Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

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Tammy Fox
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Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Tammy Fox »

So I am currently on the fence trying to decide whether I want to continue doing trotters and pacers. I had planned to diversify my barn with different racing types except for steeplechasing but now I am reconsidering doing the pacers and trotters since I am relatively new to the pacer/trotter game and most of the ones I have are fillies that are 2yo productive - late blooming types. Several of the fillies I have are the longer career variety so they would more than likely be their best on the track and okay in the breeding shed.
I have a few older girls that are doing decent but they are allowance types.
I have heard that pacers and trotters are super hard to really do well in unless you totally know what you are doing. So interested in hearing advice/opinions from other trotter/pacer trainers.
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Mr. Lord Rich
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Mr. Lord Rich »

They are very tough for sure. I feel like I have thrown a lot of Effort at pacers that last 10 sim seasons and still struggling to make a major impact. A couple nice ones here and there, but def not anywhere close to Arthur Cutler level,

Just have to keep at it, but I understand if you feel it’s not for you
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Sten Rino Haakonsen
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Sten Rino Haakonsen »

I Also only get the odd nice horse in trotter/pacers but then again I only get the odd nice horse in every other class to and I have had horses such as Devon's Double and Dagens Dobbel so I cant rightly complain too much
my point is though yeah it is a struggle but so worth it when a horse like Devon's Double comes along and just to add Mr Lord Rich here if I dont remember this all wrong did actually breed Devons Doubles Dam
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Ash Tarasin
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Ash Tarasin »

Would you potentially be able to enjoy racing the pacers/trotters you believe in, and get rid of the rest?

If you are looking to become "the top pacer/trotter trainer by quality and quantity" it may be difficult, taking time and investment (but that would hold true for any breed/division), but if you solely wish to keep trying your luck for as long as you get good enough horses you may not
have to get rid of everything.

I would not personally care for peak pacer productives but I might try allowance mares (if that is the best you have) able of giving you A+ nicks. It may take a few generations to get the quality you want (unless you luck out), but you have to start somewhere.

Maybe that was your question? Of whether the road to your goal would be too long provided your starting point?
I'd think it depends on how slow of a progress you would manage to endure, and could afford. :)
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Tammy Fox
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Tammy Fox »

My older Allowance Peaks are bringing in some money. All my 2yo in waiting with the exception of a few are Productive - Late Bloomer which means they could become Allowance peaks and bring in money, particularly the longer careered ones.
Shannon Hunt
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Shannon Hunt »

I'm small fry in the harness biz, and I only run trotters, but I did have a SC winner recently and am at the point where I have a handful of minor stakes winners in each crop. I was a bit dumb in my first few seasons (with everything, not just trotters, but it was particularly noticeable in trotters lol), so it took me longer to make any headway than I think other people willing to dedicate time to harness might. But I enjoy it, run a decent profit each season.

My #1 mistake is always getting too hopeful with horses. If it's not stakes competitive, or a breeding shed kind of filly, throw it in claimers early. Older gelding claimers are as brutally competitive as in any other division, but sometimes you can get a nice chunk of change in younger claimers, and rarely will you actually lose the horse (and if you do, you can probably find a horse just like it or better in the next claimer). I like to claim younger cheap ones running 90+ SF on the regular, sometimes they don't earn back their claim fee later, sometimes they turn a nice profit or become useful mares. Those races are littered with stakes trotters. On the other hand, I've won stakes races with allowance gallopers because a lot of veterans will start their future champs carefully at two, maidens to NW before going to stakes, and I throw mine in weak 2YO stakes on debut and go collect my check.

After the gallop threshold adjustment last year, most allowances can earn money (a few are still duds), some can earn quite good money. Productives can fill empty races and that's kinda it. In my experience, a productive that jumps to allowance still doesn't become a "good allowance", but in certain regions and age groups, race fields are small enough that it can be worth picking up filler money with them anyway.

I have a few stars I breed because they do okay for me and I'm bad at culling, but otherwise I stick to hens, and get rid of the hens that don't produce well. Honestly I rarely even do a BSA check, just see if they get A or A+ to certain studs and evaluate from there. Decent leases can often be picked up for cheap, not a ton of competition in harness lease auctions. Strong sire/damsire are important.

So it takes a few seasons to really get established with any homebred stuff (which applies to any division, really), but with some aggressive claiming/culling/leasing, and keeping in mind to place them where they can win rather than where you would like them to win, I don't think it's a tougher division than any others. I'm sure you could get hold of some decent mare leases pretty easily if you decided to go for it and get a nice yearling crop with fresh pedigrees going.
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Louise Bayou
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Louise Bayou »

The thing with mixers is... nothing makes sense.lol "Pedigree" doesn't matter its all a cr@p shoot to be honest. There really is no rhyme or reason to any of them.
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Ali Sills
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Ali Sills »

I was kind of surprised to read this. I think pacers/trotters are the easiest of the mixers. Easy to find decent mares, subsequently easy to breed better foals and not as competitive in stakes. I have no idea what I’m doing in this game, truly and have won only trotter stakes thus far in my sim career. Maybe I’ve just gotten lucky?
Hope Bentley
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Hope Bentley »

Sent you a pm Tammy.
Hope you will continue with trotters & pacers, hope I can help you out.

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Brad Fabman
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Brad Fabman »

Louise Bayou wrote: 1 year ago The thing with mixers is... nothing makes sense.lol "Pedigree" doesn't matter its all a cr@p shoot to be honest. There really is no rhyme or reason to any of them.
Funny that's exactly how I feel about thoroughbreds in this game. Erratic as all get out. Drives me crazy. I'm almost rid of all of them.
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Andrew Chillin
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Andrew Chillin »

It’s subjective. Unless you’re kent saunders you can’t win them all
;p
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Tammy Fox
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Tammy Fox »

Not wanting to win them all. Just want them to either earn some money racing to cover their costs or produce something that might help me earn money in the future even if it means running claimers.
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Polk Buffalo »

Interesting to read this about pacers.

I have a lot of pacers, but I never paid them so much attention.

I try to win maidens with allowance horses in most division and I have noticed that 4 yo pacer allowance gallopers usually win their maiden at 4yo.
Hence I like them.
I have a few freaks as well but it is really difficult to find a gem that constantly wins big stakes races.

My opinion: They make me money, but not that much. Stakesraces for 3yo are sometimes unfilled as well, perhaps most players thinks that it takes a freak pacer to compete in stakes races. After the regallop it seems almost impossible to breed a freak...
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Polk Buffalo
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Polk Buffalo »

I changed my opinion. I love pacers :)
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Arthur Cutler
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Re: Not Sure if I want to Continue with the Trotters and Pacers

Post by Arthur Cutler »

Congrats Polk your Baby Pacers had some Day...Winning both divisions and finishing 1,2,3 with the Fillys..Very impressive.. Good Luck
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