I just got the game today. While I've ridden horses English and Western in real life for years, the lingo for horseracing has me scratching my head, and google isn't helping. Is there a resource to help "translate" what the jockeys are saying to help choose better courses for game horses in future? How can I put the feedback to good use?

What's a "slower" track... One with wide turns? What's a "fast" track? All the races my horses are eligible for don't have weather predictions... how can I predict when one is going to be muddy?

Here are some examples of comments I've seen in game, with my comments/questions in green:
"Ridden as closer" - closer to what? "the horse will be suited by further" - further from what? "Considering we struggled for pace that was a promising run" - so by pace we need more... of what stat.. stamina?

"Ridden in pack, which possibly suited. The trip was too short" -"too short".. does that mean I should choose longer races for this horse?

In another race, my horse was 3rd then fell way behind towards the end. The jockey said "Ridden as front runner, which appeared to suit well enough. Got the distance well". Ok, so what went wrong? It was a 5f race so I can't put her in any shorter ones...

Is there any beginner guide around that can explain a lot of this lingo?

Thanks!

Hi and welcome

I'm probably not the best by far to give advice as the guys on here leave me for dust, but a few answers i've worked out may or may not help you - "the horse will be suited by further" i usually put it in a furlong longer race and seems to do better, the same for "The trip was too short".

I might be wrong but when i get "Considering we struggled for pace that was a promising run" i try it in the same race at a grade lower, or again slightly longer race.

The weather is only fairly accurate 4 days or so in advance, after that a rough guide is the little blue pictures - sun. fog etc..

Wouldn't a slower track be wet? and faster firm? - i better leave it to the other guys sorry am still learning myself - I think most answers are about somewhere on this forum, finding them is another thing

I reckon Jester is on the right track....struggling for pace early - I usually go a bit longer distance BUT after a while you'll realise the jockey comments are a guide only.
Watch the races...even on fast forward and make your on assessments along with the jockey comments - don't be scared to follow your gut instinct!

Hard one to give you a absolute answer on as I can only speculate on game coding, but in theory this comes down to a massive range of factors that can really only be understood or puzzled out over time. Few things to consider and these are as I understand them.

Totally agree comments are a guide only, but what they are trying to help you assess are three factors 1- first and foremost how good the horse is against everything else that is running 2- how suitable is the distance based fundamentally on his or her stamina and speed. And 3- how did he or she fare in the conditions. Now I call out basic ability first as it is the most important, a super will beat a nag in many cases regardless of the distance or conditions, but the more you stack the three into your favour the more races you will win. You also need to consider how the horse likes to run, this is a bit about their disposition and a bit about their stats, so a horse who likes to lead, be in charge will be wanting stamina and a steady powering run, another might be all speed no stamina. If the lead horse sets a fast pace, and the speed horse settles in behind it may never been able to use its speed to catch up, as the fast pace eats all its limited stamina, but a slower not so good lead horse setting a slower pace will not tax him so much so the speed will be their at the end when needed, so all depending how good the front runner is or your horse is, and the more the horse runs the way it likes the better it will do, again all subject to the ability of those around them, but it is another factor to get on your side, front runners who run around at the back in a race are typically doomed or injured or unfit or really really out of them depth.

My best guess at your specifics:

Track conditions fast or slow is a lot of things in theory, from surface to track moisture, so dirt is slower than turf for the most part, but you also need to add in conditions so wet dirt is slower still but bone dry dirt may well be faster than a bottomless quagmire of mud on the turf at the carragh. Gradient should also feature, that Cheltenham run in for example could need your horse needing another 1f in the tank.

Suited by further is definitely one saying he will be better at a greater distance, though does not mean he will not find horses better than him at it when he does

Promising runs are exactly that, the horse did well did it right, pace was ok, positioning ok ground and distance good too, your just beaten by better (often older horses will be better) and you need more development. I see this comment often when taking 3yo's out of 3yo races and matching them with the big boys.

Trip too short does mean he need to run over a greater distance, but again his relative ability will determine if he does better. Also the horse stat best distance is also an indication. I have a load of 1m horse who are best at 6f due to me using a 6f speed horse to get speed into 1m when breeding, stamina training may help if the horse takes to training, or he may just be a 6f. I have had 7f best at 1.2m, 1.2m best at 1.4m and 1m best at 6f. Trial and error in the 2yo season best way to get an early idea.

Ran in the pack is in the huddle usually not the last or front three horses, so that huddle 4+ or -12 say in a 15 run race. No negative addition probably means this is ok or the jockey could not tell. Probably suited he thinks that is what the horse likes but not convinced. So you may find it can run in two styles, the other maybe better.

The last one is factor one, everything was largely ok, but you were beaten likely by better horses.

Time and experience hope that is of some help, might all be wrong too, plenty here with more exp than me.

This was really useful. But in the same way, can someone explain what "ridden handy" means?

To a none native english speaker I can't find the explanation of what this actually means.

I think, and I underline the word think, it describes horse positioning in the race as in the chasing group. So if you break it down say placed 1-3 is front running or forcing the pace, say 4-8 ridden handy tracking the leaders, 8-12 restrained or slightly dropped out and finally say 12-16 drop out or hold up runners.

Obviously this assumes as field size of 16 but can be applied generally to rough positioning, and you could be in a small field where all the horses want to track around at the back.

Hope this helps or someone who knows better confirms or denies

Josh

Thanks, Josh. That makes sense. I understand what you mean. It is like when the jockey gives the horse a good position in the pack, without being the pacemaker.

While I also just got the game, too I thought I'd answer one part the original asked that I do know and I don't see in comments yet.

Ridden as closer. Not "closer to" something but as in "closing in". So a horse that starts from "well off the lead"* and tries to rapidly close in to the finish at the very end. Often using the jockey orders "Challenge Later" will get this comment, as the only instruction with a slow horse or paired with another jockey order that asks the horse be kept off the lead to well off the lead.

* 99.9% of the board probably knows this term, but since I use it I'll define it here as being very clearly a good distance behind the horses that are in the front of the race.