Ranking The Best
Every so often, Sim players realize that the sim is merely a game – a hobby that is enjoyable, but takes a backseat in the priorities of life. Life sometimes gets in the way of the sim. Almost everyone playing has gone through or will go through it. Whether it’s one missed week, one missed month, one missed year, or a permanent goodbye, we all know the feeling (or will one day). The sim acts as a good “getaway” from reality, one that is significantly cheaper than a trip to the
I use this introduction to explain the two-week hiatus of the Speed Study Series. Thankfully, it was not a serious life event. It was merely a move from the summer life, at home, back to the work-filled school life at
Unfortunately, the simulated world does not enjoy people leaving it. It is not set up properly for abrupt departures. When someone takes a week or two off from entering horses, it is not a major factor. But if someone takes a month or more, it can be seen in the form of the horses. Horses that are Sharp fall to Ready To Go, and can’t be trained back until they get another race under their belt. Looking at the past performances, anyone can see a huge gap in a horse’s timeline. Disappointingly, these lost months/years may have contained the horse’s prime. A horse that has had 3 years off may never again return to the form he showed in his earlier career.
Another side effect of hiatuses from the Sim is that some of the amazing, terrific, awe-inspiring sim horses live on in Sim Limbo. Rbgstable, owner of still-active horse Joe Cayenne, has not entered a horse in a race since wekk 2446 (April 1, 2005). Only 3 of the nine started in a week later than 2400. Owner indy, controller of I Seek U, went out with a bang on week 2293, running 7 of his 10 horses for a final time on that date, October 30, 2004.
With that in mind, the Speed Study Series will take a look at the some of the top horses in each division. This list is completely subjective – while I will base my original list off of the Rankings, the “Top 10” won’t necessarily be the 10 highest ranked horses. Consider it a “Power Ranking” if you will. A hot horse may be ranked higher than one who was very good earlier in the year, but has cooled off, regardless of who has more stakes points. And of course, I will go into detail with some of the horses, looking at their season so far, and looking into their speed figures, as the study does so well. The three classifications are those in the sim – Sprinters, Classics, and Long. Each of these categories will combine both surfaces and genders into 1 list. In that case, each horse will be compared only to their own gender/surface for ranking purposes (so a turf mare could be ranked higher than a dirt horse, even though the dirt horse is faster, because the turf mare is much more dominant against her own class).
Confused yet? I know I am. But here are the power rankings as of August 21, 2006.
Sprinters
1. Explosive Storm (7 – Dirt Female) – This 5yo daughter of Storm Cat is owned by pjlracing, and the owner has done a good job of campaigning her. She is the hottest sprinter right now, having reeled off wins in her last 4, including the G3 Trail Mix Stakes and, most recently, the G1 Dancer Cap. In the latter, a 7 furlong NY event, she closed from nearly 11 lengths back halfway through the race and unleashed an unbelievable closing kick to win by 2. Her top speed figure in the 4 wins is a 112, which may be good enough to beat the boys. She is the most dangerous dirt filly right now, and doesn’t look to be slowing any time soon.
2. Looking For More (3 – Dirt Male) – gene’s 4yo son of Brahms has performed very well this year, up until his last race in the Smackdown challenge. A closer, he has won 4 of his last 5, coming from as far back as 10 lengths. Those wins include the G1 Sand Castle Golden Sprint, the KY Horsemen Elixir Sprint (G1), as well as a Grade 3. His incredibly consistent speeds range from 107 to 111 in the wins, as well as in the Pablo Verdes Handicap (G2), where he finished ½ behind the winner. He couldn’t quite close enough in his last race, finishing 5th, 1-3/4 back. But he still looks like he’s on top of his game, and is clearly a force to be reckoned with.
3. Pulling Strings (2 – Dirt Male) – danknight owns this 5yo son of Bestyoucanbe. There is very little separating him from the #2, except in the grades. He has also won 4 of his last 5, 3 of which were Grade 2’s, including the Bluegrass Sprint, Due North Stakes, and Sooner-Husker Stakes. His speed figures in the wins ranged from 106 to 111, although most races were fairly close. His front-running style is more appropriate for sprints, and he has more speed than most horses in the sim. It has been a full year since he did not have the lead at the first call. Even when pushed, he still manages to hang on to the lead. It’s only a matter of time before #2 and him meet, which will go down as an epic sprint battle.
4. Digital Overture (3 – Turf Male) – spelunker campaigns this 4yo son of Rahy, and has done a good job so far. His form looks a little inconsistent at first glance, but a closer look reveals a different story. He has won 3 of his last 4, including the Sydney Sprint (G1), The King’s Fall (G2), and most recently the Turf Sprint Smackdown II race. He has a stalking style that seems to suggest that he likes a slightly longer race, as he does not seem to have the same initial burst of speed that he used to show. He has also proven to not like the off-track. But he does what he needs to do, including earning a 110 SP in his Smackdown II win by ½ length.
5. Lake Bemidji (2 – Turf Female) – ajr15’s 4yo filly by Miswaki has shown a new affinity for route races in her previous 2 starts, and may find that she will be mostly competing out there from now on. But that doesn’t take away the fact that she is still a very qualified turf sprinter. She was in the money in all five of her turf starts this year, including a near-miss in the Frank Dettori Equinics (G1), and a 3rd place finish in the G3 Hyperactive Handicap. She has not pulled off a win in a graded sprint this year, but she has shown real consistency in her efforts, earning her this ranking. She has run between a 104 and 106 in every sprint this year, and is only getting better.
6. A.P. Rizz Kid (10 – Turf Female) – lordpye2
7. Hard To Handle (4 – Dirt Male) – zwylde
8. Night’s Desire (13 – Turf Male) – troy5
9. Gathering Momentum (6 – Dirt Male) – rascal
10. Digging The Grave (2 – Turf Horse) – zewango2
Classics
1. Seeking Sal (1 – Turf Male) – keryn owns the #1 ranked son of Seeking The Gold. If the record alone isn’t good enough (8:6-0-2 this year), you only need to turn to the speed figures to realize how talented this colt currently is. He has only had 1 “bad” race, a 103 speed 3rd place finish. In his last 5 wins, he has never run less than a 110 speed figure. Those wins include the Sand Castle Fee Duty (G1), I’m Back Again For Good (G1) and, most recently, the Eddie O Cap (G1), as well as a G2 and G3. He took the I’m Back Again For Good by 2-3/4, and the Sand Castle Fee Duty by 3-1/4. This guy cannot be stopped in the 9 furlong range unless he does something wrong. Right now, every race is his to lose. And so far, he hasn’t been getting in the way.
2. Cold Storage (1 – Turf Female) – We stick with the turf horses for this 4yo daughter of Victory Gallop, sent out by springtime. She has reeled off her last four, with winning distances running between ¾ and 2-3/4. In fact, in the 7 races she has run this year, she has a record of 5-1-0. But even more impressively, her five wins have come in Grade 1’s, while the losses have been lower levels. The wins include the Equinics, the Virgin Mary Stakes, the Ugly Breeders Bowl Distaff, the Rich and Famous Handicap, and the Yorkshire Oaks. She clearly likes competing at the top level, running speed figures of between 102 and 109 in her 5 wins. She is the hottest horse going right now between 9 and 10 furlongs, and she shows no indication of slowing.
3. Back In Your Arms (5 – Turf Female) – iant4 campaigns this 5yo daughter of Kingmambo. This may be an undeservingly high ranking, as she has yet to win anything higher than a Grade 3 this year. With that said, she is a winner of 4 of her last 5, including the Sure Will Cap (G3), the Breeders Bowl Game (G3), and the Smackdown II filly turf mile race. The speed figures, however, are what gives her this ranking. After relatively “slow” speed figures of 100 and 103 (off-track) to start the streak (with a collective 4 length win), she really began to pick it up. Back on the firm turf, she excelled, winning the Breeders Bowl Game by 1-3/4 with a 110 speed figure. To prove that it wasn’t a fluke, she went out again in the Smackdown II race and won by 1-3/4 again, this time with a 111 speed figure. She bounced slightly in her last, but still looks at the top of her game.
4. Wild Cat Tales (6 – Dirt Female) – The 4yo daughter of Tale Of The Cat is owned by champions4. She has been the hot horse lately, taking her last 3 races. The wins include a 107 in the Fort Lostinthewoods Misery Stakes (G3), a 110 in the Beer Pitcher Handicap (G2), and a 109 in the Go For The Gold Stakes (G1). She has won the three races by a combined 7-1/4 lengths, and excels in the 8.5-9f range. Her only downside may be that she has already run 9 times this year, but she appears to just now be coming into her own. She hasn’t quite done enough to warrant a top 3 spot, but with another win, she may be in the running.
5. Journeyman (5 – Dirt Male) – The toughest division means the least “dominant” horses, causing kiri’s 6yo son of Seeking The Gold to fall to #5 on the power rankings. He is unstoppable at 1 mile, going 4 for 4 in his career (and this year) at the distance. The wins include a 113 speed figure in the Barkley Handicap (G3), a 110 in the G1 Cosmopolitan Handicap, a 109 in the KY Horsemen Moonshine Mile (G1), and most recently a 114 on the good dirt in the Prims Memorial (G2). His deep closing kick has failed him in races too short as he runs out of room, and too long as he doesn’t have the stamina to last. But he is clearly the dominant mile dirt horse in the sim right now. The question is where it will lead him. A trip to the turf may be necessary, as he hasn’t run there yet in his career.
6. Rapid Grey (9 – Turf Male) – champions4
7.
8. Solar Song (2 – Dirt Male) – squirrel4
9. New Storm (2 – Turf Male) – coolerk
10. Otto History (3 – Dirt Female) – capsized
Long
1. Xtremely Gold (1 – Dirt Female) – Every so often a horse shows up in the sim who clearly towers over every other horse in the division. It’s the horse that scares the competition off, but deserves it, as he or she doesn’t lose. Grracers sends out the 5yo daughter of Touch Gold who fits this description. While long graded races are the toughest to find, especially on dirt, she takes advantage of the ones she does find. She is 6 for 6 on the dirt for the year, with 2 Grade 3 wins and 4 Grade 1 wins. In fact, no horse has even finished within 1-3/4 lengths of her in her 6 wins. Her speed figures in the wins range between 101 and 109, and they span both fast and sloppy tracks. She has actually won her last 8 dirt starts (dating back to last year), and looks to be better than ever now. She is not only good enough to beat the girls, but her races show that she is probably good enough to beat the guys as well. In fact, she has done it twice, in winning the iMedic.com (G3) by 3 on a sloppy track, and the KY Horsemen Whiskey Cup (G1) by 5-1/2. She is, by far, the most dominant horse currently running in the sim.
2.
3. Barb’s Adventure (5 – Dirt Male) – The 4yo son of Palace Music, campaigned by sprintbarn, may not seem all that impressive. However, when stretched out into the long division, this guy is unstoppable. He is 5 for 5 on the year in the long dirt division, and has won 6 in a row dating back to last year. Although it is hard to find races at these distances, this guy has made the most of his opportunities, winning by the coasttocoastam.com (G2) and the Carden Special (G2), with 107 and 106 speed figures, respectively. His only time under a 100 speed figure, a 99 in his last race in this division (3 starts back), he still easily put away the field and won by 3. The appeal for more graded stakes may have drawn this guy away from his best running distance, but that doesn’t stop him from being at the top of his game in this division. A horse can’t be penalized for the way they ran under non-optimal conditions, so he still draws the 3 spot on this list. When at 11 furlongs or higher, be scared of this guy.
4. Getaloadofthis (6 – Turf Female) – fab19 owns this 4yo daughter of Distorted Humor. Beaten by 3-1/4 in her last race, she pulled off 5 straight wins leading up to that defeat. She has run 8 times on the year with a record of 5-2-0. Her wins include the Sour Kraut Cup (G2) and the long turf filly Smackdown II race. Her two second place finishes occurred in the G2 Petunia Handicap and, most recently, in the G1 Brisbane Distaff. While her speed figures are generally lower than others on this list, that does not mean that she is not as good. The turf female division is generally the slowest, and she rarely had to work hard to achieve a win. He speed figures range between 95 and 105, although three of her five wins were by 4 lengths or more. She is certainly one of the top long distance runners out there.
5. Puppet Regime (8 – Turf Male) – wrecks2
6. Especially (1 – Dirt Male) – illbred
7. Rapid Grey (3 – Turf Male) – champions4
8. Estrogen (4 – Dirt Female) - tnilsson
9. Barb’s Return(GB) (8 – Turf Female) – 5heffsbarn
10. Pharao’s Tornado(IRE) (4 – Dirt Male) – stars1