Horse Racing Fantasy Community

Being a top trainer in real life is no joke. It's not just a matter of taking your horse to the track the day of the race and telling the jockey to go fast and win. (Love that line from the movie "Let It Ride".) The truth is, being a trainer is like riding a roller coaster 24/7. Sometimes you're so high up, you feel like nothing can stop you. Other times, you feel like you just got run over by a bus ... twice. What makes the game of racing so much fun is recovering from those lows and enjoying the highs. As I go through the community and check out the trainer stats, it's easy to see who is flying high and who is waiting for the next wheel of that bus. In some instances, it looks like bad racing luck. In others, it looks like pure lack of knowledge. Yes, I know horse racing has its ups and downs. But the truth is, you'll never get to feel those highs if you're not fully engaged in the game and learn all the different aspects. For those who are down, let's get out of the way of the oncoming bus and review some of the things you can do to help increase your chances of enjoying those highs more often.

I am not a big fan of the very inconsistent horses. In my opinion, and from a mathematical basis, they probably won't pan out. There's enough guessing going on and enough luck needed under normal racing conditions, but these unique sires and dams, these very random traits, just are not for the faint of heart.

Don't just jump in any tournament. If I have a new horse, I want to enter him in a tournament that allows me to test his ability. I do this by entering low-level tournaments without much risk. I can be more experimental in these types of events and seek out what works for my horse in real racing, or at least real virtual racing. Wait until the last minute before entering a tournament. If you enter tournaments and then quit them because you found a better tournament, you're aging your horse and wasting community points. As more and more horses are being bred every day in the game, expect more and more tournaments to be popping up. I wouldn't be surprised to see 40 or 50 tournaments available at any time in the upcoming trainer tournament list.

Try different breeding pairs. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. By trying combinations of different breeding pairs, you are substantially increasing your chance to find breeding selections that are more effective than others. You see the same breeding pairs over and over again by the same people, which is probably going to lead to more disappointment than anything else.

Read the tournament conditions carefully. Each tournament has its own unique structure. Again, read the conditions carefully. Understand your goals before entering that tournament. There are a lot of times when you can actually qualify for the final race without entering the maximum number of races in a tournament. I've seen players enter 3 races in a 3-race tournament and could have qualified for the final by just entering 1. Those are community points they could have saved.

Stick to what works. If you find a combination that works, such as track conditions/racing surface, then patiently wait for those tournaments that fit those conditions again. You may have to wait an extra few days, but it's well worth it, especially when you know your strengths.

Don't be upset when you lose. The best trainers in the world win in the 20% range. There are so many factors that come into play, you cannot think of them all ... and let's face it, there's always the luck factor. Don't worry when you fall into a little slump. Just look at the bigger picture. In the long run, you'll be a better trainer and win more races. If you start over-thinking what has worked for you in the past, you may end up going backwards.

Watch the competition. It's pretty easy to see what a lot of your competitors are doing. Check out the leader board stats and try to figure out how your fellow trainers are succeeding. When you think you've figured it out, then you can dip your toes into some of the things they're doing.

The more you interact with the game, the more you will succeed in our virtual racing world. Patience is a virtue - knowledge is worth its weight in gold. Though we all thrive on our favorite horses wearing our colored silks and crossing the finish line first, let's not forget a very important factor. This is a SKILL game and, yes, skill and strategy are required. If you just want to gamble, then go bet on the horses.