Almighty Farms II: The Race is On

[thealmighty]

11-06-04 (mm-dd-yy)

---> Kelly Bar left our boarding stables, leaving only 2 horses presently there. Of course, we have plenty of cash so it doesn't really matter.

---> There were only steeplechase races so we took the week off, especially as most of our stock needed time to get back in form.

---> We will now try to get all 4 of our National ranked horses to join the 2 we already have at International level so they can run in the Triple Crown races. This will be difficult because all 4 ( Favorite, Imperatrice, Hold, Purple T,) will have to enter the same races or run in handicap races where they will no longer have a handicap edge in weight. We will allow Purple T. first option since she is the best and closest at this time. Also remember that their training program will need to be mostly suspended as they will need to regain form constantly to have a better shot at a good showing.

---> Fame dropped to 74 but our ranking remained steady at 38th.

[thealmighty]

11-06-04: Race Day

Horse	Imperatrice
Type	Flat
Place	Hawthorne		Jockey	Willie Dupond
Race	Sagitarius Circuit		Fame	62
Distance	1800		Temper	Laid Back
Purse	$112,060		Control	73
Declare *	157200 < 335699		Exper	60
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$2,520
Conditions	none
Ground	sand
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.

Horse	Hold
Type	Flat
Place	Hawthorne		Jockey	Keiren Harris
Race	Sagitarius Circuit		Fame	64
Distance	1800		Temper	Excessive
Purse	$112,060		Control	92
Declare *	157200 < 335699		Exper	60
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$2,190
Conditions	none
Ground	sand
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.

Horse	Purple Tearse
Type	Flat
Place	Hawthorne		Jockey	Kelly Escude
Race	Sagitarius Circuit		Fame	48
Distance	1800		Temper	Calm
Purse	$113,130		Control	73
Declare *	190236 < 381123		Exper	46
Ages	2-3 year olds		Salary	$1,050
Conditions	handicap
Ground	sand
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.

Horse	Favorite
Type	Flat
Place	Hawthorne		Jockey	Edmund Van Gaal
Race	Sagitarius Circuit		Fame	37
Distance	1800		Temper	Flexible
Purse	$113,130		Control	77
Declare *	190236 < 381123		Exper	30
Ages	2-3 year olds		Salary	$480
Conditions	handicap
Ground	sand
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.

Horse	Ursulo
Type	Flat
Place	Hawthorne		Jockey	Willie Green
Race	Sagitarius Circuit		Fame	31
Distance	1800		Temper	Authoritarian
Purse	$59,680		Control	71
Declare *	84799 < 159822		Exper	27
Ages	2-3 year olds		Salary	$300
Conditions	handicap
Ground	sand
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.

As noted, it is harder to get races without an Almighty Farms head-to-head. This time there are 2 of them. Also, 2 of the three races are handicappers, though it shouldn't be a burden for our entries this time.

[thealmighty]

11-06-04: Race 1- Hold, Imperatrice

Stat Leaders
	Hold	Imperatrice	Chateau Magesty
Speed	3/17	1/17	2/17
Endur	2/17	1/17	3/17
Accel	1/17	2/17	3/17
Jockey	1/17	2/17	3/17
Conditions
Sunny		Ground is light.
Bookies		Choice		Betting Lines	Odds
L. Dominguez		Hold		Infante Des Legendes	5/1
P. Ricardo		Hold		Hold	6/1
				Imperatrice	9/1
My Wager		Amount	Type	Horses
		$250,000	Exacta	Imper/ Hold

This race, once again, features Chateau Magesty as the only visible competition. He has excellent speed and acceleration but low endurance for an animal of this calibur. He also has a crappy post position while our two are in #1 and #4.

[thealmighty]

11-06-04: Race 1- Results

Imperatrice zips out of her gate to an immediate 1 length lead over stablemate Hold. By the back straight, though, Jaina Minur has passed the leaders and is 3/4 up on Imperatrice, with Infante Des Legendes in third. Imperatrice regains the lead in the final turn by a neck on Jaina while Hold is in fourth. 400m from the finish, Infante gets the rod and moves in front of Imperatrice and Jaina. Dupond swats Imperatrice with 300m to go and she takes off, putting 2 lengths between her and second place Jaina as Hold begins accelerating. At the 200m mark, Imperatrice is in control. The battle for second is between Hold and Infante. With 100m more, Infante slips by Hold and assumes second for good while Imperatrice goes on to win by 4 lengths.

WINNER		Imperatrice		2) Infante Des Legendes
				3) Hold
Race Statistics:		Time	Per Km	Almighty Gains	Horse
(Almighty Farms)		1:43	0:57	$56,030	Imperatrice
		1:43	0:57	$13,447	Hold
My Wager		Total Amount
Outcome		-$250,000
Jockey Race Notes:		Finally, for Imperatrice, we found a jockey. She was sharp…yada…

[thealmighty]

11-06-04: Race 2- Favorite, Purple Tearse

Stat Leaders
	Purple Tearse	Favorite	Sail Monarch	Tax
Speed	1/14	2/14	3/14	8/14
Endur	1/14	2/14	6/14	4/14
Accel	1/14	2/14	12/14	5/14
Jockey	3/14	1/14	7/14	6/14
Conditions
Sunny		Ground is good.
Bookies		Choice		Betting Lines	Odds
L. Dominguez		Purple Tearse		Purple Tearse	5/2
P. Ricardo		Purple Tearse		Favorite	14/1
				Tax	14/1
My Wager		Amount	Type	Horses
		$250,000	Exacta	Purple/ Fav

All horses are Level I Nationals with stats in the 60s and 70s. As for the handicap situation, neither Almighty Farms entry has any extra weight but, then again, the most any horse is carrying is 2 kg more. The exacta didn't work last race. Let's see if this one is any better.

[thealmighty]

11-06-04: Race 2- Results

Florestania Quennage leads from the extreme outside, but by the time she hits the rail, she's an afterthought and Purple is in front. Down the back straight, Important has come up alongside Purple in the lead as Shogun Boyss is third and Favorite fifth. Important edges in front of Purple in the final curve as Favorite moves to third on the outside. Important is whipped to the front, 2 lengths on Tax and Purple at the 400m mark. With 300m left, Escude gives Purple a shot and she takes the lead on Shogun for good. Purple accelerates like a machine and noone will catch her as she wins the race by 4 lengths.

WINNER		Purple Tearse		2) Shogun Boyss
				3) Important
Race Statistics:		Time	Per Km	Almighty Gains	Horse
(Almighty Farms)		1:43	0:57	$56,565	Purple
		1:43	0:57	$9,050 (4)	Favorite
My Wager		Total Amount
Outcome		-$250,000
Jockey Race Notes:		Yada, Yada, Yada…

[thealmighty]

11-06-04: Race 3- Ursulo

Stat Leaders
	Ursulo	Grande	Betty des Kervedec
Speed	1/17	8/17	7/17
Endur	1/17	2/17	3/17
Accel	1/17	14/17	4/17
Jockey	1/17	11/17	8/17
Conditions
Partly Cloudy		Ground is good.
Bookies		Choice		Betting Lines	Odds
L. Dominguez		Grande		Grande	7/2
P. Ricardo		Ursulo		Verone	10/1
				Ursulo (5)	13/1
My Wager		Amount	Type
		$100,000	Show

As usual, it seems, Ursulo hasn't any real competition in this handicapper. He has 0 kg to lug around but, unfortunately, he has post position 17, the last horse standing, as it were. (in this game, that is often a death knell)

[thealmighty]

11-06-04: Race 3- Results

Infante De La Lune leads Verone with Ursulo still too far to the outside to see. Down the back straight it's now Verone in charge with Ursulo now on the move in eighth. The final curve shows Verone by 1/2 over Christopher Gift with Infante third. 500m to go and Verone leads Infante by 3/4 with Ursulo up to fourth. Infante switches place with Verone again, now up by 1/2 with 300m to go. At the 200m mark, Infante leads by a head with Ursulo now in third. 100m from the finish, Verone once more takes charge with Ursulo now in second over Infante. At the wire, it's Verone by 3/4 over Ursulo for the win.

WINNER		Verone		2) Ursulo
				3) Infante De La Lune
Race Statistics:		Time	Per Km	Almighty Gains
(Almighty Farms)		1:45	0:58	$11,936
My Wager		Amount
Outcome		$169,831
Jockey Race Notes:		Yada, Yada, Yada…

[thealmighty]

11-13-04 (mm-dd-yy)

---> Since we are now going to try to flood the field at the Triple Crown races, we will get a look at what's happening with our 4 horses trying to get to International level:

• Purple is now at $277k in race gains, needing only one more big showing. Her form is still great after racing, at 92+
• Favorite is right at $200k. She'll make it but lose lots of training doing it. Her form after racing dropped some to 84
• Imperatrice has $235k and will get there before the new year. Her form dropped a good bit, to 74, and will need to be remedied before racing again
• Hold is at $177k. He should make it, but to do so he will get no training for months to come. Major reason being low discipline ruining form. After the one race, his form dropped to 56 and will probably need 2 weeks conditioning to remedy

--->Almighty Farms has been informed that we have moved into the Top 10 rankings for Total Yearly Gains won, at #9.

---> Fame moves up a point to 75 while our stable rank remains at 38th.

[thealmighty]

11-13-04: Race Day

Horse	Favorite
Type	Flat
Place	Del Mar		Jockey	Edmund Van Gaal
Race	North Trophy		Fame	37
Distance	1500		Temper	Flexible
Purse	$88,440		Control	77
Declare *	102483 < 227735		Exper	30
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$430
Conditions	handicap
Ground	grass
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.

For whatever reason, this was the only race any of our stock had available. With the declaration intervals and such, sometimes a horse will miss being eligible for a race by $1k or so and not get to run when his/her form says he/she is ready. Of course, that just allows us to get them a week of training in another areas, so it's all good.

[thealmighty]

11-13-04: Race 1- Favorite

Stat Leaders
	Favorite	Sly Leader	Igor de Misapie
Speed	2/14	1/14	10/14
Endur	2/14	1/14	13/14
Accel	2/14	1/14	8/14
Jockey	1/14	2/14	9/14
Conditions
Sunny		Ground is firm.
Bookies		Choice		Betting Lines	Odds
L. Dominguez		Igor de Misapie		Favorite (4)	4/1
P. Ricardo		Igor de Misapie		Igor des Misapie	8/1
				Judicieux	11/1
My Wager		Amount	Type	Horses
		$250,000	Dual Place	Favorite, Sly

Another race, another appearance by the everpresent Sly Leader, who will be Favorite's main rival in this race. One thing we notice, this is the first race we can recall that has an Almighty Farms horse who is lower in 3 of the 4 stats that our "Stat Leader" feature includes. Also, here is another example of the bookies' AI being messed up. Check the stat ratings in the race for Igor de Misapie, the bookies choice and the post position #1 horse. Ugh!!

[thealmighty]

11-13-04: Race 1- Results

The early leader is Joss Jet with Sly second and Favorite fourth. Down the back straight Joss leads Sly by 1 length with Favorite in fifth but moving up steadily. At the 500m mark, Sly leads by a neck over Joss while Favorite sits in third on the outside. 400m now and Van Gaal shows the whip to Favorite, who moves into first. 300m left and Joss and Sly get the rod and move even with Favorite. 200m from the finish, Sly breaks from the pack quickly and leads the field by 2 lengths with Favorite in second. Sly's lead shrinks to 3/4 with 100m more, but Favorite hasn't the steam left to catch him and he wins by 1 1/2 lengths.

WINNER		Sly Leader		2) Favorite
				3) Joss Jet
Race Statistics:		Time	Per Km	Almighty Gains
(Almighty Farms)		1:22	0:54	$17,688
My Wager		Total Amount
Outcome		$1,488,213
Jockey Race Notes:		Yada, Yada, Yada…

[thealmighty]

11-20-04 (mm-dd-yy)

---> Update on our 4 horses trying to get to International level:

• Purple is at $277k in race gains. Her at 92.1
• Favorite is at $218k. Her form after racing dropped from 84 to 73
• Imperatrice has $235k. Her form stands at 91.7.
• Hold is at $177k. Form only rose to 71. He'll need one more weak of conditioning.

---> Fame score and stable rank are unchanged.

[thealmighty]

11-27-04 (mm-dd-yy)

---> Update on our 4 horses trying to get to International level:

• Purple is at $277k in race gains. Her form is at 92.1, unchanged but she got some training done, instead.
• Favorite is at $218k. Her form rose to 92.4 .
• Imperatrice has $235k. Her form stands at 91.4 .
• Hold is at $177k. Form rose to 94.9 .

---> At least for the time being, Almighty Farms has moved up a spot to #8 on the list of highest year-to-date gains.


---> Fame score and stable rank are unchanged, again.

[thealmighty]

11-27-04: Race Day

Horse	Imperatrice
Type	Flat
Place	Hawthorne		Jockey	Willie Dupond
Race	General		Fame	62
Distance	1800		Temper	Laid Back
Purse	$994,400		Control	73
Declare *	161385 < 248112		Exper	60
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$2,350
Conditions	none
Ground	sand
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.
Horse	Ursulo
Type	Flat
Place	Hawthorne		Jockey	Willie Green
Race	General		Fame	31
Distance	1800		Temper	Authoritarian
Purse	$54,880		Control	71
Declare *	62653 < 114196		Exper	27
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$310
Conditions	none
Ground	sand
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.
Horse	Hold
Type	Flat
Place	Hawthorne		Jockey	Keiren Harris
Race	General		Fame	64
Distance	1800		Temper	Excessive
Purse	$99,710		Control	92
Declare *	133761 < 328378		Exper	60
Ages	2-3 year olds		Salary	$2,370
Conditions	none
Ground	sand
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.
Horse	Favorite
Type	Flat
Place	Hawthorne		Jockey	Edmund Van Gaal
Race	General		Fame	37
Distance	1800		Temper	Flexible
Purse	$994,400		Control	77
Declare *	161385 < 248112		Exper	31
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$510
Conditions	none
Ground	sand
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.
Horse	Purple Tearse
Type	Flat
Place	Hawthorne		Jockey	Kelly Escude
Race	General		Fame	51
Distance	1800		Temper	Calm
Purse	$99,710		Control	73
Declare *	133761 < 328378		Exper	47
Ages	2-3 year olds		Salary	$1,300
Conditions	none
Ground	sand
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.

We have 2 races with our horses going head-to-head again, but we switched it up so the same pair is not always matched together.

[MrBug708]

Were you surprised that favorite finished out of the Top 3 in the race that Purple won?

[thealmighty]

Hey, Bug, thanks for breaking the streak of me posting in the dynasty.

To be honest, I am always surprised when an Almighty horse is not in the top 3 because, with the exception of the good horses that I tell about when they are in a race with us, most entries have no business beating one of my horses- unless something untoward happens like getting totally stuck in a crowd or the like.

The only thing is, and I will explain it in the next post, there is what is called Preferences for each horse that can make a difference in a race, though the game manual, naturally, doesn't explain exactly what effect they will have.

Read on...

[thealmighty]

Game Notes: Preferences

In the game, each horse has preferences, attributes of a track, for example, that they will run better on/with. The thing is, the game does not explain how or, more importantly, how much these will increase or decrease a horse's ability.

Also, and the reason you trusty readers have not been informed or seen any updates on this aspect, you have to use training to find out what preferences a horse has. Each horse is different. There are 8 preferences and each takes from 2-5 weeks of training to be revealed. That's 1/2 a year of training used to find these preferences for each horse. For 2-3 year olds, that was just too much. Between race weeks (no training while racing, obviously) and conditioning to get form back after racing, there would be no improvement if you used weeks to find all the preferences.

Anyway, I will list them here so you know what can help explain why a lesser seeming racer can beat a better one- at least a possible cause, anyway:

• Position- I assume this means frontrunner or something like that
• Inside- no idea what this is
• Ground- assume this is the light, soft, firm,etc...
• Surface- grass, sand, etc...
• Distance- short, long, etc...
• Companion- this is when a horse prefers company in his paddock, like a fuzzy cat or bunny
• Blinkers- wear blinkers in a race or not
• Earplugs- wear earplugs in a race or not

Obviously, some of these can be quite important, but I chose other training instead. Of course, if it turns out BL hates grass and the Triple Crown were on grass, for example, she would lose a percentage of her skill when the computer runs the race. At least, that is what I would think will happen. As usual, I relly don't know.

Any questions?

[thealmighty]

11-27-04: Race 1- Favorite, Imperatrice

Stat Leaders
	Favorite	Imperatrice	Pile
Speed	1/14	2/14	3/14
Endur	1/14	2/14	6/14
Accel	1/14	2/14	12/14
Jockey	3/14	1/14	7/14
Conditions
Sunny		Ground is firm.
Bookies		Choice		Betting Lines	Odds
L. Dominguez		Favorite		Favorite	3/1
P. Ricardo		Imperatrice		Gin	9/1
				Imperatrice (6)	31/2
My Wager		Amount	Type	Horses
		$250,000	Dual Place	Fav, Imper

All Level I Nationals. No standouts or known quantities. Favorite has the #1 post position, qhich can be a great boon, or a great curse, depending on your acceleration out of the gate.

[thealmighty]

11-27-04: Race 1- Results

Joyeux Du Lac sprints out of the gate and beats Favorite to the rail while Imperatrice pins her in. The back straight has Joyeux up by 1 on Imperatrice and Favorite, though Favorite is locked in on the rail with nowhere to go. Imperatrice leads around the final turn with Joyeux 1/2 length back. 500m to go and Imperatrice leads Joyeux by a head. Easy Cazoume comes out of nowhere to lead the race with 400m left while Imperatrice drops to third. 300m til the finish and Dupond smacks Imperatrice, who bolts into first ahead of Easy. Incredible Nacre moves way up into second all of a sudden with 200m more but, as she comes on, Dupond goes to the whip once more. Imperatrice responds and sprints to the win by 2 1/2 lengths.

WINNER		Imperatrice		2) Incredible de Nacre
				3) Joyeux du Lac
Race Statistics:		Time	Per Km	Almighty Gains	Horse
(Almighty Farms)		1:44	0:57	$49,700	Imperatrice
		1:44	0:57	$7,942 (4)	Favorite
My Wager		Total Amount
Outcome		-$250,000
Jockey Race Notes:		Yada, Yada, Yada…

[thealmighty]

11-27-04: Race 2- Hold, Purple Tearse

Stat Leaders
	Purple Tearse	Hold	Gold Bette	Charming Lucky Lady
Speed	1/13	2/13	4/13	6/13
Endur	1/13	2/13	4/13	3/13
Accel	1/13	2/13	3/13	6/13
Jockey	3/13	2/13	7/13	4/13
Conditions
Partly Cloudy		Ground is firm.
Bookies		Choice		Betting Lines	Odds
L. Dominguez		Gold Bette		Hold	4/1
P. Ricardo		Hold		Charming Lucky Lady	19/2
				Purple Tearse (4)	11/1
My Wager		Amount	Type	Horses
		$250,000	Win	Purple

Pretty much a carbon copy of the last race- Level I Nationals with no frontrunners. Purple T. does have a bad post position- #12- however.

[thealmighty]

11-27-04: Race 2- Results

Ophelie Flingue takes the early lead as the horses go 7 wide around the first turn. Down the back straight, Ophelie leads Gold Bette by 1/2. The leaders flop spots in the final turn, Gold leading by a head. At the 400m mark, Gold leads by 1/2 over Gallant Royally. 200m to go and Gold and Royally lead but Purple Tearse is fourth now and charging on the outside. Gold takes control with 100m left with Purple now second and tiring from her sprint. At the wire it's Gold Bette over Purple by 3/4.

WINNER		Gold Bette		2) Purple Tearse
				3) Gallant Royally
Race Statistics:		Time	Per Km	Almighty Gains	Horse
(Almighty Farms)		1:45	0:58	$19,942	Purple
		1:46	0:59	$0 (11)	Hold
My Wager		Total Amount
Outcome		-$250,000
Jockey Race Notes:		Yada, Yada, Yada…

[thealmighty]

11-27-04: Race 3- Ursulo

Stat Leaders
	Ursulo	Triple	Gloria
Speed	1/17	11/17	17/17
Endur	1/17	5/17	14/17
Accel	1/17	4/17	2/17
Jockey	1/17	9/17	4/17
Conditions
Partly Cloudy		Ground is light.
Bookies		Choice		Betting Lines	Odds
L. Dominguez		Triple		Gloria	7/2
P. Ricardo		Gloria		Chief Legend	10/1
				Ursulo (7)	13/1
My Wager		Amount	Type
		$500,000	Win

Ursulo should waltz to a win against these Level II entries with stats in the 50s and 60s. With odds like that in a race like this, we stand to make a bundle.

[thealmighty]

11-27-04: Race 3- Results

Maya Des Kervedec and Ursulo break cleanly into the lead. Into the back straight, Ursulo takes the lead by 1/2 on Maya. The lead is up to 1 into the final turn as the chasers are 5 wide behind Ursulo. Centime Butte moves into second, 1 length behind Ursulo with 500m more. 400m to the end Brune Bleue moves up quickly on the outside to trail by 1/2. With 200m to go, Brune gets the rod and moves into first by 1. However, with but 100m left, it's Green's turn with the whip and Ursulo responds well, moving fast to the lead and extending all the way to the finish, winning by 3 lengths.

WINNER		Ursulo		2) Gloria
				3) Vamp
Race Statistics:		Time	Per Km	Almighty Gains
(Almighty Farms)		1:44	0:58	$27,440
My Wager		Amount
Outcome		$6,873,642
Jockey Race Notes:		Yada, Yada, Yada…

[thealmighty]

12-04-04 (mm-dd-yy)

---> Update on our 4 horses trying to get to International level:

• Purple is at $297k in race gains. One more top 6 finish will get her there. Her form is still good at 85.4 .
• Favorite is at $230k. She has 2 non-show races in a row to slow her progress. Her form rose to 80.9 .
• Imperatrice has $285k. She is on an incredible roll now. A 1st or 2nd in her next race and she is in. Her form is borderline at 77.1 .
• Hold is at $177k. He is not on a roll. Form fell to 73.5 .

---> CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!!! Beautiful Ladonia has gotten sick. She will be out about a month- and have horrid form when she does.

---> Fame score and stable rank are unchanged, once more.

[thealmighty]

12-04-04: Race Day

Horse	Imperatrice
Type	Flat
Place	Fair Grounds		Jockey	Willie Dupond
Race	Winter Circuit		Fame	62
Distance	2200		Temper	Laid Back
Purse	$107,490		Control	73
Declare *	192978 < 296678		Exper	61
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$2,590
Conditions	none
Ground	grass
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.
Horse	Ursulo
Type	Flat
Place	Fair Grounds		Jockey	Willie Green
Race	Winter Circuit		Fame	31
Distance	2200		Temper	Authoritarian
Purse	$57,060		Control	71
Declare *	71316 < 161221		Exper	28
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$340
Conditions	none
Ground	grass
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.
Horse	Hold
Type	Flat
Place	Fair Grounds		Jockey	Keiren Harris
Race	Winter Circuit		Fame	64
Distance	2200		Temper	Excessive
Purse	$104,840		Control	92
Declare *	163947 < 343654		Exper	60
Ages	2-3 year olds		Salary	$2,400
Conditions	handicap
Ground	grass
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.
Horse	Favorite
Type	Flat
Place	Fair Grounds		Jockey	Edmund Van Gaal
Race	Winter Circuit		Fame	37
Distance	2200		Temper	Flexible
Purse	$107,490		Control	77
Declare *	192978 < 296678		Exper	31
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$500
Conditions	none
Ground	grass
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.
Horse	Purple Tearse
Type	Flat
Place	Fair Grounds		Jockey	Kelly Escude
Race	Winter Circuit		Fame	51
Distance	2200		Temper	Calm
Purse	$104,840		Control	73
Declare *	163947 < 343654		Exper	47
Ages	2-3 year olds		Salary	$1,260
Conditions	handicap
Ground	grass
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.

As expected, 2 races with us against us. Also, there is no way to ignore the handicap races now unless we want 4 of our horses in the same race, and we don't...not until the International races begin next year.

[thealmighty]

12-04-04: Race 1- Ursulo

Stat Leaders
	Ursulo	Indien de France	Miss	Cause Sachem
Speed	1/14	2/14	3/14	4/14
Endur	1/14	2/14	3/14	4/14
Accel	2/14	1/14	3/14	4/14
Jockey	2/14	3/14	4/14	1/14
Conditions
Sunny		Ground is light.
Bookies		Choice		Betting Lines	Odds
L. Dominguez		Ursulo		Ursulo	7/2
P. Ricardo		Ursulo		Indien de France	14/1
				Cause Sachem	16/1
My Wager		Amount	Type
		$250,000	Show

For once, Ursulo has a very tough field to run against. One of the best, Indien de France is here, along with several second tier, but tough, horses, including Miss and Cause Sachem. A bit of a break as Indien is stuck in gate 13 to start while Ursulo gets #1 (as we have seen, that can be a great boon, or a terrible burden, depending on if the horse gets out slow and gets stuck behind the leader).

[thealmighty]

12-04-04: Race 1- Results

Ursulo on the rail and Indien far outside lead to start. By the first turn, Ursulo has a slight 1/2 length lead on Wall Street Preference while Indien falls back. Down the back straight it's Ursulo by 1 now over Wall Street with Miss moving up strong. Into the final turn, Ursulo still leads but, with 500m to go, Miss makes a move to the front. 400m left and Cause Sachem streaks into the lead with Miss second over Ursulo. Cause widens the lead with 300m to go and, by the 200m mark, Cause leads comfortably over second place Ursulo. Miss makes a charge with 100m left but Cause cannot be caught and Ursulo, with a shot from Green, moves past Miss for second.

WINNER		Cause Sachem		2) Ursulo
				3) Miss
Race Statistics:		Time	Per Km	Almighty Gains
(Almighty Farms)		2:13	1:00	$11,412
My Wager		Amount
Outcome		$257,824
Jockey Race Notes:		Yada, Yada, Yada…

[thealmighty]

12-04-04: Race 2- Imperatrice, Favorite

Stat Leaders
	Favorite	Imperatrice	Chateau Magesty
Speed	3/18	1/18	2/18
Endur	2/18	1/18	3/18
Accel	3/18	1/18	2/18
Jockey	1/18	3/18	2/18
Conditions
Partly Cloudy		Ground is relatively soft.
Bookies		Choice		Betting Lines	Odds
L. Dominguez		Imperatrice		Imperatrice	5/2
P. Ricardo		Imperatrice		Babes	11/1
				Favorite (8)	17/1
My Wager		Amount	Type	Horses
		$250,000	Triple Place	Fav, Imp, Chat

A plain group of Level I Nationals with the exception of Chateau Magesty, one of the best out there. Both Almighty Farms horses and Chateau have good post positions.

[thealmighty]

12-04-04: Race 2- Results

Babes and Remember Irish run to the early lead but by the first turn, Imperatrice, Chateau and Favorite are 1-2-3, respectively. On the back straight, Imperatrice has a 1 length lead on Chateau and Favorite has dropped to fourth. The race stays on course until the 400m mark when Van Gaal gives a whack to Favorite and she moves into the lead with Joe Next Time in second. At the 300m mark, Imperatrice and Chateau regain the edge as Favorite falters. 200m left and Chateau leads Imperatrice by 3/4 but Favorite is on the move again. As they move to the wire, all three leaders accelerate but Favorite is better today and she wins the race in a close finish (need a screenshot of this one ) over Chateau.

WINNER		Favorite		2) Chateau Magesty
				3) Imperatrice
Race Statistics:		Time	Per Km	Almighty Gains	Horse
(Almighty Farms)		2:12	1:00	$53,745	Favorite
		2:12	1:00	$12,899	Imperatrice
My Wager		Total Amount
Outcome		$1,744,434
Jockey Race Notes:		Yada, Yada, Yada…

[thealmighty]

12-04-04: Race 3- Hold, Purple Tearse

Stat Leaders
	Purple Tearse	Hold	Chateau Magesty
Speed	1/18	3/18	2/18
Endur	1/18	2/18	3/18
Accel	1/18	2/18	3/18
Jockey	4/18	2/18	3/18
Conditions
Sunny		Ground is good.
Bookies		Choice		Betting Lines	Odds
L. Dominguez		Russian Survivor		Kiwi Ker Annais	5/2
P. Ricardo		Good Ambition		Purple Tearse (7)	15/1
				Hold (13)	33/2
My Wager		Amount	Type	Horses
		$250,000	Dual Place	PT, Chateau

Stupid game!! Chateau Magesty is in this race, too. It's a handicapper, with Chateau and Hold taking 0 extra weight, while Purple is burdened with 3 kg to carry. Hold, unfortunately, must deal with post position #18, the far outside position.

[thealmighty]

12-04-04: Race 3- Results

Kiwi Ker Annais leads out of the box with Purple second, Chateau third and Hold seventh. The first turn sees the racers 7 wide but by the back straight, Flore has inched into the lead with Chateau second and Purple fourth. Hold trails the field. Good Ambition leads the race into the final turn with Flore second but by the 500m mark, Good has lost her lead to Flore. 400m now and Flore leads Good by 1/2 with Purple third, Chateau dropping out of contention. With but 200m left, Good has taken the lead on Purple but Lupin de Misapie is moving up smartly on the outside. 100m to the line, Good has control while Lupin cruises by a tiring Purple. At the wire, it's Good Ambition the winner by 1 1/2 lengths.

WINNER		Good Ambition		2) Lupin de Misapie
				3) Purple Tearse
Race Statistics:		Time	Per Km	Almighty Gains	Horse
(Almighty Farms)		2:13	1:00	$12,581	Purple
		2:14	1:01	$0 (17)	Hold
My Wager		Total Amount
Outcome		-$250,000
Jockey Race Notes:		Yada, Yada, Yada…

[thealmighty]

Big News from Almighty Farms Forthcoming!!

[thealmighty]

12-11-04 (mm-dd-yy)

---> See below for big news.

---> Update on our 4 horses trying to get to International level:

• Favorite is at $284k. Her win puts her in position to move up next race with any top 6 finish. Her form is now 69.4 .
• Imperatrice has $298k. She neede a 1st or 2nd to move up, but got third. Next time. Her form is 62.6 .
• Hold is at $177k. He has 2 terrible races in a row. Form fell to 52.1 and will probably take 2 weeks to recover .

---> Once more our fame and ranking have remained. Fame at 75, ranking at 38th

[thealmighty]

12-11-04: News Flash...

---> Purple Tearse has become the third Almighty Farms horse to reach the magical Level 1 International ranking, qualifying her to run overseas as well as the Triple Crown races.



We at Almighty Farms congratulate all our staff and supporters for their part in this great accomplishment.

[thealmighty]

A Little More Immersion:

This chart shows how Almighty Farms stock compares to one another. No numbers, strictly which is better and worse in the various statistics used. These figures are based on the October statistics, not as of this week.

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th
Speed	BL	Ursulo	Imper	Purple	Feline	Artisan	Favor	Hold
Acceleration	BL	Purple	Feline	Hold	Imper	Favor	Ursulo	Artisan
Technique	BL	Purple	Imper	Feline	Favor	Hold	Ursulo	Artisan
Adaptation	BL	Feline	Imper	Purple	Favor	Ursulo	Artisan	Hold
Discipline	Artisan	Purple	BL	Favor	Feline	Imper	Ursulo	Hold
Injuries	Artisan	Favor	BL	Purple	Hold	Imper	Feline	Ursulo
Endurance	BL	Imper	Ursulo	Purple	Artisan	Feline	Favor	Hold

Artisanale is the horse bought at auction a while back. She is still a 1-year old and has no training under her saddle, hence she has lost none of her injury rating, though she has the 2nd highest starting injury rating anyway, so that will not be of consequence when her training starts in a couple of weeks.

We will have an update at the beggining of the new year when stats are upgraded. Discipline is static, BTW, so it will not change with time. What a horse is born with is what they get forever.

[thealmighty]

12-18-04 (mm-dd-yy)

---> Nothing available except long steeplechase races, so we opt to get in a week of training where possible.

---> Update on our 4 horses trying to get to International level:

• Favorite is at $284k. With last weeks training, form is now 88.8 .
• Imperatrice has $298k. With last weeks training, form is now 80.6 .
• Hold is at $177k. With last weeks training, form is now 66.8 . He will require, as expected, another week of conditioning to be race ready.
  

---> The final auction of the year is at hand. We have declared our intention to attend.

---> Almighty Farms has risen to #7 in the rankings for highest gains for the current year. We have $1,973,979 in winnings.

---> While our fame score remains at 75, we drop a notch to 39th in the stable rankings.

[thealmighty]

12-18-04: Auction

Horse	Age	Sex	Speed	Accel	Techni	Adapt	Discip	Injure	Endur
Cash Angel	5	M	69.9	77.1	11.8	15.4	81.7	68.7	74.6
Charming France	5	F	81.9	84	12.9	12.8	19	21.4	83.9
Cedre Des Bois	5	M	77	67.3	9.1	16.3	38.7	72.3	76.1
Fleur Des Poetes	3	F	87.6	84.4	20.9	3.4	96.4	37.4	85.3
Impressive Groomy	4	F	79	82	19.1	22.5	91.4	39.9	86.2
Kenotte Garcons	2	F	78.5	79	9.1	4.9	52.4	68.9	78.8
Lodeso Des Reves	1	M	87	82.5	2.8	1.2	69.7	42.8	85.5
Michael	1	M	83.7	87.5	2.9	7.3	49.3	44.9	79.1
Monsieur De Nul Part	5	M	76.4	69.7	40.5	2.1	74.9	49	73.3
Returns Spirit	7	M	73.8	67.2	43.7	25	93.4	55.8	66.5

Here are the available horses at the auction we are attending. We have plenty of room to do as we please. Here is a reminder what each category is supposed to impact:

1. Age- yeah...
2. Sex- no beastiality implied
3. Speed- how fast can they go
4. Acceleration- acceleration speed
5. Technique- ability to overtake horses in a race
6. Adaptability- to the behavior of the jockey
7. Discipline- capacity to progress through training
8. Injure- capacity to sustain injuries
9. Endurance- ability to sustain in longer races

Note: We are ready to start some kind of breeding program. All horses will age a year in 2 weeks.

What would you do?

[Lokugh]

Well, if I were buying brood stock, I think Fleur Des Poetes and Impressive Groomy would be my choices. High discipline seems imperative, and it is the one stat you can't train. Not knowing how breeding works, I can't be sure, but I might also give Charming France a shot if I could find a stud with high discipline to breed her to.

If you wanted to pick up a stud to do in-house breeding, Returns Spirit appears to be the best of the bunch (the one year olds being too young...although Lodeso Des Reves might be worth adding to the stable as a racer).

Lokugh

[thealmighty]

12-25-04 (mm-dd-yy)

---> All 3 horses looking to make the jump to Level I International will be in action today. Any top 3 finish for Favorite or Imperatrice should get them over the hump.

---> The final auction of the year is history. Our purchases have been made, of course, and the announcement is forthcoming.

---> The dietician has come and examined our new, older stock and made recommendations on the makeup of their feed.

---> Apparently, how many horses in your stable is a huge factor in fame score. With our purchases at auction, our score has shot up to 83. We are now ranked 22nd in the top stable rankings.

[thealmighty]

12-25-04: Race Day

Horse	Imperatrice
Type	Flat
Place	Fairplex Park		Jockey	Willie Dupond
Race	Empress Grand Prix		Fame	64
Distance	2600		Temper	Laid Back
Purse	$132,000		Control	73
Declare *	151800 < 303600		Exper	62
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$2,730
Conditions	none
Ground	grass
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.
Horse	Ursulo
Type	Flat
Place	Fairplex Park		Jockey	Willie Green
Race	Empress Grand Prix		Fame	31
Distance	2600		Temper	Authoritarian
Purse	$66,970		Control	71
Declare *	75800 < 151800		Exper	28
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$310
Conditions	none
Ground	grass
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.
Horse	Hold
Type	Flat
Place	Fairplex Park		Jockey	Keiren Harris
Race	Empress Grand Prix		Fame	64
Distance	2600		Temper	Excessive
Purse	$132,000		Control	92
Declare *	151800 < 303600		Exper	60
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$2,560
Conditions	none
Ground	grass
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.
Horse	Favorite
Type	Flat
Place	Fairplex Park		Jockey	Edmund Van Gaal
Race	Empress Grand Prix		Fame	38
Distance	2600		Temper	Flexible
Purse	$132,000		Control	77
Declare *	151800 < 303600		Exper	31
Ages	2 year olds		Salary	$530
Conditions	none
Ground	grass
* - interval of gains to qualify for race.

The last day of racing for 2004 brings with it an opportunity for Favorite and Imperatrice to get over the hump and join the Almighty Farms International horse group. Good luck, girls.

[thealmighty]

12-25-04: Race 1- Ursulo

Stat Leaders
	Ursulo	Chamade	Fleuron a Jour	Slew
Speed	1/17	8/17	2/17	3/17
Endur	1/17	5/17	3/17	8/17
Accel	1/17	3/17	10/17	7/17
Jockey	1/17	4/17	2/17	8/17
Conditions
Partly Cloudy		Ground is soft.
Bookies		Choice		Betting Lines	Odds
L. Dominguez		Chamade		Chamade	3/2
P. Ricardo		Slew		Udo Des Poetes	11/2
				Ursulo (7)	16/1
My Wager		Amount	Type
		$250,000	Show

After a very tough group in his last race, Ursulo appears to be back in with a group of creampuffs, Level IIs with stats in the 50s and low 60s. Of course, we have said that before, haven't we.

[thealmighty]

12-25-04: Race 1- Results

Rambling moves to the fore, Ursulo is third. In the first straight Rambling leads Ursulo by 1 length but the lead is cut to 3/4 down the back straight. In the final straight, Ursulo has drawn even and he continues his push, leading Rambling by 3/4 with 500m to go. At the 400m mark Aglae Du Brada has taken the lead by a length on Rambling. 300m now and Rambling and Slew now lead by 2 over Prince. Slew takes the lead with 200m left with Aglae second but Ursulo is on the move from the outside. 100m more and Slew leads Prince by 3/4 but Green gives Ursulo a final swat and he accelerates. Down to the wire with Prince, Slew and Ursulo. Ursulo coming on, Ursulo coming on, Ursulo wins at the finish by a nose!!

WINNER		Ursulo		2) Prince
				3) Slew
Race Statistics:		Time	Per Km	Almighty Gains
(Almighty Farms)		2:45	1:03	$33,485
My Wager		Amount
Outcome		$438,550
Jockey Race Notes:		Yada, Yada, Yada…

[thealmighty]

12-25-04: Race 2- Hold, Favorite, Imperatrice

Stat Leaders
	Favorite	Hold	Imperatrice	Sly Leader
Speed	3/16	4/16	1/16	2/16
Endur	3/16	4/16	1/16	2/16
Accel	4/16	1/16	2/16	3/16
Jockey	1/16	2/16	3/16	4/16
Conditions
Sunny		Ground is light.
Bookies		Choice		Betting Lines	Odds
L. Dominguez		Imperatrice		Native Promise	3/1
P. Ricardo		River Belle		Imperatrice	11/1
				Favorite	13/1
				Hold (7)	15/1
My Wager		Amount	Type	Horses
		$250,000	Win	Imperatrice

All Level I Nationals, most with 60s and 70s. Sly Leader is here to try and ruin our day, once again. Hold has the unenviable task of being in post position 16- the end of the line.

[thealmighty]

12-25-04: Race 2- Results

Brilliant Song breaks first to the rail with Imperatrice sixth, Hold seventh and Favorite ninth. Down the first striaght, Brilliant leads Imperatrice by 1/2 length with Favorite in sixth and Hold dropping way back to eleventh. The back straigth has Imperatrice in the lead by 1/2 on Diva with Sly Leader now third. With 500m to go, Sly takes over the lead by 1/2 on Imperatrice with Favorite fourth, stuck on the rail. 400m now and Brilliant moves back in front trailed by Sly and Imperatrice. Sly takes off with 300m left and Fill Mystery challenges. 200m to the finish Sly leads Fill by 1/2 and Imperatrice by 2 1/2. Fill takes the whip with 100m more and off he goes, passing Sly and winning by 3/4.

WINNER		Fill Mystery		2) Sly Leader
				3) Imperatrice
Race Statistics:		Time	Per Km	Almighty Gains	Horse
(Almighty Farms)		2:42	1:02	$15,840	Imperatrice
		2:43	1:02	$0 (7)	Favorite
		2:43	1:02	$0 (11)	Hold
My Wager		Total Amount
Outcome		-$250,000
Jockey Race Notes:		Yada, Yada, Yada…

[thealmighty]

Auction Purchases:

This buckaroo will be trained, along with our other soon-to-be 2 year old, as next years attempt to get to the 2005 Triple Crown.

Lodeso Des Reves

1

M

87

82.5

2.8

1.2

69.7

42.8

85.5

Brood Mares: These 2 girls, who are about to age a year, of course, were purchased so we could start a breeding program before we get sick of this game. Since it takes 11 months to give birth and breeding season starts in february, we won't actually see the results until January '05.

Fleur Des Poetes	3	F	87.6	84.4	20.9	3.4	96.4	37.4	85.3
Impressive Groomy	4	F	79	82	19.1	22.5	91.4	39.9	86.2

P.S.- Well done, Lokugh.

[thealmighty]

Big News from Almighty Farms Forthcoming!!

[thealmighty]

1-02-05 (mm-dd-yy)

---> See below for big news.

---> Update on our horses trying to get to International level:

• Favorite is at $284k. Not making the top 3 in her last race means she still needs one more good showing to get there. Her form is now 77.0 .
• Hold is at $177k. His 3rd very low finish in a row didn't help his chances, obviously. Form is at 69.0 .
  

---> Ursulo has moved to Level I National with his latest race performance. His competition should now get tougher, but he has practically caught Hold in earnings now.

---> Fame score remains at 83 but our stable rankings dropped a spot to 23rd.

[thealmighty]

1-02-04: News Flash...

---> Imperatrice has become the fourth Almighty Farms horse to reach the magical Level 1 International ranking, qualifying her to run overseas as well as the Triple Crown races.



We at Almighty Farms congratulate all our staff and supporters for their part in this great accomplishment.

[thealmighty]

With the turning of the calendar to 2005, Almighty Farms II has come to a close.

Stay tuned for Almighty Farms III, coming next week ( I am going out of town all weekend) to a message board near you.