BARGAIN BRED RACING SERIES & BREEDING CORNER

When I found my way to the sim one of the most attractive features to the game was the fact I could play for free. At that point of my life spending a few bucks on a game was out of the question so that meant building up my stables slowly. Bargain breds played a huge role in my early sim days. My first winner in the sim was part of the computer selected horses with my first stable by a sire named Rollin on Over. My first homebred winner was a bargain bred runner by Fort Wood and my first stakes winner was a bargain bred by Manzotti. I was absolutely sold on the greatness of bargain breeding and seemed to have a knack at breeding some nice bargain runners. Through those first couple of years as I progressively bred better and better sires, I always had a place or two in my stables for bargain bred runners.  

When the idea for this racing series got off the ground I was not quite sure how well it would go over with sim players. After all once one has played a while in the sim it is blatantly obvious to obtain sim glory one must invest in blueblood. I bounced several ideas off of Kingab, and Mike before rolling out the series and seemingly speak with them about the series each year. Their feedback, advice and support of the series has been absolutely invaluable, I have a great deal of gratitude for their contributions.  

The Bargain Bred Racing Series enters into its fifth year of competition. Each year the series has moved forward with added races and entertainment value. Last year the Bargain Bred Racing Series put on 32 stakes races and an additional twelve restricted allowance races for two year olds bringing us a grand total of 44 races restricted to bargain breds. This would not be possible without the support and participation by players who enjoy bargain breeding and racing. A special thank you for growing with the series, providing feedback and making this one of the things I look forward to the most in the sim.   

The 2008 racing season will be the first season in which year end awards will be handed out to our participants. The races where strategically planned so that divisions where easily defined to help make the selection process a little easier. The awards will officially take on the name “Bargie”. The Bargie ceremonies will take place next week as all the BBRS trainers assemble in Puerto Rico. The week will feature a couple of mile and a half races and dirt mile that is attracting quite a field. We also will run a few two year olds for a nice card of 5 races in celebration of the 2008 season.

Excellence Bargie 

I would like to take this time now, a week before the first Bargie Award ceremony, to reflect upon the bargain runners that really made the series. Had these awards been available during the first three years these runners would surely have won year end honors. They hold a special place in Bargain Bred Racing Series lore and thus should be recognized for their achievements. Now without further ado I present the first Bargie Awards to these special runners. The Excellence Bargie for out standing, trend setting performance in the Bargain Bred Racing Series races goes to …...  

Chance For Delta – (American Chance x Master Bill x Rudimentary)  

Bred and raced by Deltatiger, this filly showed she was special from the very beginning. She won the first four starts of her career which included two listed stakes. Chance for Delta would win the very first BBRS race for fillies and mares taking the first running of the Bargain Oaks. She would also add the Sugar and Spice to her resume later in her career but what really set her apart from other bargain runners was her total dominance of the Bargain Bowl Filly and Mare Sprint, which is now named in her honor. Chance for Delta won the first three Bargain Bowl Filly and Mare Sprints and is the only three time Bargain Bowl winner to date. 

 It was not like the division was not competitive in fact this division might arguably have been the best division in the series. Chance for Delta defeated fellow Bargain Bowl winner Standing Alone ( beat the boys in the 2005 Bargain Bowl). In her 2007 Bargain Bowl win when it appeared she was nearing the end of her career she beat Enthusiasm Spreads ( 2008 Filly and Mare Sprint winner), Back Road ( multiple BBRS wins, second in 2008 Filly and Mare Sprint), and Wu Jen ( 2008 Bargain Bowl Turf Sprint winner) who opted for the turf at the Bargain Bowl because of the strong competition in the dirt sprint.    

When it counted most she showed up, she never ran the big speed figure, she never blew the field away by multiple lengths, she just won. 

Hustlin Hoosier – (Finders Gold x Slew the Surgeon x Prospectors Gold)  

Hustlin Hoosier set the standard for excellence in the dirt route division racing for the Hoosier Empire. His career started off competitive at two and as a three year old he was placing in listed stakes races. He would win his first stakes race in the very first Bargain Bowl Classic. As a three year old he easily defeated his rivals winning by more than three lengths. As a four year old he continued to place in listed stakes even grabbing a listed stakes win before once again strutting his stuff in bargain competition winning the first Summer Classic by a length and a quarter over the very feisty filly Piebald Maze. He would keep it going taking his second Bargain Classic at the Bargain Bowl this time by two and three quarter lengths. 

In those first two years of competition he was untouchable in bargain competition. He continued to race during the third season of bargain competition however at five years old and forty career races he had lost a step and his competition had made up the gap. He would place in a couple of more BBRS races that year. He is still active and still running fairly competitively at age seven with sixty career races.

Pepe’s Pipes (Singingintherain x Iron x Slick Slew)

Pepe’s Pipes put together one of the better rags to riches stories in his four year old season helping to set the standard for the turf route division while racing for the Dundey Acres stables. Pepe had a late start to his career with just one start late as a three year old. He started off his four year old season by winning a $10k maiden claimer. He then opted for starter allowance competition and developed very well earning four wins and grabbed a fifth win in an entry level allowance race. Next time out he shocked the G3 King George field at 30-1 becoming a graded stakes winner. He would run fourth in the G1 Judgemont International before winning the first ever Bargain Arc. That win lead him into taking the Bargain Bowl Turf Classic by three lengths but his year was not done yet. Pepe once again took on G1 competition on Delpenn Champions day where he made every pole a winning one going from a $10k maiden claimer to G1 winner in a truly magical year.  

He crammed a lot of races in that one season and maybe that took its toll on Pepe. He would place again in the Bargain Arc but the 2006 season was not a real good year. Pepe would come back in 2007 and run a good race in the Bargain Turf Classic where he was just nailed at the wire by Ten Lost Pyramids. Having a graded winner run in the series and having him go from wins in the series to a grade one win really legitimized the competition within the series. Pepe’s Pipes brought a lot of excitement to those of us who participated in the series with his graded stakes performances.  

Over Highland – (Northern Passage x Andover Man x Highland Ruckus) 

Over Highland debuted in a $2k maiden claimer. She changed stables a couple of times before settling in the reems11 stable part of the Ace Stables. As a three year old and early as a four year old she bounced around mid to high level claimers making a pretty decent living racking up eight wins during that span. Her first stakes try was the very first Bargain Bowl Filly Turf. The race featured G3 winner Not a Moo Cow however the odds makers did not discount Over Highland. She would dominate the first running of the race drawing away to a two length win. She would finish that year with a listed stakes win.  

In the next season she raced mostly in stakes races and allowances adding another listed stakes win to her resume before the Bargain Bowl. She was coming into that race off a sub par race and she would face Not a Moo Cow again who had been pretty sharp winning the Bargain Princess and a listed stakes. Over Highland once again beat up on her rival in the Bargain Bowl again drawing away in the end to win by two lengths taking the first two runners of the Bargain Bowl Filly Turf. Over Highland came back for a chance to win three in a row having the lead into the stretch but could not hold on for a third straight settling for a second place finish. She was a force to be reckoned with in the division first few years rising to the occasion to over come her more accomplished opponent.  

Mainstay Bargie 

At this time I would like to also recognize a hand full of runners with the Mainstay Bargie. These runners have been there since the beginning and not only did they dance most of the dances, they collected wins and where factors to be dealt with in what ever race they entered. The Mainstay Bargie goes to….. 

Standing Alone – (Flight Forty Nine x First Albert x Standaan)  

This little filly started out on fire winning six of her first seven races for the Stretch Stables. Standing Alone was there for the first running of the Bargain Oaks but at a mile it was just a little too far for her liking. She continued running well as a three year old and opted to take on the boys in the Bargain Bowl Sprint. She went to the lead and never looked back grabbing her first BBRS win. As a four year old she continued running well adding a listed stakes race and then the first running of the Sugar & Spice defeating rival Chance for Delta. She would enter against the ladies in the next Bargain Bowl where she was contested on the pace and faded to third losing to her rival Chance for Delta.  

Age and racing seemed to catch up with her a bit as a five year old. She did not really slow down much as she was right there in taking on the boys and finishing third in the Broadway Sprint and losing by three quarters of a length to the boys in the Bargain Dash. This hard knocking mare is still kicking around the sim now at age seven and still running well.

Piebald Maze – (Maze Craze x Al Trui x Bold Reason)  

During the first three years of the BBRS Piebald Maze was a mainstay in the series. She began her career in a $20k maiden claiming and changed barns a couple of times before finding a home in the Jdoggtx stables. The first year of the series she showed up and ran in each filly race although not as competitive as she was capable finishing fifth in the Bargain Oaks, and pulled up in the Bargain Bowl Distaff finishing seventh.  

The next year as a four year she dropped down into a claimer then improved through starter allowance company, won her first allowance and used that as a launching pad to nearly upset the boys and more specifically Hustlin Hoosier in the Bargain Summer Classic where she ran second. She would then give the turf a try and ran third in the Bargain Princess. In much better form she would run well at the Bargain Bowl Distaff finishing second. She started the 2007 season on a high taking the Death Valley Distaff to start the year. She would finish second in the Summer Distaff, and run a solid fourth in the Bargain Bowl Distaff.  She has not yet retired but she has not raced in nearly a year. At 41 career races her better days are behind her but as many of these type runners have shown if they can get into good form again they seem plenty capable of competing.  

Shadowy Muff – (Shadow in the Dark x Al Mufti x Bucksplasher)  

As a three year old she bounced around the lower claiming races but did enter into the Bargain Bowl Filly Sprint. She was trounced in that race but the experience seemed to have an effect on her development. She went back to claiming races but with improved spirit. She worked her way through starter allowances, into entry level allowances and came back again for another try in the Bargain Bowl Filly Sprint, finishing sixth however she was only two and a half lengths from the winner in that race.  

It was as a five year old she really developed into a player on the series. She would run third in the Death Valley Distaff in her first legitimate start over a mile. She would beat the boys in the Broadway Sprint, and run second in the Sugar & Spice. The Summer Distaff was all hers as she won with an impressive speed figure. Going into the Bargain Bowl that year she opted for the Bargain Bowl Distaff but the mile and an eighth was just a little too far as she faded out of contention.  

As a six year old last year she was third in the Paint Brush, and won the Death Valley distaff at the beginning of the year. She would look for a repeat against the boys in the Broadway Sprint but finish fourth in a good performance. She would come back again in the Summer Distaff and run fifth only a length and three quarters from the winner. She would try the turf for the first time and finished third in the Tokyo Sprint in her final Bargain Bred Racing event. She turned in an outstanding career winning both sprints and routes in her time showing a very competitive nature.  

Heart Bargie 

I would like to also present one last Bargie. If I had owned and raced this horse I have to admit he would have frustrated the heck out of me and most likely ended up in a claimer. So one has to commend the patients of the Elenalag Stables in the handling of this runner. This runner is a main stay and I see him as just one of those horses that out runs his talent because of his heart. So I present the Heart Bargie to….

Clearance Clarence – (Storm of Indya x Northern Hal x Ask Clarence)  

With 24 second or third place finishes from 54 career starts it is obvious this guy was competitive for the Vimes stable. Clearance Clarence was a stakes placed runner going into the first running of the Bargain Arc. He would run third in that race and follow that up with a very solid second place finish in the Bargain Bowl Turf. In 2006 he would show his talent taking a listed stakes late in the year before entering the first Wombat Cup. He would finish second in the Wombat Cup missing by a length and a half. In his second Bargain Bowl Turf he would once again hit the board finishing third.  

2007 would see Clarence doing the same thing of earning checks in listed stakes and hitting the board most of the time. He participated in more races that year but was not him self in the first half of the year with a fifth place finish in the Hunt Turf Cup and a fourth place finish in the Kamikaze Mile. He would pick it up though grabbing a second place finish in the Bargain Arc and another second place finish in the Wombat Cup. Once again the Bargain Bowl Turf would produce another on the board run as he finished third.

2008 saw the seven year old finally starting to slow down a bit. He was still earning checks but not hitting the board with the same frequency. He was trounced in the Hunt Turf Cup but would come back later in the year for another Bargain Arc run where he would finish fourth. The questions where swirling about his status as age and races where catching up with him. None the less he was entered into the Bargain Bowl Turf for the fourth straight year. He was sixth in the early stages with a run away pace setter on the lead. He made steady progress entering the stretch but was in fourth place two lengths behind the third place horse. True to his nature Clearance Clarence found a little something extra and within a few yards of the wire got into third place. He placed in all four of his Bargain Bowl attempts and while he never won a Bargain Bred Racing event he was right there for all four years. The series is that much better because of his participation.  

The first four years have presented us with a lot of fun and many stories. I really appreciate the contribution of all the runners and trainers during the first years of the series. With out you there would be no BBRS. Hopefully this just adds to the excitement and intrigue of the series. The Bargain Bred Racing Series is open to any players in the sim.