Stumped Trainer

[Nicholas Johnson]

Hello everyone. A fellow SIMster could use some advice.

Vienna Waltz
AWR Filly

This is a Freak. It might be me, but she doesn't run like a freak. I'd like to hear the voices of others on what I may be doing wrong, and how I might correct it. As I'm just confounded on this subject.

I'll probably run her in a barrier trial next, to see if that helps.

[Entry Clerk]

I think she came up against a good filly tonight, may have found the race distance too far two starts back but yes she is a frustrating type but very nice none the less.

[Madelene Gilbert]

Hello everyone. A fellow SIMster could use some advice.

Vienna Waltz
AWR Filly

This is a Freak. It might be me, but she doesn't run like a freak. I'd like to hear the voices of others on what I may be doing wrong, and how I might correct it. As I'm just confounded on this subject.

I'll probably run her in a barrier trial next, to see if that helps.

To me she looks like she needs a bit of a confidence boost. Her speed figures have been steadily improving through her races, but never quite bounced back from her BSF when she broke her maiden. Barrier Trial is definitely my recommendation.
In her 2nd career start she rain against the current second best filly of the current 3yo crop, then tried again in her 3rd start and, while she improved placing, didn't have enough in the tank to keep the late closers at bay. In her 4th start she ran up against the fourth best filly and by this point appeared outclassed. It was good to drop her into non-claimers, but the next two starts were both longer than any distance she'd faced to date AND against older fillies.
I think her last start was the perfect placement for her - small field, limited to 3yos, and no fast closers. If she were at the top of her game it'd have been an easy win. If it makes you feel better, my filly who finished first is a "stakes" who is probably borderline "freak" at this point and half to a $900k multi-graded stakes winning filly - in other words, she wasn't a slouch and put up a good fight.

[John Smith]

Timid perhaps? looks like my plethora of past timid front runners...or as i call them, targets - decoys - set up pigeons - heartbreakers - stooges....

Hoping one day there may be an exercise in our tool box that could possibly teach these horses how to rate...if only a possibility, like training with a pony or something.

Horses IRL often have to learn to pass at 2 or soon after. Can often pick winners in 2 yold races by who can pass!

Maybe another attribute - intelligence? "This horse is so smart you can probably teach it anything you want!"

"This horse wont win any IQ bowls, but he can figure his way around the track."

"Well... bless his heart.."

[Gavin Guile]

Heart comments don’t matter - all my best horses have been timid

[John Smith]

Heart comments don’t matter - all my best horses have been timid

They don't matter when you have overwhelming talent, I agree, perhaps - I have never had an overwhelmingly talented timid...or any overwhelmingly talented horses, just average timids that spit the bit or cant close the deal and spiral through the claimers.

[Gavin Guile]

It only matters in very close races…too immaterial to matter or worry about

[John Smith]

It only matters in very close races…too immaterial to matter or worry about

When you race in 12 horse fields with alw/prods and u have an alw or prod it matters. This is the great majority of my barn.

[Kelly Haggerty]

I am wondering if timid is tied to confidence? So maybe a brave horse will lose confidence more slowly, but a timid horse will lose it more quickly. That would explain why it doesn't matter as much in good horses, because they aren't losing so many races to begin with. I don't know, of course, just wondering.

[John Smith]

I am wondering if timid is tied to confidence? So maybe a brave horse will lose confidence more slowly, but a timid horse will lose it more quickly. That would explain why it doesn't matter as much in good horses, because they aren't losing so many races to begin with. I don't know, of course, just wondering.

Plausible to me… I have struggled with the conflict in barrier trials for timid horses…

Guess we’re waiting on knowing if this filly is indeed “timid?”

[Gavin Guile]

It only matters in very close races…too immaterial to matter or worry about

When you race in 12 horse fields with alw/prods and u have an alw or prod it matters. This is the great majority of my barn.

No it doesn’t matter in that case either

[John Smith]

It only matters in very close races…too immaterial to matter or worry about

When you race in 12 horse fields with alw/prods and u have an alw or prod it matters. This is the great majority of my barn.

Already included evidence if this in prior posts of similar galloping horses… ill have some for sale im sure at turn of the year gallops, ill look for you to be a buyer and capitalize of my mistaken observations!

No it doesn’t matter in that case either

[Gavin Guile]

No, I don’t want to buy your horses to prove you wrong…I’m just saying the timid heart comment has little to no impact on a horse’s ability of whether it wins or loses a race (only comes into play a de minimis amount of races and is negligible in evaluating a horse or continued loses)

What evidence did you include in other posts? Unless it’s a note from the steward saying it was the reason a horse lost or continues to lose…or if it’s a piece of code from the game…then it doesn’t matter…if the evidence is an anecdote that you’re incorrectly assuming was caused by the timid comment then it’s of no use (mistaken attribution of causation or confirmation bias)

[John Smith]

My latest evidence was perhaps in observations of “brave” i think i posted in off topic maybe… on mobile now, too hard to navigate.

I watch the races mostly, maybe that isnt in programming and an observation bias. However, my timids would have never held in like that unless they were a freak and possibly just much the best in weaker company. The horse seemingly refused to be passed… the posts were some
Time ago in which i offered examples of the results of similar gallop types…

Id have to have the steward tell me i didnt matter versus telling me it did matter to seay me, so we are in opposition here. It explains to my satisfaction at least what i see as results in my barn. Please feel free to but my timids as a favor, not taking advantage or anything!

[Gavin Guile]

She has stated that the heart comment is a trait that comes into play when it’s a nose vs nose race between horses and may give the edge to a brave over a timid….i take the steward at her word since she knows the code…these comments were just given to the players to see some insight into the various attributes of a horse but they mean very little…as evidenced by the steward (same goes to the breeding shed comment, etc)

Now we have players taking these comments to mean something differently and trying to find the answer to an event when this has nothing to do with it…and I speak from experience, I was doing it too until I took a step back, it’s human nature to try to find an answer when we have limited info

But an allowance timid is not worse than an allowance brave horse (the allowance scale is too vast for the heart comment to make the difference)