Wow

[Sparc Stables]

Wow i just counted my horses i lost 30 horses to claims already anyone else having this problem ?

[Fog City Racing]

Errrr

Well I had a dozen or so claimed, but I have lost about 2 dozen to the butcher this season.

[Ryan Express]

Wow i just counted my horses i lost 30 horses to claims already anyone else having this problem ?

I've lost 22 since May 1st. And more to come.

[Maritime Madness]

Not me,,,, when you go 3 for 55 no one wants your stock

[Aquaman Stable]

Wow i just counted my horses i lost 30 horses to claims already anyone else having this problem ?

Russ - I don't see that as a "problem". It should be motivation to try and replace your stock with horses who can compete equally or hopefully better than the horses you lost. When I lose horses, their stalls won't stay empty very long.


Aquaman

[Polaris Bloodstock]

In Australia we dont have Claiming races (there are a few in harness racing) in the gallops.Ive always been reluctant to nominate in claiming races if i liked the horse and horses have sat in limbo for a long time in my stable.Having said that,i do understand that claiming races are far more important in the U.S.A than here downunder and this is reflected in the DD program (i think).I reckon we have way too many claiming races here and not enough races to work your horse through his/her classes...but that may be an aussie point of veiw.Aquaman has claimed a few of mine and good luck to him.As "The Waterboy" says in his above post we should all be trying to replace our losses with better stock....if we thought they were above average horses we wouldnt be putting them in claiming races.Also a note on Russ having his horses claimed a lot,i reckon that Sparc stable has such a high level of respect here that people make claims on his based solely on that fact.I know that i ALWAYS check out ANY horse from Sparc that i see in a claimer because Russ has always had a far superior breeding program to mine and so his stock must surely be better than mine.....that's the Polaris theory.

[Aquaman Stable]

I actually think it's funny when people get all bent out of shape because someone claimed their horse in the real world and especially with DD.

I claimed a horse for $12,500 in the "real world" back in 1989, and the lady we claimed it from was screaming and crying at our groom who was with my horse at the test barn after the race. I thought it was comical...it's not like we stole the horse from her.

If you ever wonder why guys like Steve Asmussen and Scott Lake win so many races, it's becuase they continue to turn over their stock.

Trainers with a low win percentage and who rarely have horses claimed from them are obviously running their horses in the wrong spots.

Like I've told GLL in the past, it's "Nothing Personal, Strictly Business".

I have the utmost respect for the majority of players here with DD, but it won't prevent me from claiming your horse. People claim mine all of the time.


Regards,
Aquaman

[Fog City Racing]

Targets

Some stables enter stock without working them through all the adds, or don't send horses to the vet. If I see one of those run halfway decent I will claim it and work it through. I have had some pretty big wins- including (sorry Boris) Green River Utah who improved over 1 full second with adds and went from $2 claimer to open allowance horse. I have also had several that were well bred, didn't improve, and wound up on the scrap pile. It can be a crapshoot, but I do tend to target the stables that I know don't try all the combos or use the vet.

[Getting Lucky Lodge]

As Shane said, it doesn't happen in Australia except for the odd harness race and even those are only for a thousand bucks or so.

Racing in Australia is mostly weight handicaps. The weights are allocated by the track secretary (or similar) based on his/her assessment of each horses previous races (by class, prizemoney etc.). This stops the Stakes or higher graded horses dropping down for easy pickings unless they want to carry a ton of bricks around the track.

With DD running every day, it would be impossible to come up with a fair weight allocation system for each race as it would be too time consuming. I guess there could be an automated system based on certain criteria but I am sure it would have loopholes which could be fully exploited by stables.

Prior to my joining DD, claiming was a new concept for me. I believe it is a necessary part of the game. It can be tactical as well as challenging dropping horses into claimers thereby having the option of Starter Allowances for the rest of the season (non-claiming). Players like Aquaman keep the larger stables (including GLL) 'honest' by being careful not to drop something decent too low too quickly.

Unless DD changes to an Aussie system (class/weight) which will never happen, then claiming is the best way to keep the game competitive IMHO.

Norm

[Circle High Stables]

I've had 4 horses claimed so far this year, and 21 lifetime (yeah, I admit I have a spreadsheet for that too). I found the best way to build my stable was through claiming horses in $2-5 claimers. They were good for building experience, and like Kelly said, sometimes the other owner gives up on a horse too quickly and the horse flourishes under new ownership. I actually had that happen to me (on the wrong end) with Daytona Speedway - I was thrilled to get $30 for a claimed horse, but didn't know Falcon was going to turn him a multiple stakes winner. I don't feel too bad about in since I got him for a $1 in an auction.

Never bothers me if someone claims my horses; I wouldn't put the horse in the race if I feared losing it. Also, I look at it like others do here -nothing personal, just part of the business.

Craig

[Sparc Stables]

I am not afraid of losing them its just that a get a lot of horses claimed from me .Its a bit of a pain starting off with 90 horses and with in weeks your down to 60.I know its part of the game i was just wondering if anyone else is losing this many ?

[Getting Lucky Lodge]

Not sure what you're getting at Russ. We have lost quite a few this season but probably not as many as you. After a few workouts/races we assess our horses in a certain grade. If another stable assesses them higher than we do and claims them, then good luck to them. I highly doubt that it is a vendetta against Sparc Stables, just that other stables, whether right or wrong, see more value in the claims. I am certain that Rory could argue with you about the numbers he has lost so far in claims. Seems to me every horse he enters in claimers, changes hands.

I just noticed that we are going to lose another 2 (at least) today. Sometimes I think it would be easier for GLL to send Aquaman an inventory of all our horses with suggested grade and he can select them beforehand

Norm

[Bald Farm Inc.]

claiming

I have lost more this season as well. Some I hated to see go, but I think when you enter horses where you think they can win, they should get claimed from time to time. I know when I was getting started it was much easier to claim then to try and breed. I take it as a compliment to my stable when someone values a horse of mine. It seems that some stables would rather claim then breed. Breeding is more of a crapshoot. I have claimed some of yours from time to time Russ, because I feel you have nice bloodlines and runners. Claiming seems to keep the game going.

[Sparc Stables]

LOL not a rant just talking.I am suprised how this took off lol.No real point.

[Aquaman Stable]

I just noticed that we are going to lose another 2 (at least) today. Sometimes I think it would be easier for GLL to send Aquaman an inventory of all our horses with suggested grade and he can select them beforehand

Norm
__________________
Getting Lucky Lodge


Hey Norm - Only an idiot like me would spend 5 K for a horse that is 1 for 21 lifetime. Yes, those are my claims tonight!

Like a marriage...I accept the consequences, for better or worse.


Aquaman