If you think that virtual horse racing is child’s play with easy money to be made then think again because it’s not. But, it is cheaper than owning a real live horse having to pay for its stabling and feed every day. The most successful player on Attheraces.com, Shotgun_mike, knows this better than anyone else. He started racing virtual horses back in June 2006 to become the most successful player in terms of wins and earnings. He’s won over 14,000 and £807,000, which makes him the wealthiest man in the world of virtual horse racing. Ironically, the wealthiest man says he doesn’t drink alcohol, so he says he celebrates with a 7UP. [[posterous-content:pid___0]][[posterous-content:pid___1]]
Shogun_mike on winning the Nunthorpe and Queen Elizabeth Challenge Finals
What did it feel like winning your races?
I am in three finals this season and look forward to two of them. Shidarezakura is also in the Cesarewitch tomorrow Monday but doesn't manage 3.200 so she should finish last. I love to be in consolations and finals, these races is what it's all about. Have been waiting four months and these races will determine how much money I will have going into the next season, planing to make a big buy in the sales ring on the 1st.
I prefer the 4-7yo races because so many horses have been saved for a season or two, just to be at their best in these finals. Many great horses have low wins and have been sandbagged in qualifiers, so it's not easy to know which horses that have the best chances of winning.
I love to speculate, to talk with trainers about their horses and analyze my own chances.
Going into challenge finals you have to respect the top trainers. Many newcomers waste several wins in qualifiers and therefor get heavy in the finals, while the masterful Andy Hargie, Dallas, Derekw, Heinz, RedHalo etc always give their horses the best chances of winning the finals, so to compete with these guys you have to raise the bar and think like they do. It takes great skill and patience to play this game and you won't achieve greatness over night. My goal is to compete with the big boys of RC and to do so I must develop my patience, which is lacking most times.
I am really looking forward to sundays two finals, but hope that I will have even more finalist next couple of seasons.
How optimistic were you about winning and who was your biggest rival?
I have been looking forward to the Nunthorpe all season after the debacle in the Sprinters Challenge last season where Grimgor Ironhide got her least favoured going: firm. This season was to be her big revansch, and if she got muddy she would be hard to beat from a topdraw (nr 2). But... she got fast and that felt like someone stuck a knife in my back. 13 runs so far at fast hadn't given any victories, or even second places, so I went from dreaming of a win, to "look forward" to a 9th-12th place or something like that.
Some hopes were lit when experienced trainer Heinz wrote on the forum that he thought that Grimgor looked to be the surest final winner, so now I raised my hopes to maybe 4th place if Saxon was luring about outside my stable (like he did when The Crown secured a stable double
in saturdays consolation). In the same race I had Rallying Cry but she doesn't manage 1.200 meters and shouldn't even be in this final. I just hoped that Grimgor would get the best jockey random of the two, not R.C. that couldn't even beat a G2 with Saxon onboard at 1.200 meters.
Some days ago I had a very (wet?) dream where me, Ken Allan and Andy Hargie sat on an airplane on our way to China. Me and Ken talked about Hong Kong-movies, while me and Andy mostly talked about Ellegance. Don't ask my why some RC-trainers haunt me in my dreams but they do. I was very interested to hear about Ellegance and if Andy had sandbagged her as a 3yo. He said "no", but I still thought he had a rabbit in his hat and would set Ellegance loose in the Sprinters Final. For me, Ellegance was number 1 - but I also had a big outsider in Outsiders Scent of Menthol. Eklitop is probably the best 3yo sprinter around but from post 14 it would take a great random to win. Also Eklitop seems much better at 1.400-1.600. And what could Migirl Torinne do from the best post?
In the other final of the day, Queen Elisabeth, I had two very nice horses: Flying Beauty and Shidarezakura. F.B. finished last season finishing 2nd in the Oaks Final, while Shidare didn't make the final. 2.200 meters wasn't ideal for neither of them but with 124/126 lbs I still hoped that my gems would finish inside the money, even if the race looked very competitive with monsters from the Andy Hargie and Derekw stables. DUB was okay for Flying Beauty, winning a qualifier on that track, while Shidare would have preferred CAN.
My feeling before the race was that both my horses where much better at 2.400-2.850 meters, so best thing would have been to save them for next seasons finals (at 2.400 & 2.850 meters...).
Derek had Sweet Destiny qualified and that one felt like my biggest competitor together with Andys horse with the strange name. I'll just call it "Ankan" = means "The Duck" in swedish.
My feeling before the race, while writing this, is that Andy will win both my finals.
Do you follow routines before a race?
My two brothers sometimes watch the big races together with me, especially my kid brother Allan. He was with me when Grimgor Ironhide won the Getminted Final last season, so I guess he brings me luck. Hm, should have held hands with him when the final going was decided. ;)
I don't get very nervous anymore but it's still very exciting to watch races, even though I still battle with lag with my race viewer. I will probably not sit on the toilet like Derek did last season, instead I will stand out and walk back and forth when the clock ticks down to 0. Often you can see early on in the race if your horse will have anything to do with the outcome, so hopefully Saxon, Girard, Bailey and Doyle find their way to my four finalists.
I don't have any routines before big races, mostly I just sit around looking into space, bored because the minutes seem to pass all too slowly. If I have like two hours to kill before a big race I mainly take a walk in the forest, or watch a movie on the tv.
How do you prepare for a Challenge Series race & what advice would you give other trainers? What would you do differently in future Challenge Series?
I think I have covered most in the question before this. If I have any advice to other trainers? Well, it would be not to expect too much. It's better to expect nothing, and if your horse gets inside the money you will feel even happier about him/her. Always respect the fact that there are super trainers playing this game, so your nice horse will maybe not stand a chance against the likes of LGL, Bullet and so on. Just be happy to be in the final, and if a top random is given you – smile all the way to the bank!
In the future challenge series I have only one plan - to give my horses a fair chance in finals, and not waste wins in qualifiers.
You can do that when they turn 7yo instead. Don't be in a hurry, this game is a commitment over many seasons, not just one.
Wasting wins in division races early on with challenge horses always makes me cry, so if you have nice younger horses with low wins save them a season or two and then take on the big boys in the challenge series. I promise you, a win of 120 lbs as 4yo in an qualifier gives much more satisfaction then winning a four-horse C Division at 2yo...
How do you celebrate after winning Challenge Series?
Well... I want to expand my stable so ALL money will probably go straight into the sales ring, so please give me the wins, RC. ;) The finals haven't been raced when I write this so I guess you won't get this news in time, but hopefully you are reading my mind right now...
I guess most people would open a bottle of Crystal (spelling?) if winning a final, but because I don't drink alcohol I will have to do with 7-Up. *lol*
Would be nice to meet my best mate after winning a final but because the races are run in the middle of the night (hmm) he will probably in the act of counting sheep, so don't want to wake him up with the great news. If I win, or if he wins the Derby with Lazy Smoke, I hope we will treat each other with royal dinners... at McDonalds or Burger King.
Times like these you have to live a little and don't be cheap.
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| Wed, Feb 29, 2012 - 12:15 |
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