TVG Fantasy Tips

Here are some tips which you may find useful for playing the TVG fantasy game. I had intended to write a few tips in January for the readers here but I didnt know that I would be first overall in this competition at the time. I'd love to win this contest but I do not expect to remain in first beyond this weekend. If I cant win I think it would be awesome for someone who reads this to win.

Make use of all your trades - You dont get points for loyalty. Make sure that every horse in your stable is expected to run during that month.

Pay special attention to the races run during the Add/Drop period - A quirk in the rules allows you to take full advantage of races run on the 2nd or 3rd of every month. You are allowed to fill your stable on say Jan 1st then replace them after they have run, as long as you do it before the deadline on Jan 5th. But be careful not to get caught. You cannot pick up the horses too late, nor can you drop them too early. You cannot get points for a horse unless you have owned them for a full day prior to thier race. In other words if your horse runs on Jan 1st you must own him on Dec 31st in order to score points. Also in order to keep the points a horse earns you must keep them for 2 days after thier race. So if a horse were to run on Jan 4th you cannot drop him on Jan 5th. So essentially what I'm saying is this.

Look at the stakes races run on the 2nd and 3rd of every month and fill your stable with those horses on the 1st of that month. Then drop them all and get horses for the rest of the month on the 5th. This way you will maximize your point earning potential.

Have patience - In order to maximize your potential, trades have to be made at the right time. Wait for that time. Also every stable is transparent in this game. If you want to keep your strategy as hidden as possible dont make your trades until near the deadlines.

Do not spend too much time on trainers and jockeys - This game will be won or lost by the horses. The way I figure if you get 5 stakes wins from 2 trainers in a month you're going to be doing excellent. But that only equals 10 points, or the same as finishing 3rd in an E class race (Non-graded $75k+).

With your #1 trainer take a big stable who runs on a circuit with a lot of stakes race and with at least one star who is scheduled to run that month. With your second pick simply take any trainer who has a heavy fave in any stakes race. Remember for trainers and jockey's a listed race is worth the same as a G-1.

Do not understate the risk of time - This is horse racing, stars come and go like the weather. Always prefer a horse who is racing this week as opposed to a horse racing next week

Keep good records - A key to success in this game is knowing who is going to run in what races. When you read the DRF, Bloodhorse or a message board have a notepad or Excel sheet handy. Jot down horses who are mentioned and the races they are being pointed to.

Watch the entries and nominations - This is part of having patience but during the add/drop period wait as long as you can to see entries. This month the deadline is friday so you should be able to see exactly which horses are entered for many of the weekend stakes races. For races run later in the month you can often get the nominations. Go to the track's website and look them up. That will give you a better idea of who is running where.

Have more horses in G-1 stakes - This seems pretty obvious but a G-1 race offers 145 points. Finishing 4th in the race is better than winning an F class race. Make sure you spread the entries well for those races.

Best of luck to everyone, and remember if you havent already voted for the TCR awards visit this link!