Basic Training
The Basic Training page will explain everything you need to know, from the setting up of your stable to the moment your virtual thoroughbreds hit the track. Before signing up with HorseRacingPark (HRP) please read this page carefully. The top earning owner of all time also will share some of his insights in how to start a stable. HRP has a help section as well as various forums where you can perform a search via key words. You have a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips. This is just a guide to get you started. At HRP there are as many ways to train as there are in real life. Do what works for you
To receive your 5 free horses as well as 1 other after verifying your stable, (6 FREE Horses), please join HRP via the HorseRacingPark link to your left.
Signing Up…
Once you have clicked on the HorseRacingPark banner, you will be directed to HRP to sign up. You need to decide on a stable name. This will be your identity at HRP so choose wisely. Once you have successfully completed the form you will receive an email from HRP that will contain 5 free horse vouchers. *Before redeeming your 5 free vouchers please read the information contained in the HRP help section under “2 - Verify Account”.
Verifying…
After verifying your stable you will receive 1 Bonus horse voucher also by email. Before redeeming your voucher, please read the information contained in the HRP help section under “2 – Verify Account”.
Redeeming…
Once you have verified your stable and received 6 free horse vouchers in total, go to My Account on your stable menu and redeem each voucher. You will get to choose the age, sex and color of each horse as well as their location. You also have the option of either directly naming a horse or acquiring horses who can be named at a later time.
Once you have redeemed your 6 free horses it will take approximately 3+ weeks to properly prepare a horse to race. While you are patiently waiting for your horses to get into racing shape, there are two other ways of acquiring horses that are ready to and or already racing. One is by claiming a horse. You can claim a horse for as little as $1. There has been the occasional $1 claimer that has gone on to win stakes races. In the months of March, June, September and December, HRP holds an Auction where the highest bidder acquires the horse.
Training (Basic)…
When you obtain a new horse it will have its Condition meter set at 50% and a Stamina meter reading of 100%. These meters are adjusted on a nightly basis. The condition meter will decrease by 1-3% and the stamina meter will increase by 6-12% depending on how well a horse has rested.
You will also notice beneath the Condition and Stamina meters are two further meters, Consistency and Distance. These meters pertain to racing and because there is a grace period associated with new horses, the best advice is to ignore these meters and concentrate on training and working a horse into optimum condition. Optimum Condition is 95-105% on both the Condition and Stamina meter. Once in optimum condition, it is easier to learn what your horses preferences are - Surface (Dirt and Turf) and Equipment (Lasix, Bute, Blinkers and Shadow Roll).
There are two training methods, Training and Timed Workouts. A balance of both will help you obtain then maintain your horses optimum condition.
Training: There are six options to choose from. They are Standard train, Standard Train-Short, Standard Train –Long, Heavy Train, Heavy train –short, and Heavy train-long. It is best advised when using this training method to use the standard train option with a new horse. The remaining options pertain to racing. A time isn’t recorded and as such the impact on the Stamina meter in particular is kept to a minimum 8-12%.
Timed Work: Your horse will be going against the clock. You choose a distance, surface, weight, jockey and pace then click on Work. You may wish to view the work otherwise the results of the work are displayed. The affects of a timed work will vary depending on the distance. *There is minimal difference between a training and timed work on the condition meter but after a timed work you can expect a decrease of 20-40% on the stamina meter.
Nominating…
Once you have your horse in optimum condition you need to decide where your horses will be competitive based on the information you have received via the horses timed works. Then it’s time to look at the upcoming schedule for that location and find a suitable race. If you nominate for a claiming event be aware that there is a chance you might lose your horse to another owner. Once you have a horse nominated for a race it’s up to you to prepare your horse so it is in optimum condition on race day.
Virtualequine.com has asked one of the top owner/trainers at HRP to write a quick basic guide to help all newcomers understand how to get a horse ready for racing. Australia Wide joined HRP over 4 years ago and has done nothing but win since then. AW leads HRP in winning percentage, training at a 30+%, and being in the money 66+% of the time. As of March 15, 2007 he has won over $70,000 to be the top earner in HRP history. However, his biggest asset is his ability and willingness to help new owners learn and be successful in this game. This is one person you ask questions of when you get him in the chat room.
Redeeming my Horses…
Having received my 5 free horse vouchers increased to 6 after verifying my stable, I redeem each voucher. I create 3 * 3yo’s and 3 * 2yo’s, 2 * Colts and 1 * Filly for each age group. As I would like a consistent surface (good weather) to work my horses, I select a track in or around CA for the birthplace of each horse.
First Timed and Standard Work…
I now have 6 horses in my stable with 50 % Condition and 100 % Stamina. I proceed to Time Work each horse over 4f on Dirt with the default weight of 120lbs, with the trainer on board. After I’ve worked all 6 horses, I also Standard train (breeze) each horse. The Condition and Stamina will be affected by 1 Timed Work and 1 Standard train, after day one, your horses will be sitting at approximately 70 % Condition & 70 % Stamina.
Balancing the Condition & Stamina meters…
After nightly maintenance in which condition will decrease slightly and stamina rise, my goal is to balance the Condition and Stamina meters via the Standard train option. I like to give my new horses a second timed work approaching optimum condition (95/105 Condition and 95/105 Stamina) eg 90 % Condition and 85 % Stamina. This will take a few days to achieve.
Second and Third Timed Work…
After a second timed work (again 4f 120 Lbs Trainer), I want horses to be in optimum condition for their third timed work. Although it’s nice to have horses running good time in the early stages of a horse’s preparation, my goal is to get a feel for each horse. What their likes and dislikes are etc. For their third timed work, I step it up to 5f. The weight and whether or not I have a jockey on board is optional. However, it is important to be consistent, as I will be applying equipment and medicines following this timed work, and using the time recorded in their third timed work to compare with their fourth through seventh timed works.
Fourth to Seventh Timed Work (Testing Equipment & Medicine)…
Each of my 6 horses, by the time it comes to their fourth timed work, has had a 5f timed work in optimum condition (Green/Green). For their fourth work, I apply the Blinkers and work each horse over exactly the same conditions as their third timed work. If there were improvement (0.2 of a second minimum) I would leave the Blinkers ON. A loss in time or under 0.2 of a second improvement I would take them OFF. If there is a 0 – 0.1 improvement I would keep that in mind and maybe try the Blinkers again a little later. I do this next for the Shadow Roll followed by Lasix then Bute. After their seventh work, I have a pretty good idea on what my horse likes and dislikes are for equipment and medicine.
Eighth Timed Work (Does my horse like Turf)…
Having only timed work my horses on Dirt to this point, it’s time to see if they like running on Turf. Comparing the best of the third to seventh timed work to what my horse achieves running on Turf in their eighth will give me a fair indication. It’s worth remembering though that Turf is a slightly faster surface on the whole.
Is my horse ready to race and where…
This is a decision as an owner I have to make. By the time I’ve reached this stage, I’ve kept a close eye on results at the various level tracks as well as studied workout pages. I am also aware that a number of very good horses have arrived from humble beginnings so I am in no hurry to give up on a horse. If I feel as though a horse isn’t ready to race, I’ll send it to the farm for a 30 days spell. After 30 days on the farm, they return in optimum condition ready to try again.
Consistency & Distance Meters…
Basically the meters amount to less Timed Workouts and owner management via the Training options. Which are Standard, Short, Long, Dirt, Turf and Heavy. All except Heavy train have a similar effect on the Condition and Stamina meter. A Heavy train is the equivalent of 3 * Standard trains on the Stamina meter. As a newcomer I will work on the basics and concern myself with the meters once my horses are racing or in-between races.
*The HRP help section has an excellent overview of how the current meters operate. There is also information available by searching the forums. Once you get a handle of the new meters (which won’t take long) you’ll find they are very easy to manage and create an even more realistic experience.
Good Luck !!!
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