TBS horse.. though its sure tempting this time around because I feel very poor and not feeling to attached to the two yearlings I picked up.

[Glenn Escobar]

I think everyone realizes now that Pinhooking as an investment strategy is no longer a thing. 3 Stewies per crop shuts people out on the front end numerically.

If people want to sell, they can sell. If they want to hold on to the horse that is fine, too. Far be it from me to observe sub-optimal play in either case and try to encourage the player in question to play better. Someone has to race the horses that you intend to beat.

[Kaine Saracen]

I think everyone realizes now that Pinhooking as an investment strategy is no longer a thing. 3 Stewies per crop shuts people out on the front end numerically.

If people want to sell, they can sell. If they want to hold on to the horse that is fine, too. Far be it from me to observe sub-optimal play in either case and try to encourage the player in question to play better. Someone has to race the horses that you intend to beat.

Fortunately I am not "everyone". I have in fact to this point made as much if not more money pinhooking the last few year than racing. In fact I have a stable that earns on average about $685,000 per racing season (discounting my absent years) and have managed to acquire $19,000,000 in stewbreds aged from one to 3 years old.
Another fact, until I actually started pinhooking and acquiring better levels of Stewbreds (Yes... even the steward has questionable stock), the majority of my purchases were low end that struggled to get their cost back and my homebreds were actually more profitable (if you can call $685k before expense profitable).

I've yet to see any of the regular pin hookers do anything of note with said pinhook money. So what are you accomplishing?

I'd like to think I have done something of note

I find it a bit rude when someone buys a Stewie just to flip it. There are a LOT of people that have never been able to get one at all. And people that have been shut out for Sim years that want one.

Been there done that, adapted to accommodate the fact that others did it anyway. This seems to be the way of the Sim.

I am not interested in running 100's of horses a season to earn $10m-$42m a season like 29 players earned last season just from racing, so one has to adapt to be able to compete at a reasonable level in the stew auctions.

Now having gone through my recent purchases, I just need to fix the one major flaw that is hindering my overall progress. I need more fillies!

Now obviously I am not saying that pinhooking IS the way to go, but like all things, it is best to have a viable strategy before committing to a path.

[The Steward]

I think everyone realizes now that Pinhooking as an investment strategy is no longer a thing. 3 Stewies per crop shuts people out on the front end numerically.

If people want to sell, they can sell. If they want to hold on to the horse that is fine, too. Far be it from me to observe sub-optimal play in either case and try to encourage the player in question to play better. Someone has to race the horses that you intend to beat.

Fortunately I am not "everyone". I have in fact to this point made as much if not more money pinhooking the last few year than racing. In fact I have a stable that earns on average about $685,000 per racing season (discounting my absent years) and have managed to acquire $19,000,000 in stewbreds aged from one to 3 years old.
Another fact, until I actually started pinhooking and acquiring better levels of Stewbreds (Yes... even the steward has questionable stock),

WHO YOU CALLIN' QUESTIONABLE!!!!

I'm honestly surprised the 5 allowances in that last sale haven't been made public with crying faces yet.

[Kaine Saracen]

WHO YOU CALLIN' QUESTIONABLE!!!!

Some of the mares in your collection. If you that breeds with an inside edge can't have a mare with a foal that earned $200k in the first 4-5 foals, then that mare just plain sucks. No way it's worth it.

[The Steward]

WHO YOU CALLIN' QUESTIONABLE!!!!

Some of the mares in your collection. If you that breeds with an inside edge can't have a mare with a foal that earned $200k in the first 4-5 foals, then that mare just plain sucks. No way it's worth it.

That's when they get the BOOT.

[Rochelle Bos]

I think everyone realizes now that Pinhooking as an investment strategy is no longer a thing. 3 Stewies per crop shuts people out on the front end numerically.

If people want to sell, they can sell. If they want to hold on to the horse that is fine, too. Far be it from me to observe sub-optimal play in either case and try to encourage the player in question to play better. Someone has to race the horses that you intend to beat.

Fortunately I am not "everyone". I have in fact to this point made as much if not more money pinhooking the last few year than racing. In fact I have a stable that earns on average about $685,000 per racing season (discounting my absent years) and have managed to acquire $19,000,000 in stewbreds aged from one to 3 years old.
Another fact, until I actually started pinhooking and acquiring better levels of Stewbreds (Yes... even the steward has questionable stock),

WHO YOU CALLIN' QUESTIONABLE!!!!

I'm honestly surprised the 5 allowances in that last sale haven't been made public with crying faces yet.

5?! Are your mates losing their touch?

[Glenn Escobar]

I think everyone realizes now that Pinhooking as an investment strategy is no longer a thing. 3 Stewies per crop shuts people out on the front end numerically.

If people want to sell, they can sell. If they want to hold on to the horse that is fine, too. Far be it from me to observe sub-optimal play in either case and try to encourage the player in question to play better. Someone has to race the horses that you intend to beat.

Fortunately I am not "everyone". I have in fact to this point made as much if not more money pinhooking the last few year than racing. In fact I have a stable that earns on average about $685,000 per racing season (discounting my absent years) and have managed to acquire $19,000,000 in stewbreds aged from one to 3 years old.
Another fact, until I actually started pinhooking and acquiring better levels of Stewbreds (Yes... even the steward has questionable stock), the majority of my purchases were low end that struggled to get their cost back and my homebreds were actually more profitable (if you can call $685k before expense profitable).

I've yet to see any of the regular pin hookers do anything of note with said pinhook money. So what are you accomplishing?

I'd like to think I have done something of note

I find it a bit rude when someone buys a Stewie just to flip it. There are a LOT of people that have never been able to get one at all. And people that have been shut out for Sim years that want one.

Been there done that, adapted to accommodate the fact that others did it anyway. This seems to be the way of the Sim.

I am not interested in running 100's of horses a season to earn $10m-$42m a season like 29 players earned last season just from racing, so one has to adapt to be able to compete at a reasonable level in the stew auctions.

Now having gone through my recent purchases, I just need to fix the one major flaw that is hindering my overall progress. I need more fillies!

Now obviously I am not saying that pinhooking IS the way to go, but like all things, it is best to have a viable strategy before committing to a path.

If pinhooking is anyone’s economic buoyancy in the SIM
That’s fine, but it won’t be viable for long because the high-dollar buyers the pinhooker is seeking will only be purchasing their 3 annual Freaks, and thus the survivalist pinhooker will be left selling a stakes horse to a player who can’t make it long-term profitable as a flipping strategy. If you’re hooking Freaks IDK what Forum thread is going to resolve that.

[Ronnie Dee]

...I'm honestly surprised the 5 allowances in that last sale haven't been made public with crying faces yet.

Why would anyone cry about an allowance runner? I had an allowance filly (Bryant-bred) win a stakes race tonight. I also had another allowance runner (xZone-bred) finish 2nd in a stakes race to a Steward bred,

But ... if you are crying about one specific mare that has produced 4 millionaires but somehow produced an allowance yearling, I will take the old mare off your hands so you will not have to live with this shame.

[Kaine Saracen]

If you’re hooking Freaks IDK what Forum thread is going to resolve that.

Will probably amuse you to know I have flipped several Freaks... Found out after the sale and not regretted it once.

[Glenn Escobar]

If you’re hooking Freaks IDK what Forum thread is going to resolve that.

Will probably amuse you to know I have flipped several Freaks... Found out after the sale and not regretted it once.

Cool.

[Keith Maidlow]

So what I'm seeing is that most of us who have been around for awhile are pretty happy with the way we play the game. Some like pinhooking almost more than racing, some like quantity over quality, some like quality over quantity and some are fortunate to have both quantity and quality. All of those results require individual game play that has developed over the years and, in general, has only changed enough to keep up with the improvements put into the game.

For me, my game play changed from quantity to quality when I was no longer willing to put in the time to keep track of my stable (maybe 250 horses now about 50). To get the quality I wanted it was "necessary" to buy lower quality horses and sell for more money to get middle quality horses to either race or sell to eventually get higher quality to mostly race but sometimes sell.

I've sold freaks, bought freaks, had one turn into a freak, and kept freaks. It all has depended on my gut or what I felt I needed at the time. I've sold horses I wish I had back, sold horses that I was fortunate to get out from under, bought horses that have been terrific to have and bought horses that have been busts.

In the end there is no, A+B=C equation (Always+Buy=Cash ) that works for everyone or works every time. If I am having fun after 11 real years of game play, than my way of playing is great for me. I am amazed at the high level of play in this game and get very excite when, once in awhile, I can compete at that level.

Arewehavingfunyet

[Rochelle Bos]