BarnDog: BIG Knowledge and a Little Controversy
This article continues a series where I have interviewed some of the biggest names in the game. You will recognize the names and hopefully like me will gain some insight into what it takes to have a lot of stables and turn them into a winning syndicate. They all have a unique perspective on the ins and outs of running the really big farms. Our next owner may has been around for years and is known for thinking outside the box :
There won’t be many of you that won’t recognize the name of Barndog. During his years in the Sim he has been known as sometimes controversial but always knowledgeable and successful. He has our highest win percentage and ITM percentage so far in this series. He has always been innovative and is known for creating unique and fun contests as well as lots of research into what works for breeding. I know that in the past he has kept records of different sires results on different lengths and surfaces at all three levels of breeding. He also kept a record of how different grades of retired mares affected breeding outcomes. To some, he is kind of the “Mad Scientist” of breeding. He was the tireless administrator of what was once one of the premier residencies in the Sim, GLOBAL SIMULATED RACING, Here is Barndog’s interview to see if we can get some insight into what makes his stables tick.
*My first week in the sim was 1033, or May 19, 2001. I had two runners who finished 11th and 14th and I was hooked! LOL
I opened four stables fairly quickly so I could join up with ASR. I think I’ve gotten as high as 35 or 40 stables at one time, but some of those were prize stables for GSR. Now I’m at 27 and have no plans for changing that. (At press time, he recently added three more.)
Having more stables keeps me interested as it gives me the chance to have more Stakes runners. There have been times over the years where a few sat dormant for a bit though. The last five I opened were in September of 2005. (See paragraph above)
I’ve used a lot of tools over the years and I still use the Stable Tool, Super Sim Searcher, Lobo’s sire tool 3, JimJ’s Stakes Planner, and Coker’s 3d viewer.
I would say that I only play the Sim about five hours for the week, unless I’m doing some breeding research which can turn into much more.
When it comes to managing my stables, I use claims to keep the stables full, but I only claim about every other week. Mike’s new training page makes it very easy to train the horses, and I use Stable Tool for selecting jockeys.
When it comes to breeding, my strategy is about going after Graded runners. In the past I’ve bred a larger percentage of 3yo’s than most as the big sire breedings are cheaper this way. But now with my stockpile of good retired mares I’m breeding more 2yo’s. Since I use the sires that are in high demand this means early in the week breeding. Most of my breedings are done with bp’s, but I’ll be using more credits in the near future.
When Saturday rolls around, I watch all of my MSW, allowance, and Stakes races. It’s easier to remember how they performed after watching the race than just checking the results. Then I am better prepared to train them.
I would have to say that my biggest challenges are getting back to the Triple Crown races and winning a Breeder’s Bowl race. I’m always trying for that 12 furlong turf monster. All of that and adding to my 10 Grade1 wins.
I guess that my biggest thrill came from the best horse that I ever had, STORMY BLUFF II. When he won three straight Gradeds leading up to the Bluegrass Derby where he finished third it was an amazing time. He ended up with five Graded wins, four of those G1s and he had over $2 million in earnings.
A pretty straightforward interview here. I for one wish much future success to Barndog We still have a couple of more interviews to come and I think you will like those. They are some of the more “notorious” BIG Stable conglomerates and it proves to be interesting what they pass on to the masses. Stay Tuned!
Email your comments to pazjazz.btb@gmail.com I love to hear from you!
