Festivus Gallops

[Eric Gray]

A couple freaks here.

Bay of Biscay - Marvel filly out of a star-rated mare.

Duncan - Valley of Fire out of a first-time Blue Hen.

Also one set of twins both galloped stakes, my first experience with this phenomenon.

I got twins from Zarley also. A solid colt and a freak LB filly

[Sara Julin]

Here is my little freaks from this crop ^^

Dishevel Marvel x Alc Colby Got Air (Colby) DM.
Exell Megapixels x Charm the Masses (Practitioner) TR.
Heartbreaking Baam x Fearless Heart (Fearless Spirit) TM.
Le Freak Valley of Fire x Je Me Casse (Dave Matthews Band) DR.

I am pleased ^^

[Tim Matthews]

I can see I'm getting ganged up on.

[…]

Considering the freak/stakes percentage for other good barns that have been around the same amount of time as me, it isn't looking good. I've been trying to set my barn up to continue to pay for itself after War Like Me pensions, and am absolutely failing in doing so.

To speak frankly, you get ganged up on because it’s insulting when you post things like this. You consistently show results that are on par with the best of the best (not all of us can be Cleo or Danny, but you are among the closest!) and then SEVERELY bemoan those results. What does that say about players like me?

For your sake but also for mine, please consider this. Saying this as a long time friend who cares.

Erin’s allowed to feel what she wants to about her crop and she should be able to express those feelings (without being ganged up on)…she’s one of the best players in the game and if she’s disappointed with a crop that you would be happy about is irrelevant - she can post her thoughts and feelings and shouldn’t be ganged up on cause others disagree with how *she* should feel about the results…

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but a poster shouldn’t feel ganged up on … and then to expressly state why you are ganging up on her is very patronizing..”what about me” you said but the post wasn’t about you, so not sure why you want to make it so

You missed the point. Of course she’s entitled to her feelings. Others are allowed to offer some perspective.

Since she does happen to be one of the best in the game, she should have more tact in a public setting. It’s not befitting of a player of her caliber to consistently complain about objectively good things happening. That’s just my opinion, she can take it or leave it.

Similarly, as one of the best in the game, she does not need you to defend her from the most mild constructive criticism.

[Gavin Guile]

Likewise I’m telling you that you don’t need to gang up on a person for sharing their perspective…you should have more tact and instead of attacking her here to send words of encouragement via a DM…we can go in circles on this all day…but I’d rather be on the side not ganging up on a person for their feelings (again you are telling her how to behave here in this second post)

And she doesn’t need me to stick up for her but I like to say something rather than be a bystander when, in your own words, you ganged up on her

[Cleo Patra]

To be fair on Erin, I was having the exact same whinge 2-3 seasons ago. Flat spots SUCK when you’ve got a strong set of mares and they all decide to drive you to murder. Those particular crops of mine didn’t do a lot to redeem themselves either, which you can tell cause there’s only like 2 of the 4yos left in my barn. Given that crop had foals out of a bunch of millionaires and previous freak producing blue hens, I was raging. And still kinda am. Cinema coming along was enough to heal the hurt though. Hopefully Erin gets one of those next season.

[Tim Matthews]

you should have more tact and instead of attacking her here to send words of encouragement via a DM…

I’ve already done this in the past. And I wasn’t attacking.

in your own words, you ganged up on her

Those were her words, I just quoted her. I don’t really think she’s being ganged up on. If anything, her posts like this every year generate a ton of encouragement and compliments.

[David Faulkner]

8 breeding 1 Stakes 2 Allowances 5 Productive.
1 Kris Bobby breeding Productive

[Eric Nalbone]

I can see I'm getting ganged up on. I spent $4 million more than last year on not many more foals. Bred a lot more blue hens, stakes producers, freak producers, than last season. And got much less out of it, especially in terms of stakes gallops. Considering the freak/stakes percentage for other good barns that have been around the same amount of time as me, it isn't looking good. I've been trying to set my barn up to continue to pay for itself after War Like Me pensions, and am absolutely failing in doing so.

Additionally, I haven't bred anything that looks like a truly big horse in the last 7 seasons despite that being my only goal.

I didn't post to gang up on you, I posted to put your results in context with mine, which are remarkably similar vis-a-vis cost to obtain a freak (you - $1.8m/freak, me - $1.9m/freak). I get being frustrated about not getting the next big horse, but barns and female families ebb and flow.

It's fine to be disappointed, but I'd suggest that if you bred a lot more this year with worse results, last year was the aberrant year, which is great for last year.

Lastly, I'll just say that today is an obvious day to be happy or upset, but it's a bad one to dwell on. My 4yo crop has 8 freaks. My 3yo crop has 4. Guess which crop looks better, obviously accounting for the fact that the 4yos have had an extra year to mature? Given the context I'm posing the rhetorical question, clearly my 3yo crop.

[Erin Sanderson]

We all have our own definitions of success. So sorry that my feeling as though I have not achieved my own year after year, with one season here or there as an exception, has rubbed some of you the wrong way.

I have bred and gunned for the same handful of races for 50 years. I have won one of them twice, and one of the others with a horse that I neither bred nor bought. I have not met my own standards and feel as though getting even close gets further away each season. You all are improving at a much faster rate than I am, and I applaud you for it. As for me, it's time to reevaluate what the future of my stable looks like.

[Nicole Marie]

Since basically none of my mares have recognizable names (and because I was curious myself) I went through and noted what each of my stakes horses' improve is plus what rating their dams had. Three stakes were from one sire (underlined).

stakes progressive - Ivor/formid mare (TR)
stakes late bloomer - Flightline/formid mare (DR)
stakes late bloomer - World of Color/blue hen (DR)
stakes peak - Still Fire/formid mare (TR)
stakes late bloomer - Auguste Rodin/blue hen (TR)
stakes late bloomer - Owl Be Up Front/formid mare (DR)
stakes progressive - Wilderness/star mare (DR)
stakes late bloomer - World of Color/formid mare (DR)
stakes late bloomer - Apparate/star mare (DR)
stakes progressive - Courageous Ben/star mare (AWS)
stakes peak - American Pharoah/star mare (DR)
stakes peak - Arizona/formid mare (DR)
stakes progressive - Davy Crockit/formid mare (DR)
stakes progressive - Into Mischief/unpredictable mare (DR)
stakes late bloomer - Mecca Spirit/formid mare (TM)
stakes progressive - World of Color/blue hen (DR)
stakes late bloomer - Notacatbutalawyer/formid mare (DR)

Just as a fun fact for myself, this is the 2nd year in a row that an unpredictable mare has given me a stakes (the one last year was/is a late bloomer).

[Art K Stables]

I think gallop results are a bit deceptive any way .. Zibanejad had 8 freaks and not a one galloped freak at Festivus .. but I think if every one has blue hens then not every one is going to have freaks and stakes no matter how much you narrow your mares qualifications.. what I’m not sure about is whether a fixed number of freaks can happen in any division and how the game controls the distribution..

[Andrew Chillin]

Spent $11 million breeding almost 360 foals across all breeds and got a whole 6 freaks. I am not at all pleased considering the massive investment.

Lol

And?

…rew

[Hannah Sandiford]

Really happy with results of my first crop!

19 foals (all fillies)

3 stakes (1 late bloomer, 1 prog)

6 allowance (3 late bloomer, 2 prog, 1 peak)

9 productive (4 late bloomer, 3 progressive, 1 peak)

1 solid (1 late bloomer)

2 of the 3 foals I was most excited and was hoping to be future broodmares for are stakes prog/lb, which makes me so excited!

[Cleo Patra]

Really happy with results of my first crop!

19 foals (all fillies)

3 stakes (1 late bloomer, 1 prog)

6 allowance (3 late bloomer, 2 prog, 1 peak)

9 productive (4 late bloomer, 3 progressive, 1 peak)

1 solid (1 late bloomer)

2 of the 3 foals I was most excited and was hoping to be future broodmares for are stakes prog/lb, which makes me so excited!

That’s a very nice first crop. Well done!!

[Ma Springs]

So finally, around 10 seasons in, I saw my first yearlings to gallop freak! And they are pretty, both filles out of hens with A+ crosses:

TR freak late bloomer by Impacts: www.simhorseracing.com/horse.php?HorseID=1802967
TM freak progressive by Nightwatch: www.simhorseracing.com/horse.php?HorseID=1803212

Also 14 TB stakes:
3 sprinters by Elite Power (2 AWS, 1 DS, all are improvers)
DM by Marvel
TM late bloomer by Levels
https://www.simhorseracing.com/horse.ph ... ID=1803762
TM progressives by Hukum, St Marks Basilica, Superbia
TR by Equinox x 2, Impacts x 2, 1 Still Fire, 1 Wildness

I can not complain!

Too big crop though, there will be some heavy culling!