Horse Racing Fantasy Community

I've been monitoring the forums lately and don't know whether to laugh or cry. Get with it, people! This is racing, and if you're going to win in this game, you better start doing your homework. There are a couple of people I tip my hat to. They're quietly minding their own business and building a tremendous arsenal that is going to make their stable very tough. While others, maybe I should give them a bottle in-between all the crying. The best trainers in the world don't cry and neither do the best jockeys. They figure out how to get the inside edge, how to find the advantage and then go for the kill. What's the kill? Win, baby, WIN! I read one post this morning and felt so bad that I wanted to give the guy some free points. Hold your hat out and I'll take up a collection for you. Come on, give me a break.

So, let's start talking about what needs to happen in order to win. First and foremost, for every one who is putting all their eggs in one basket, I personally think you're crazy. What am I talking about? The buzz on the street is that there are certain sires and dams that are throwing off monsters. The truth is, maybe there are certain combinations that will prove more effective. In fact, I know there are. The algorithm that does the breeding is super, super-sophisticated and was developed over a 6-month period of time. So, if you think you're going to figure it out in 8 days, go back to sleep. Patience and intelligence will get you to the winner's circle. In real life, no one would EVER (and I mean EVER) breed to the same sire before that sire has been proven a champ. But, because some people have had some good luck breeding several sires and several dams, they believe they have found the holy grail. Maybe they did, but maybe they didn't. For sure, why go crazy with a certain breeding combination. I've heard Puddles talk about it and I've heard some of the sharper players talk about it. In fact, Puddles has been pitching it regularly lately.

When you're playing the races in your game, those are training races. Though they give you a strong indication of your horse's talent, they're not revealing to you some key attributes. Things like consistency and courage will be measured during the tournaments, not in the game. So, before you stay up until midnight celebrating that you found the great sire or dam, you better have a lot of stats under your belt (and I mean racing tournaments) before you fill the barn up with offspring from one sire or one dam. If you did that in the real world, everyone around you would think you're crazy. Spread it around - seek, think it through, try obscure combinations. Don't think just the first generation going back, think multiple generations and slowly but surely, with patience and an intelligent approach coupled with constant research, you will hit the jackpot and get the recognition you're looking for.

There are two types of tournaments out there - low cost and higher cost. Have you ever heard of 'dip your toes before you jump in the pool'? Well, I would love to get a taste of something before I committed, wouldn't you? I personally would not be fooled by these high-point prize tournaments. They are there today and they'll be there tomorrow. I would rather have 10 horses in 10 smaller tournaments helping me truly assess and learn what is going on and evaluate my stable than roll the dice for one massive prize. Don't get me wrong - you may win that big tournament for 500,000 community points or a million points, but early on, I would rather have the education. It's priceless. But, who am I? I've just been handicapping horses for 14 years and have been involved with this company since day one. Oh, yeah, I've won several handicapping constests, as well. But I guess I'm just lucky (LOL). But, even with all that experience, in this game I still know there is a lot of luck involved.

My last tip of the day - when you're entering a tournament, think of what the difference is between a Grade 1 and an Ungraded stakes? The answer is, as big of a difference as you can imagine. Besides Grade 1 races having a minimum of 16 horses, Grade 1 races also attract the best pool horses in the game. The pool horses are assessed and then assigned to run in specific classes. I know the purses on those Grade 1 races are incredible, but you better have an incredible horse if you think you're going to steal that prize. Please, do yourself a favor - don't put your ungraded stake horses in a Grade 1 race. You'll get beat almost every time. With that said, there are times to go into those Grade 1 or Grade 2 races. There are times when Grade 2 or Grade 3 horses will beat up those Grade 1 pool horses. Case in point, today in the Lets Have Fun Trainer Tournament, we ran the Otto Graham Grade 1 Stakes. After reviewing the race, all of the contenders appear to be solid, ungraded and maybe a few Grade 3 horses. The point is, the trainers saw that big prize pool of 500,000 and got sucked in.

Here's the good news. Mistakes are going to happen; it's a learning curve. But, we're having a blast naming our horses, watching our silks fly by and we're going to see quite a few peoplw win some great prizes. Hopefully you'll be one of them. It's early in the game. Take everything in. Become a sponge and absorb. I guarantee if you follow me, and you read and watch, you will win.

Have a great weekend!
- FantasyHandicapper