URC Appreciation Event

The URC Appreciation Event huh? What’s this all about then Rharfo? you may ask.

Well, let me share what brought about the event.

After the demise of a residency I was a member of a year or so back, I found myself stumbling around in the simulated wilderness, licking my wounds, trying to find my place in the sim that had been such a satisfying part of weekly routine and a seemingly vital part of my spare time away from work and chores around home.

During that time away from the residency scene I thought often about the camaraderie created with those great people – people I had battled head to head with on the simulated race tracks, people that had banded together for the greater good of the group to do battle with like minded people from a rival residency and people I had formed real friendships with, people all sharing the same passion and reward of Mike’s creation – in that time on the outer I all but threw it all away after finding that not being a part of that sort of affiliation did not bring the desired spark or fun that being part a residency brought. So, after a few months trying to find the waning want for the game, I decided to find a new group to people and try to break into a new residency, a residency that could fill the void created by the closure of The CR Racers.

After throwing a few groups into a few different residencies, residencies all with their own pros and cons, all with a collection of sim-sporters I had met along the way via the chatrooms or message boards or battled against in an inter residency challenge over the years or even at a residency I may have been a part of at one stage or another of my sim sports career. Finding comfort within a new group was a bit tougher than I initially expected, residency life had always been so easy and rewarding – but breaking into a group where you are the new guy was proving to be pretty tough for me and as hard as I tried to get involved in message board banter and play a part in new contests, I just could not find that lost enjoyment I was seeking. So again I found myself taking stock and wondering if I could walk away from my vast amount of under achieving stables and leave my beloved Derbyfever.com behind.

Then I happened upon the Universal Racing Club or URC, a residency that was run by long term simster Metallinut but at the time of my arrival being looked after by another veteran in the form of Smokeglack. I initially submitted a handful of barns and was welcomed with open arms by the good people already residing there – a good mix of veterans and newbies alike, many names that I had seen around the sim in varying places and names of players who were well respected and known in the sim. Although still not totally sure about comfortably stepping into ranks of a new residency, this residency was still relatively new, but well established and from looking around the site, was superbly organized, had ‘second to none’ management and most of all, was active!!! The message board was always a buzz, contests were always being run and updated, and people genuinely wanted the URC to succeed and would do all they could to achieve that goal. Within the first 2 weeks, the majority of my stables had been added to the ranks of the URC – my stables were great in number, but lacking in quality – but no matter what state they were in, my barns were added without fuss or bother and nestled in nicely in their new found home.

Since that transitional month, and settling in period, my lost want for the game has returned and I find myself once again enjoying my time in the game and I can pretty much put that down to the management and members of the URC. I may not be too competitive in the trainer’s contests, but there is so much on offer in other competitions that one does not have to worry if one’s barns are not the most competitive – there is so much on offer in the way of contests, the prize pool offerings and credits to be won would likely be second to none (I am sure others may disagree – we all love our homes) and the members are ‘Top Notch’.

So now, a year or so after touching base with Jimmy and co., I find myself in a position to give just a little back to the residency and members that dragged me back into the fray after my time on the outer. From the management team of Smokeglack and Metallinut, and the brilliant updating and web skills of Jacklad right through to the people I call my residency comrades, I thank you all very much for getting me ‘back into the groove’.

I hope this race and the prizes on offer are a worthy token of my sincere appreciation.

¡¡

# 1 ZABEEL’S BOO BOO(NZ) Zabeel x Hannah’s Boo Boo (Storm Cat x Singspiel) ID# 127136 Stable: rharfo2 Jockey: G McGhee Odds: 9/1

Zabeel’s Boo Boo breaks from gate 1 in this event and is one of 10 debutants in this sprint event. This colts mum, Hannah’s Boo Boo, was a quiet achiever for her owner earning $716,155 winning 17 of her 66 career starts, placing in another 39 of these races. She was a winner at GIII level as a 3yo in 2005 and won another 4 stakes events. Rharfo is trying to fly the kiwi flag here and has found that the Zabeel x Storm Cat mix can be a formidable combination … once you get the surface and distance sussed out! Is a second string entrant for the “Rharfo” conglomerate and he is hopeful of a decent debut. He will definitely know more about this colt after this event. Hannah’s Boo Boo’s offspring to date are yet to do anything too spectacular.

# 2 GIO’S MOON(KY) Gio Ponti x Irish Round Table (Galileo x Rahy)
ID# 182567 Stable: outinfront Jockey: G Harmon Odds: 14/1

Another of the first starters is Metal’s colt Gio’s Moon and starts his career hoping to show enough of the early 2yo promise that his racing mum did. This colt’s mother, Irish Round Table all but won her 2yo debut in an allowance field and then once cracking the winner’s circle 2 starts later in an maiden event, just failed to take out the GIII Mother Lois turf sprint, getting within a 1/2 length of victory. After promising so much, the filly just never lived up to the likely expectations of owners, winning just another 2 races in her 28 race start career, amassing $166,458 in earnings. Metallinut and company will be hoping for a more successful career as a broodmare for Irish Round Table and with the very turfy Gio Ponti topping this breeding Gio’s Moon slips into this event quite nicely and may just bring about the promising breeding career they desire.

ID# 191591 Stable: shaghar Jockey: P Chute Odds: 10/1

Gate 3 and first starter number 3 – this one from the shaghar stable. Again the turf lineage comes to the fore with Shaghar using the son of Monsun, Manduro to breed with a Deep Impact mare that never, in fact, raced for the shaghar conglomerate. Having not raced since April 2011, I am not really sure when this mare came into possession of shaghar or whether it came via claim or auction, but the bloodlines scream “turf” and with the early 2yo form the mare showed early in her racing days, the Tank Docta might be ready to grace the winner’s circle in this URC Appreciation event. Tank Docta does have a lot of boxes ticked going into this race, so a good showing would not surprise too much.

# 4 TWENTY EACHWAY(FL) General Quarters x Stutz Blackhawk x Dynaformer ID# 142565 Stable: broohar2 Jockey: Y Jones Odds: 38/1

The run of debut runners continues with this scratch bred filly by General Quarters for the broohar barns grouping. General Quarters is a freshman sire out of Sky Mesa and his progeny already boasts a graded winner on the turf. Broohar, being a turf breeder of some repute, might be a tad disappointed with this season’s 2yo’s stats to date and will be hoping to turn things around with this filly – Or maybe he is aiming towards a strong 3yo season after the New year, when those under-achieving 2yo’s sprout wings and become the monster 3yo. Those at the Universal Racing Club know their fellow resident can never be under estimated in the turf events and will be very wary of this filly even if she is the race’s long shot at 38/1 .

# 5 CHASHMODAI(GER) Monsun x In Deep Space (Galileo x Blushing Groom)               ID# 118427 Stable: redcar Jockey: S L Ledwith Odds: 6/1

Yet another debutant will break from gate 5, this one being the bookies co-favourite offering odds of 6/1 and hailing from the formidable Tees stable group. By German sire Monsun and out of GII winning Galileo mare, the 6/1 odds are very much deserved for this handsome chestnut colt. His mom, In Deep Space, accumulated just over a quarter million dollars from her 48 start race career and boasted 16 wins and 27 minor placings – was a GII winner as a 5yo, won 4 overnight stakes events and as a 3yo won her first 5 races, simply stunning stats. Chashdomai will be looking to start his racing days in a similar, if not better, style than his 3yo half brother, Black Holed (by Bernadini), who despite not setting the track alight looks to be fashioning himself into a decent turfer. A lot to like about Tees’ Monsun colt and the bookie might have covered a few bets already on Chashdomai – Top jockey has been appointed to get the job done here!

ID# 118722 Stable: gobigred Jockey: V Byrd Odds: 6/1

Tops tries to get with spoils with yet another first starter in the form of the gobigred stabled, Babe Plouffe. Borne from the richly bred, but somewhat under achieving race mare Proactor, this Danehill Dancer colt may bring this mare more accolades as a broodmare than what her race day record did, where she ran in 37 races for 7 victories and 13 placings for earnings of just under $150k. Interestingly, 6 of Proactor’s seven wins came as a 3 year old and just a single victory as a 2yo and then after that she battled on in allowance levels from 4 years old up to her race retirement in August 2001 as a 5yo. With all of her success being on the dirt, Tops will be relying on the turfy influence of Danehill Dancer and the solid early racing form of Proactor to insure Babe Plouffe is competitive here. A Half brother sired by Curlin was a winner on debut on a rain affected dirt track as a 2yo – Odds-maker has taken all this into account when offering odds of just 6/1 so Babe Plouffe cannot be discounted.

ID# 135408 Stable: firerun Jockey: H Eisen Odds: 27/1

The Firerun stable brings the second General Quarters sired runner to the event and unlike the 6 runners inside him, Brutal Cause can boast a race day start ¡¦ not an overly exciting race day start, but a start just the same. This colt’s debut came some 6 weeks ago, when he finished an 8-1/4 length sixth of seven in a 5.5 furlong event on the dirt of the New Hampshire track. After settling at the rear of the field, Brutal Cause could only manage to just battle past one of his rivals down the home stretch, when so much was expected from him by owner Shilo, when given odds of 7/2 by bookies.Brutal Cause is by another well bred, but under performed race mare in the form of Watched, who earned $56,043 in winning three races and placing in another 9 of her 29 race day starts. Both of Brutal Cause’s half sisters have shown a preference to the grass track, with his 4yo sister, sired by the mighty Kingmambo, having won 2 of her 20 starts (both wins coming as a 2yo) and 3yo sibling, being by Medaglia d’oro, showing a little more now that Shilo has introduced her to the turf surface – she is now 1 win and two seconds from 5 starts on the turf. So, again, we have a runner whose owners are hoping for the solid bloodline to provide something spectacular on the day – Brutal Cause will hopefully relish the switch to the turf as well as the extra 2 furlongs from his debut effort and fly the flag for former race mare, Watched.

ID# 15639 Stable: kelsorules Jockey: Q Cassell Odds: 7/1

Back to the debutant runner ranks again, this time a scratch breeding from one of the mighty URC management team, Smokeglack. Smokie, wise and wily breeder he is, has thrown together a breeding that screams turf in the back end (Galileo x Giant’s Causeway), dirt at the front (Empire Maker) and miler all over the place! -which likely points to a win here in the URC Appreciation event – and for the reasons that this race was set up, no victor would be more worthy than our very own smokeglack!

Running through Smoke’s stables you find stats that would be the envy of any simster, more so knowing that he is usually a ‘later in the week’ breeder – add to that, he breeds multiple horses to be used as prizes for the multitude contests he concocts and makes sure all is shipshape around the halls of the Universal Racing Club, most would struggle to maintain a solid group of stats with all those extra undertakings. With an uncanny knack of getting his 2yo’s to acknowledge the judge upon returning to the parade ring on race day, this pretty filly by Empire Maker might be the surprise package in this event. Offering just 7/1 on debut and having the services of solid regular Dubai jockey Q Cassell, I may just be sending the prize pony on offer here straight into the barn of Mr. S Glack’s choosing after this event … just as he has publicly predicted! Good luck Boss!

ID# 113126 Stable: brettlee Jockey: H Cain Odds: 15/1

In a field strewn with debutants (of which there are ten) we find, what must be described as the field’s veteran, the brettlee stabled Diaiwa Black. This will be start number three for the Tazdevil trained Daiwa Major filly and she comes into this event with the undeserving odds of 15/1 – incredible odds when you take into account her breeding, her form, her (likely) yearned for step up in distance and Taz’s awesome 2yo stats and we could have found our race winner. Add to that Taz’s remarkable ability to fire up URC sponsored events and all things suggest that the guy supplying the odds has made a faux pas!

Looking at her two starts to date, debut first, where the daughter of Irene Of Athens started her racing career with an ever decreasing 2-1/4 length second of 13 on the turf over 5.5 furlongs. She followed that up with a hard fought third of 11, again on the turf over the six furlong distance, finishing just a head off the winner on that occasion and boasting an impressive speed factor of 76. Anything close to that sort of form will take Diaiwa Black very close to the spoils in this event – add to this the success that her Irene Of Athens, offspring have already garnered and things just get better. Taz has also selected his filly for the Pyramid Contest and respective leg of the URC Handicapper Contest, so he obviously thinks his charge has what it takes to win this event. Definite hope!

#10 AWFUL FRIGHT(JPN) Tanino Gimlet x Pedal Steel (Roman Ruler x Caerleon) ID# 120034 Stable: seeya Jockey: A Lyles Odds: 25/1

The Big Cheese group managed by Marmac brings two runners to do battle with his fellow residents in the URC Appreciation event, the first being the latest offspring of the 7 time race winning mare, Pedal Steel. She was the winner of 7 of her 37 starts, remarkably placing in another 21 of those races and winning just over $127k in doing so. The Roman Ruler x Caerleon mare’s 3 and 4yo offspring have not been sim phenomena to date, but the Tanino Gimlet sired, Awful Fright, might be the son that places his mom on the breeding map. Debuting back in the first weekend of July, he closed tidily enough in the 7 furlong turf event, finishing 4^th of 14 just 2-3/4 lengths off the winner, sporting a speed factor of 67 in the process.Marmac loves breeding his horses and is a strong advocate of spacing the races for his two year olds – such patience should be rewarded, and generally is, usually in his ‘pride and joys’ 3 year old season.

With natural progression and a little more distance added to that of his debuting distance, the seeya stabled colt might be able to make a mockery of the generous 25/1 on offer.

#11 BULL RUSH(IRE) Sea The Stars x Megaloid *he-mare (Galileo x Theatrical)

ID# 141903 Stable: racinpogs4 Jockey: D Lakencher Odds: 8/1

Pogook’s family of barns simply exude talent and Pogo gives his babies the best chance to develop naturally, allowing them to be well rested between starts so that each and every time they enter the start gates they have a better than average chance at securing the win.A firm believer of class breeding, his barns are graced with breeding lines that really are the envy of many in the URC, if not the greater sim, and those breedings have culminated in his stable star Rizla Green .

Continuing on with that ‘breed to succeed’ theme, Pogo uses Sea Of Stars to tie into the well bred Galileo x Theatrical horse, Megaloid. The horse never really reached the dizzying heights renowned breeder Given hoped for and was snapped up by the racinpogs4 barn when entering and winning a $50k nw2l claimer as a 3yo. Under the guidance of Pogs, he picked up 3 allowance wins and another claimer, earning over $123k for the effort.

With Sea Of Stars success on the turf and ability to get wins early in his offspring’s race careers, Bull Rush holds a very strong hand in this appreciation event and we, all here at the URC, hope that this colt can fly the URC flag in future sim wide events just as Rizla Green has for the Spirit O’Fife Stables!

ID# 114114 Stable: anathema Jockey: G Ayso Odds: 8/1

The URC Residency’s webmaster, Jacklad, brings a debuting scratch breeding to an event that has been created as show of appreciation to all at the URC and what they bring to one’s time at this residency – and showing appreciation towards Jacklad can only be described as an ‘exercise in futility’ – because this guy just continues to outdo himself each and every week – from weekly updates to useful tools, prize breedings through to the web pages covering every single thing our humble little residency requires – his skills are second to none and URC members are blessed to have him right up there in their management team!

He enters a freshman sired filly by the name of Forceful Cat, being by Workforce x Dansili x Storm Cat and on the record that Workforce has forged in his debut sim year, the chestnut filly is going to be right at home on the grass of the Dubai track. Similarly bred 2yo’s have acquitted themselves pretty well on the track this year and anathema barn can have a fair bit of confidence heading into the race.

ID# 121316 Stable: rharfo3 Jockey: H Harzhiem Odds: 17/1

Entrant number two for the Rharfo barns, should be the stronger of the two submitted with this event was set for this Came Home colt on the back of a solid debut race back in mid June. He is out of the Elusive Quality x In Reality mare Elusive Reality, a mare that has borne a couple of handy race horses with a lightly raced 5yo sitting idle in a seemingly defunct stable set up and a now 4yo horse racing out of the same rharfo3 stable as Came Home Beaten. The 4yo is a rather ‘hit or miss’ type that has won 7 of 17 race day starts, with the more successful runs being scored on the turf at distances comparable to the URC Appreciation Event, so hopefully this season’s breeding can follow suit of his big half-bro here.

Came Home Beaten will be looking to produce another strong finish like that he produced on debut on the Dubai turf over the distance of 6 furlongs, when he got to within 1-1/2 lengths of that race’s winner, coming from a rearward position and recording a speed factor of 72 in doing so. With Dubai’s top rider H Harzhiem booked to take the mount all looks favourable heading into this event. Odds of 17/1 seem a tad over the top and off the mark, but maybe the bookie knows a little more than we do perhaps?

ID# 118878 Stable: kazzia Jockey: M Perez Odds: 8/1

Ms Tizjuliet takes a shot at the spoils here with a nicely bred Zabeel colt out of the handy Gone West broodmare, One Groove. One Groove ran just 23 times, earning $258,013 from her 5 wins and 13 in the money results – including a stakes victory way back in the triple figure race days of 1999. Since entering the breeding game she has produced a graded stakes place getter and a couple of overnight stakes place getters, as well as offspring that can win at differing levels. Similar breedings, Zabeel into Gone West, have done well on the simulated tracks and the kazzia management team will be looking to continue that success. Zabari has happened onto a race dominated with fellow debutants, so should not be too overawed by his race day rivals here. Bookies are loving the breeding (and so does this impartial kiwi) and have offered up odds of 8/1. Another chance in a very closely gauged field.

ID# 118085 Stable: hamster Jockey: Z Edwards Odds: 23/1

Rounding out this field of 15 we have a second runner from the Marmac group of stables, this one hailing from his hamster barn. Attention Getter is by retired mare, Imbroglio, a mare bred and raced by Marmac for all but 2 of her 15 three year old starts. Her race career was dominated by claim events and, later, a string of starter allowance events, where she reaped most of her reward. Upon entering the breeding fold, Marmac was quick to snap up her services as the breeder and former owner of the North Light x Caerleon mare and called on the services of Irish sire, Falbrav, a proven turf producing sire standing in Japan. The resulting colt made his debut in the annual URC Baby Beginnings Turf event run over 6 furlongs on the turf of Tasmania and in that race was more than competitive. After racing handily to the pace and Attention Getter strode to the lead in the home straight only to be overhauled by a future graded stakes winner and another hard closing rival, finishing just 2 lengths off the winner and recording a speed factor of 67. As I stated when covering marmac¡¯s first entrant, The Big Cheese racing group are strong exponents of resting the 2yo¡¯s in their ranks and this is another colt that has been given plenty of time to develop and recover after his debut run ¡¦ with 20 weeks rest, Attention Getter could be receiving a whole heap of attention going in to, running in and following this race. Once again the odds-maker has ignored race day experience over debut lineage and popped the ridiculous odds of 23/1 on the nose of Attention Getter, when a win would not come as any surprise at all!

So, that brings the field to an end and I guess after taking the time to report on the field in this, The URC Appreciation Event, I may as well lay a few tips on the table.

Hard to go past those runners who have actually had a race day start … race day experience should go a long way towards insuring the odds-makers offerings cannot solely be judged on the strength of debutants lineage alone.

Call me biased, but with everything in his favour, (I hope), I find it hard to go past my own charge Came Home Beaten, has the track’s top rider and debut showed enough for me to think he has the arsenal to take out this event.

The filly from Taz’s brettlee stable Diaiwa Black gets my nod for runner’s up prize. Experience and the extra distance on offer looks to suit nicely.

Coming off that 20 week break on the back of such a solid debut, marmac’s hamster stabled colt, Attention Getter gets the nod to round out the top 3.

A gambling person would get rich very quickly from boxing up those three runners in trifectas and exactas … and then again, with the strength of horse power gracing this event you could lose all that dosh when 3 first starters fill the top 3!

Good luck to all involved and my personal thanks for taking part in this event, an event created to show a little of my own appreciation for the Top Notch Peeps living their simulated sports lives at the Universal Racing Club Residency