Hello,

Have started a few games since purchasing a few months ago but I seem to be having real trouble getting anywhere and figure I must be getting something pretty basic wrong.

I have a good and lengthy knowledge of racing and wonder if I am trying to make it too realistic. For example I will try and go maiden/conditions/listed/group route with good horses or Maiden/handicap moving up the grades depending on performance with lesser ones. Poor ones I put in sellers or claimers. In my latest game I have a decent mile filly who managed to progress to win a class 4 handicap, after a couple of subsequent near misses I spotted a class 7 handicap which should have provided a simple confidence boosting win. She got beaten and the jockey feedback was that she struggled in this grade. This brings me to the question of how much use the jockey feedback is and is Ryan Moore going to give you a better feedback than an apprentice or is it all just window dressing.

Similarly I have a long distance hurdler who won the grade 1 3 mile race at the Grand National meeting. At the beginning of the next season I planned a route to take in the major long distance hurdle races but gave him a pipe opener in a lesser conditions race. He struggled and came fourth with McCoy on board and the feedback I got was along the lines of struggled in this class try lesser opposition. Again, do I take on board the feedback or continue with my original plan.

Another thing I am struggling with is finance. How do you get together enough cash to buy decent horses and start breeding. I didn't want to go down the route of gambling on legends but did try that in my last game and they both lost totally wiping me out !! Also which of the add ons are any use. I kind of figured higher grade feed should make the horse healthier and subsequently better but what do I gain out of hiring a gardener, building on site accommodation etc. Again is this just window dressing or does it effect anything.

Hopefully somebody can find the time to give me a bit of advice as I feel this game has the potential to be quite absorbing but I don't particularly want to spend my entire time running horses in low grade races and can't seem to get enough cash to buy anything good enough to compete at the top end.

Thanks

If betting on Legends Frankel Flat will win you loads its also good to try him with a reverse Forecast with some big price runners also Sprinter Sacre on the jumps its a good legend to follow you get horses in the game beaten a lot with jockeys saying rubbish after the first run you will get bad runs from your 2yo and Juvenile Hurdlers do to Boiling over I ride most of my horses and even this you get horses running below par its part of the game set up.


Gray

Hi

Ok I will try to answer some of your questions.

When I first started playing SO6 I came in with a good knowledge of horse racing and I struggled. It took me at least six and maybe more times to get a successful game going so don't sweat it if you are struggling.
With the horses you are given and If you buy any at the start of the game - it's doubtful they will win Group races but at least one will win in Listed Company. So going the Maiden then Handicap route is a good idea.
What can happen when you drop back in grade like you did with your filly from Class 4 to Class 7 is weight - just a couple of kg/lbs can be all it takes to stop your horse. On the other hand if you have a horse that wins quite a nice race early on (a bit of luck/fluke) then it can be weighted out of suitable races for a long time ie - getting lucky in a G3 or G2 and it does happen but really the horse is a listed or Class 2/3 runner. Weight does play a big role in the game and in the League as well.

Jockey feedback - like with jockeys in real life.....they've been sitting in a sauna for two days and by race day they are half off their chops and are seeing things like people playing Pokémon Go see lol :-p
So in the game their feedback is just a basic guide and the best feedback is your eyes and what YOU see during the race. For example not all Group 1s are equal some are easier to win than others in the game - so you may get the "we struggled in that grade" but that could just mean that that G1 was just a little bit more prestigious and harder to win than a G1 outside a big carnival.

With your hurdler - just stick to your plan - once again it could have been weight that made it fail in the opener.

Johnny Cash - First off - run everything on low - stuff the gardener - he's just a free loader lol
You need to spend on transport so just start with floats as they are cheap. The only building you need is your breeding barn and that is your focus. Sell your dud horses at auction or through selling races. Don't buy any 2yos at the start of the game or at the start of each season. Work with what the game gives you and sell what isn't performing.
Be realistic with the horses you keep - pick your races carefully. A basic punting trick - If you have a very consistent Listed horse who usually wins - bump it up to one or two Group races then put it back to Listed Company - you should get some very smart odds if not crazy 67-1 odds - maximum bet each way or straight out.
Overseas horses have a very good strike rate in Group 1's - if there is just the one o/s horse entered, have a go at backing it - and in Group races you get a bigger return on the punt.

The best way to buy horses are at the mid-week auctions. Just wait til you get a young/ish horse that has won at Group level - sometimes they can be quite cheap and if you have enough money saved you may get a gun 3yo or 4yo who has won a few G1's - that way you can get a few seasons out of them and a good return to buy your breeding barn and a great horse to start breeding with.

I hope that will get you into the mix.

Doug

Thanks Doug and Gray.

Some good tips and pointers in there which I will try out. I really want to get into the breeding side of things as that looks like the most interesting part of the game. I have managed to amass £2million through betting and selling off all my horses after one season so hopefully now I have the cash to buy a few good horses and get into the breeding side.

Thanks again.

Martin

Good luck Martin.
Always try to keep some cash in the bank at this stage of the game and soon you'll have all the cash you need to do whatever you want in the game

Let me first say that I used to be a video games tester so I have an eye for "exploits".

The horses you get in your starting stable are totally random.

If you start 10 to 20 new games, in one of those games you can get 3 or 4 really good horses to start, who should be able to win their first Maiden Race.

Also if you are playing on Easier, but the Swimmingpool and Practice Gates immediately since you have the money.

Why the swimming pool and starting gates? Are you playing as trainer only?

Doug

i made 92 Million on one race there is a race in early stages where you can find two legends are 66/1 so i forecast both of them and then pick one for e/w and one for win made a fortune but then quit because i found it to easy