TRACK TALK – Metallinut

 

                                                           

TRACK TALK | Metallinut

15/02/2014 by PHAR LAP from THE BLACK TYPE BUGLER

 

Today is ISSUE 12 of TRACK TALK. We will spend some time with one of the top trainers in our great game Derby Fever. The powerful metallinut stable. Breeder and trainer of the great TALKIN’ BASEBALL.

 

     TALKIN’ BASEBALL (Eclipse nominee and unlucky not to get the award. He is a 12 time Stakes winner, 1 x G1, 2 x G2, 3 x G3 including the Breeders Bowl Nightcap and the DPCD Sprint Championship, holds several track records and earned $2,818,952 lifetime)

  

          SIRE   GRAND SLAM                         DAM SIRE CLEVER TRICK                 DDS PRIVATE ACCOUNT 

           

 

Stables Winning strike rate    11.7 %              ITM   38.3 %

CEO of the Universal Racing Club residency

PHAR LAP:  Hi Chris, thanks for taking the time for this interview. I believe you started up the Universal Racing Club residency, could you tell us a bit about that and any interesting characters in your residency.

 Chris:  No problem Phar, it is great to sit down and talk to you. Well URC was started in 2008 by me and a former member Jacklad. A venture we took on because we loved the game and couldn’t find a place that had contests and individual horse stats that we yearned for. So, we started our own rez. Today, URC has many new members and we have some great guys here. Interesting characters you ask? Yes, they are!!   To name a few, we have Kimugle who has opened his one millionth stable last week, looking to have a sim record for stables (he has only been playing for 6 months mind you). He came on the site not knowing much but asked question after question in our chat room determined to be a good player. We also have Bigbozo who is adamant to get a graded winner with a bargain bred and is slowly becoming a BP king. There is Billyboyx who is the writer of the bunch and has already produced some Eclipse Award notable articles. We are a close knit family here @ URC and the veteran members such as Tops, Liddleski and Newmarket help the new members understand how to play the game better.

PHAR LAP:   Where do you come from Chris?

Chris:  I’ll always be a New Yawker!!!!! I was born and raised in New York City until the age of 24 when I moved to Allentown, Pa. I go back as often as my job and family allow. I try not to miss two races every year. They would be The Wood Memorial @ Aqueduct (my birthday weekend) and the Travers in Saratoga. (My wife’s birthday weekend). New York is a great city.

PHAR LAP:  Have you a racing background and can you give us an insight on how you got involved in this great game.

Chris: I do not have racing background. My father introduced me at a young age to the sport of kings. I love horses and fell in love with Thoroughbred racing when my father taught me how to read a racing form @ OTB (off track Betting) and at New York Race tracks.  

PHAR LAP:  Could you tell us how long you have been breeding and training in Derby Fever.

Chris:  I started this game somewhere around 2000. I didn’t jump in right away, and stopped playing for a couple of years frustrated due to the bad horses I had in my stables. I came back in 2003 and I learned how to play the game better and I have been hooked ever since.

PHAR LAP:  TALKIN’ BASEBALL is your best horse so far, correct me if I am wrong, can you tell us about other past stars.

Chris: Yeah Talkin’ is the best so far, there a few I would like to show you

TIZ SMOKIN NOW (won the Breeders Bowl Juvenile)

      SIRE   SMOKE GLACKEN                        DAM SIRE   TIZNOW                            DDS   SLEW O’ GOLD

     

 

EL ROBERTO (He won the URC Triple Crown in its annual running in 2008 and also won a G3 after those 3 races).

        SIRE   EL PRADO                               DAM SIRE   ROBERTO                              DDS   HAIL TO REASON

      

 

REPEAT PERFORMANCE (G2 winner and $641,133 in prize money)

      

       SIRE   AWESOME AGAIN                 DAM SIRE   SECRETARIAT                           DDS   BUCKPASSER

     

ANY GIVEN CAT (He is a 6 time stakes winner (1 x G2, 2 x G3’s) with $696,067 in prize money)

  

   SIRE  ANY GIVEN SATURDAY               DAM SIRE   TALE OF THE CAT                         DDS   CAPOTE

    

 

STREET LEMON (G3 winner of $479,428 in prize money)

     

      SIRE   LEMON DROP KID                             DAM SIRE   STREET CRY                         DDS   RED RANSOM

    

 

LORD MANION (G3 winner of $383,492 in prize money)

              

           SIRE   MEDICEAN                              DAM SIRE  DANEHILL DANCER                     DDS   DYNAFORMER

           

                 

PHAR LAP:  Breeding and training are passions of yours Chris, have you any horses that are getting you excited?

Chris:  Horses that I’m excited about for the future

 

UNIVERSAL EMPIRE (3yo son of Repeat Performance who has 4 wins in 9 races and $122,365 in prize money)

           

        SIRE   EMPIRE MAKER                      DAM SIRE   AWESOME AGAIN              DAM’S DS SECRETARIAT

       

 

IRISH NYER (My highest prospect for 2014. Has won 5 of 9 races and $216,115 in prize money already and won handily on both surfaces. Would like to see if he can get into this year’s Derby)

 

      SIRE   DANEHILL DANCER                             DAM SIRE   COZZENE                           DAM’S DS SECRETARIAT 

                                                                                                                                      

BLACK ‘N GOLD BABY (An up and coming 3 yo who looks like he needs more running room to hit the big time)

 

                 SIRE   RAVEN’S PASS                            DAM SIRE   LEAR FAN                         DDS  DEPUTY MINISTER  

          

PHAR LAP: Breeding is one of the most exciting aspects of the game in my opinion. Have you any secrets you would like to share with us; we all would like a horse of Talkin’ Baseball’s class and quality.

Chris: If I told you they wouldn’t be secrets now would they.  But I will tell you I like to mix speed and class. I try to keep the lines “clean”.

 

PHAR LAP:  Without giving away all your secrets, have you any favorites as Sire, Dams Sire and Dams Dam Sire?

Chris: I think we all have favorites. I would say my favorites that I have been able to get as sires are Danehill Dancer, Awesome Again, Medicean, Any Given Saturday, and Grand Slam. Dam Sires would be Secretariat, Cozzene and Private Account and Dam’s Dam Sires would be Buckpasser, Hail to Reason, Dynaformer and Secretariat. I love the great older horses.

 

PHAR LAP :Do you prefer scratch breeding or breeding to your good retired race mares? Do you like using he mares?

Chris: Scratch breeding to me is the greatest part of this game. Makes this game so realistic. I prefer and love the scratch bred horse because you pick the whole lineage. I also love to breed to my mares, to see what babies the Mare can produce. I am not a big fan of he-mares, but have done so with some of my “better” horses. I have not had much success as yet….

 

PHAR LAP : OK Chris, we all know breeding is only one aspect of the game, once you get a good horse and get your maiden out of the way, the skill of the trainer then comes into play. Do you have any training preferences you would like to share with us? I am sure there are fellow trainers out there that would appreciate some advice from a trainer of your standing.

Chris: No they don’t! (lol) Seriously, a good portion of the time I just wing it.

 

PHAR LAP: If you could pass on one piece of advice, what would that be?

Chris: Patience!!! Patience!!! Patience!!!

 

PHAR LAP: Here we go Chris, jockeys!!!  Great people, but they can be a real pain in the backside sometimes. Do you call the shots or let them ride their own race?

Chris: Very good question Phar . When I first started playing this game I never touched the jockey settings. Really had no idea what they did so I stayed away! Now, I think it is best to let the jockey see what the horse does first time out then make the necessary changes after. I fiddle with the jockey settings on a lot of my horses now. I have realized now that I AM THE TRAINER/JOCKEY not the computer, so I get to training!!!!  

 

PHAR LAP: Do you pay big incentives to get the best jockeys?

Chris: I do not think any more than the “average” player.

 

PHAR LAP: Do you have a favorite Jockey?

Chris:  C. Mannion (NY)  J A. Mannion (PA)

 

PHAR LAP: All right Chris, let’s look to the future, have you any big goals you have set yourself?

Chris: My goals are based on how I breed that year. Some years I breed more turf based horses than dirt horses. But my #1 goal is always to win the Bluegrass Derby and then a Triple Crown winner. After that, I would have to say the Breeders Bowl Classic.

 

PHAR LAP: Have you any big races to win on your bucket list?

Chris: Yes, the whole bucket!!!

 

PHAR LAP: If I was new to the game or had a problem horse that had me stumped or needed some help, where would you recommend I go?

Chris: I would give you my advice and also recommend you to the Sim Chat room. You have many of great players in this game that hang out there that are more than willing to help anyone out. This is a great community as far as that goes. Everyone tries to help the next player out no matter what level you are at in the game.

 

PHAR LAP: Can you recommend any Horse Racing Movies or Documentaries?

Chris: I just recently watched Saratoga Warhorse on HRTV. Very good! 

 

PHAR LAP : Are any there things in the game you would like changed or improved on?

Chris: I do not like the new breeding prices to a mare you already own. But, as a person who puts in a lot of time running a residency, I understand Mike wants to be rewarded for his time and effort and I think he should be.

PHAR LAP: Well Chris, it has been a pleasure to chat with you, we have seen some new combinations in your breeding choices, which gives us all something to consider. I am sure our community will enjoy your thoughts and learn something from your experiences. Phar Lap and the Black Type Bugler thank you for your time and we hope success continues to ride with you.

 

GIDDEY UP from PHAR LAP  (gcliffo)