Have a good horse, need advice

[Erica Olson]

I'm kicking myself for not entering this filly in the SC. She won in 1:54.04 last night in Belgium, faster than the 1:54.16 finish time in the SC Juvenile Fillies Trot! Her speed figure (85) was two higher than any other 2y/o Trotter filly this year.

http://www.simhorseracing.com/horse.php?HorseID=547941

I don't have Simperior, so I can only see speed figures in the Top 50 lists. I had no idea she was that good until a couple weeks ago. By the time I thought to check and saw that she was tied for the lead at 83, late SC nominations were about to close and she hadn't even run in a stakes yet. At that point she would have had to run in the SC on either 4 weeks rest or 1 week & 6 days, so I chose the two stakes in Belgium instead. Major regrets now.

I'd like some advice on how to plan out her races for next year. She was only .03 slower than the winning time for this year's SC Oaks Trot, so I really hope she doesn't fade as a 3y/o. Should I go for the New Jersey Ladies Trot in Wk 2 (the biggest purse that I see in the first three weeks), or rest her more before shipping back to the U.S. and start her in a lesser stakes in anticipation of a bounce? Are there any other major races I should aim for (e.g. the Emo Mile)? I don't want to burn her out before the SC by constantly running her against the best fields, but I don't want to be too cautious like I was this time, either. I wasn't really expecting to have a horse of this caliber until I'd played for a few more sim years, so I'm kind of at a loss for what to do.

[Erica Olson]

On a side note: I just noticed that her dam was in the AJ barn, so I bought her and found that she's a blue hen. Full sibling to Daniela will be appearing shortly. That's at least some consolation for missing out on the Steward's Cup.

[Tom Lin]

Congratulations Erica you have a very nice filly there!

Just a comment on speed figures. I have simperior and I see all the speed figures. It is not uncommon for a lesser stake to have a faster result than a major stake. To me SF's are relative to the class or quality of the race. You are really only going to be able to judge her when she faces the best a few times.

I would probably enter her in the week 2 stake in New Jersey. I ship three days out and haven't found the ship from Belgium taxing usually. You would be taking advantage of her excellent form. In her last race she race with 2 weeks rest for the first time after racing twice 3 weeks apart. She was sitting on a nice race and didn't disappoint. She might be sitting on an even better race in the next one.

I race a lot of trotters( there are other player with a lot more experience) but I do know the top level stakes are tough to win consistently due to the tough competition unless you have a filly the quality of a Reserves.

Best of luck with her(except when I have one in the race. lol)

[Erica Olson]

Thanks, Tom! Especially for clarifying about speed figures. I had originally thought that her 83 and 81 SFs were because she was against lesser competition (which is why I decided not to gamble with the late SC nomination fee), but then with it being so high in the last race I started to panic and think I'd missed out on a potential SC placing! I'll probably try her in the New Jersey stake like you suggested and see how she does.

[Patrick O'Malley]

That's a very nice filly, but what Tom says is correct, speed figures don't necessarily compare directly. In my opinion you made the right choice staying in Europe this time. For next year I would aim for the Triple Crown races w6-8-10 and then for the SC w16. How you fill in the rest of the year is up to you, but I usually prefer going 3-6-8-10-12-14-16 or alternatively 2-4-6-8-10-13-16 with my 3yo trotters. Those aren't the only options though. (and seeing as it's been ages since I last won a TC race I might not be the best to ask for advice )

Whatever you decide to do, have fun and don't stress.

[Erica Olson]

Thanks, Patrick! That's very helpful to see how you space out the races. I hadn't realized that there was a Triple Crown for the fillies. I'm excited to see how she turns out!

[Matt Feldman]

Patrick's schedule may be the way to go, but I've rarely seen any trotters that need a break from an every two week schedule (assuming shipping to farms within a day after the race, and shipping back to the track two days out).

For example, Ms. Pac Man raced every two weeks Week 8 of Year 36 to Week 16 of Year 39. She finished dead last in the Steward's Cup in Year 37, and then won it Year 38, going on to win stakes races her following two races as well, all without a break. I don't chalk up any of her losses to being tired, but rather just the nature of the harness breeds in the SIM being so competitive.

[Erica Olson]

Well, I'm so bummed that Daniela Mak got 5th in the Steward's Cup, since she had such a wonderful season. But she has turned out to be an awesome horse and I can't complain. Congrats to all who won today! And thanks again to those who helped me with her when I didn't know what I was doing.

[Lori Hamill]

Erica, I'm so sorry Daniela Mak didn't win for you but Steward Cup races are always a challenge. She is still young and you can try again next year.

I think the choice of whether or not to give your standardbred horse a break during the race year is a personal decision and may depend on the individual horse. I remember Em saying that Pepper Flash preferred 2 weeks between races (though I wasn't aware of that when I was racing him.) I gave both Flame in My Heart and Heart's Desire a break in their racing seasons - more because it states in the faqs that most horses can race up to 7 times in a year (if given proper farm rest and no other exercise). It doesn't say anything about Standardbreds being different so I just stick with that and try not to go over the 7 race limit. I don't know if it makes a real difference or not, Em could probably clarify whether there is a difference with SB's or not. But everyone is different, I know there are others who just race every other week and don't seem to have a problem.

[Erica Olson]

Yeah, I went back and forth with that for a long time, then finally decided to race her without a longer break so that she could hit all the big 3y/o races. I knew there was a risk to that, but I had seen that some top 3y/os in the past had done that and wanted to see what she could do. Oh, well.