two different questions

Tasha Langley · Post by **Tasha Langley** » 18 years ago

one.... is it possible to offer a deal on a horse owned by someone? I.e..... offer a certain amount of money to buy one of their horses NOT for sale?

and also, my best horse (Left Behind) had this running line in his last race... "Willingly stayed with field but didn’t improve position".... a six furlong stakes race. He wore a shadow roll and hind bandages and had Lasix. any ideas that might help him improve?

Thanks =)

Sarah Chase · Post by **Sarah Chase** » 18 years ago

1. You can make an offer to another player, but it must be done through private channels (PM, email, IM, etc); there's no game feature for that.

2. I'd give your colt a nice rest at a farm for 4 or 5 weeks, he seems to be getting tired. Or just give him the rest of the year off. I'd then stick him in a longer race, like 8f. He wasn't bred to sprint, so it seems like in his last race he was just able to keep up with the quicker early fractions you see in a sprint, but wasn't speedy enough to be a threat when the roadrunners started their dash for the finish. Oh, and make it an allowance, not a stakes.

Good luck with him, he looks to be a nice, honest colt.

Brianna McKenzie · Post by **Brianna McKenzie** » 18 years ago

I agree, a little more distance and a nice looking colt. 2 year old stakes races are pretty brutal. His effort in the Bashford Manor Stakes is really quite impressive when you consider who beat him. Ditto for the Sapling Stakes. I'd lay him off for the rest of the year, send him to a farm. Bring him back in the beginning of the year, a non winner of 2 race might be best, as straight allowance races for 3 year old's are going to have Derby colts in them. I think your colt will develop into a stakes horse with proper management.

Good luck!

Tasha Langley · Post by **Tasha Langley** » 18 years ago

Thanks for the answers.

Being a newbie to this game, I was actually pointing my colt to the week 13 KY. Cup Juvenile and then if he ran well, the Breeder's Cup. You don't think that's a good idea, then?

Also to note, he was given a 2 or 3 week vacation at a farm between his last two races.

Tammy Fox · Post by **Tammy Fox** » 18 years ago

I totally agree with Brianna and Sarah. Send the colt to the farm and rest. If you want to race him one more time this season I would do it either Week 15 or 16 and enter him in an allowance race that is 1 mile or longer. He is not bred to sprint and therefor will not do well at shorter distances.
I udnerstand the excitement of having a nice colt on your hands but if you race him too often or put him in over his head it can really affect his attitude and performance.
In my barn, I normally insist that a 2yr old get both a maiden and an allowance win before I send them to the stakes races. I have on occasion entered a horse with only a maiden win in a stakes race if the pedigree screamed superstar or the first race was something to remember and in every case I have done that most of the time I have only gotten a place or show. Then I would send the horse back to allowance ranks get an allowance win and then back to the stakes races. On more than one occassion I have gotten a stakes win after an allowance win.
Plus the colt is only 2yrs old and has only just started his career. Some horses bloom as 2yr olds while other horses like your horse only get better with age. I would just as soon under race a 2yr old as to end up with one that is sour and dislikes racing. I even have a 3yr old in my barn that is still not where she needs to be but I think it is only a matter that she has not bloomed yet and is going to be a late bloomer and do exceptionally well as a 4yr old.
I guess what I am trying to say is this colt has 2 perhaps 3 more sim years of racing ahead of him and that is a lot of time and chances to get stakes wins and such.

Tammy

Tasha Langley · Post by **Tasha Langley** » 18 years ago

Alright then, thanks! =)

I'm disappointed (about the BC) but very glad I asked. I'd rather not ruin my colt. he's my baby =)

Tasha Langley · Post by **Tasha Langley** » 18 years ago

also, how do you pay someone if a private deal goes through?

Eric Nalbone · Post by **Eric Nalbone** » 18 years ago

If you're both able to be online and on the SIM at once, private deals can often be worked through the sale page, but that requires people to coordinate when horses will be listed for sale to avoid someone unintentionally buying a horse. Otherwise, shoot the Steward an e-mail, and she can almost certainly help you out.

Some deals that many of us like to work often involve trading horses for each other, which is a lot easier with the "Give This Horse Away" feature in the SIM that was recently added, so thats how to handle those types of deals.

Tasha Langley · Post by **Tasha Langley** » 18 years ago

Oh, thanks so much. The only horses I have good enough to trade are horses I'm not willing to part with so that's out (for now)

I'll try to work something out. Thanks!