Hi all.

i have a couple of questions when it comes to the National Hunt. I play a NH save only and are starting to get some half decent horses. But I am a little bit unsure of how you can tell if the horse is a chaser or a hurdler? Is it by trial and error?

I also wonder how you manage your horses through the phases. I start out with the bumper races when they are 3 yo, and then ease them into the hurdles. I do admit I am a bit unsure how to know if the horse runs the correct distance and in the correct level. Somtimes they can carry too little or too much weight, and maybe the result lie a bit.

Any of you that have any good experience with the NH, or is it trial and error and then try to find the right level?

Cheers in advance.

I would say your on the right lines with the approach, I tend to do much the same, though not always opening with bumpers. But yes fair amount of trial and error, some cope with both, and some will need more of less distance like the flats, though in the jumpers the distance is proportional so you could add or lose 6f to 1m maybe.

You can also try and get more insight outside of racing via the gallops or the export feature and do off save trials. Course there are also just horses that are no good.

I would add of course the horses stats which you can train for, so jumping potential and jumping speed along with the usual main potential and other trimmings

I am new to NH too after playing on the flat for the last couple of years.
This is how I work out a hurdler or chaser (note - this is my guide and I could well be wrong)
In the horse's profile I look at how long the green 'Jump' bar is - if it is short I stick to hurdles and if it is long I race my horse in the chase.

With the correct distance it is a little confusing too but I usually go by the stamina bar - the longer it is you can usually take your horse further than the recommended distance.
If it is short then it's probably going to be best around 3200m or 2 mile.

Doug.

What I also find a bit difficult is weight. If my horses do well they get weighted high in handicaps, and that may do that they have no chance. How do you approach this? Do you wait for the right race, or do you just chip the horse in and hope it will cope with the maximum weight?

Sometimes it is a difficult decision!
If I enter it and gets top weight and the rest of the field are much lower, I usually avoid the race.
If four or five horses under it carry a similar weight or a few kg/lbs less then I would race it.
Otherwise I place it in a higher standard hcp race where it carries a lighter weight and hope for the best.
Or I find a race where it is set weights and everyone carries roughly the same weight.