What is "the thing"?

[Kelly Haggerty]

I've noticed that I can sometimes tell when a yearling is going to turn into a nice graded stakes type, even if the gallop and the workouts aren't necessarily outstanding. For example, when I had both the stakes LB "I Am Nightraider" and the Freak LB "Rosemead", I somehow knew the former was better than the latter. Same with other good horses I have bred and raised, and I am assuming most SIM players are the same, you get an inkling of who your stable stars are going to be.

Here's the rub, though. I have absolutely no idea what we are picking up on. If the gallop comment and the works are not it, what are these horses doing that is different? I've noticed that maybe they improve more with each work, or it is super easy to tell their equipment, but I have clods that do this also.

So....experienced players and big barns, what is "the thing" that we notice about these legends-in-the-making?

[Stormy Peak]

I've done that with names a few times. Roughian being my best example.

I had her and another un-named yearling, both female, both stakes types, and both having similar works.
I had 2 names I wanted to use, and one of them was Roughian, which I had, had on reserve for a LONG time, so I wanted to put it on the nicer filly.

I came very close to naming Roughian, Foretold. : ) But for some reason at the last moment, I tagged the other filly with the name Foretold and Roughian....went on to, what was for me, unimaginable greatness. Foretold, she did well too, earned over a million dollars.

But, yeah, sometimes I just get a better feeling about 1 horse over a similar type horse. I think with me though, it often comes down to pedigree. I just seemed pulled towards one over the other one...even though both have good bloodlines, but I still, more often than not, can't say exactly why, or what is in one pedigree over the other that makes me feel that way.

Stormy

[Carole Hanson]

I apparently have no clue how to judge horse talent when they're yearlings, because I was certain Insignia Imperalis was miles better than Fiery Eyes.

[Anthony Zappulla]

Get friendly with Clark Hoss

[Lily Wilkins]

I don’t really have that spidey sense, unfortunately. I am jealous of folks who have it!
For instance.. I had very little excitement about Teal when she was a yearling. I only knew she was legit when she threw a 96 on debut. On the other hand, I thought Pineapple was going to be my Year 65 Oaks Horse, and she has turned out to be very lackluster, while Teal went on to win the Oaks.

[Kelly Haggerty]

I wanna hear from Pete. Every year he sells a batch of nice stakes horses for reasonable prices. These are legit, but not world-beaters. How does Pete know?

Cmon, Pete! Spill the beans!

[Tim Matthews]

Seems like a lot of it is pedigree. Of course there are exceptions on both ends (great pedigree freaks who disappoint and weird pedigree stakes who run like crazy), but my read has always been that class typically prevails. Dozens of examples every year of those 57.2 dirt workers and those 58.1 turf workers who end up being stars, and most of them are stacked on the dam side.

I'll also acknowledge that there is something unexplainable in the human experience (call it vibes, intuition, whatever) that we should cherish and always find wonder in. This game is good for that.

[Eric Nalbone]

It's familiarity with a family and an understanding of what a 'stakes' galloper from a family that you know inside out, backwards and forwards means, vs a random freak.

You might not always be right, but your odds are better if you wager on things you know, know how to develop, and know how to train. You can get SIM decades of value if you find, develop, and nurture entire families (focused on the mares).

[Anthony Zappulla]

It's familiarity with a family and an understanding of what a 'stakes' galloper from a family that you know inside out, backwards and forwards means, vs a random freak.

You might not always be right, but your odds are better if you wager on things you know, know how to develop, and know how to train. You can get SIM decades of value if you find, develop, and nurture entire families (focused on the mares).

That's well said

[Carolyn Eaton]

Once in awhile I'll get some great feeling when I breed a horse - Serendipities was like that - I had a really good feeling about him long before he galloped "freak" - not that he was a major sprinter, but did crack 1mil in earnings.

DDDY was a complete shock. I bred his dam - an unraced formidable mare because I liked the female family.

[Art K Stables]

I think sometimes it’s time confusion, you notice a little something like maybe an unusually fast workout but nothing else and then at 3 or 4 they wake up and show you why that workout was no fluke .. other times I see that odd workout and it meant pretty much nothing but that doesn’t stick with you like that big time winner showing up .. Esspecially Krispy was the former in her workout and late blooming when blooming wasn’t a known feature in the game but there was another horse called This Old Road who never showed much and you would call a morning glory .. The same thought ran with both but Krispy had the “magic” and I suggest much of that happens after the fact