GRADE 3 NEXT SEASON

GRADE 3 NEXT SEASON


We are happy to announce an exciting and significant enhancement for the beginning of next Season, being the introduction of Grade 3.

Grade 3 has been one of the most important enhancements requested by members, so we are excited that we can now deliver it.

Most importantly we believe that growing the population of new players is essential if we are to grow the base of the game. A constant flow of new players into the game is necessary to grow field sizes and sponsorship opportunities for the benefit of all players.

Grade 3 will be structured so as to promote Graded racing. Grade 3 will once again profile Graded racing directly from registration and should drive a lot more racing activity through to Grade 2 and Grade1.

As recommended by many members, Grade 3 will offer less racing variety than Grade 1 and Grade 2. Horses will run over just 4 distances and on 2 tracks. The race categories will also be limited to Maidens, Novices, C, B and A Divisions. In so doing we aim to keep it simple for newer stables to understand. Stables will be able to run frequently at this level providing maximum entertainment. Over the next season you will also see improvements in the way the site helps Newbies and encourages more racing activity.

The Mechanics of Grade 3…

· All Grade 1 horses remain unaffected. The Grade 2 horse population will be split into two, Grade 2 and Grade 3, at the Class D mark.
· Grade 2 Class D’s become Grade 3’s from the start of the new season i.e. 1 December 2009.
· The introduction of Grade 3 will NOT result in any changes to the sales ring.
· Grade 3 offers 4 distances only, i.e. a Sprint (1200), Classic (1600), Classic (2200) and Stayer (2850).
· 2 tracks only – Races will cover the variety of goings on 1 turf track and 1 dirt track.
· There are 5 Grade 3 race Categories i.e. Maiden (0 Wins) $0.50 entry, Novice (0-2 Wins) $0.50 entry, C Division (2-4 Wins) $1 entry, B Division (4-7 Wins) $1 entry, A Division (7+ Wins) $2 entry.
· Training of Grade 3 horses will follow the Grade 3 racing format, i.e. three distances and two race tracks.
· The 500 runs awards do apply to Grade 3 amounting to $0.07/race. The 50 Wins award does not apply.
· Stabling fee rebates apply in the same way they do to other Grades at $0.50/race.

How does this affect you as a current Grade 2 Class D owner?
· Overall we envisage many more races and much larger fields in Grade 3 races. It is also expected that far less time and energy will be taken for you to find suitable races to take part in – Essentially greater reward and entertainment value.
· Your Rated Racing structure in Class D’s will follow the Grade 3 format i.e. four distances and two race tracks. This should amount to greater fields and more frequent races that suit.

The Plus’s to Grade 3…
· Grade 3 is a far simpler and easier format to understand and provides a base from which to advance to the more competitive Grades.
· Grade 3 provides a natural progression through the Game for a new player starting up his or her stable.
· Everyday Fun racing with Free and cheap races allowing novices to readily get involved and participate while simultaneously developing their Game skills and knowledge.

Further to Grade 3, we have done a lot over recent months to enhance the games systems to cope with increased volumes and more enhanced game features. New game features can now be introduced on a more regular basis. We also endeavour to communicate future game plans with members in advance and do encourage feedback from all members to improve the game for all.

Next season is certainly going to be very entertaining with a whole lot more racing opportunities. We are very excited about the coming racing seasons and hope that all members will share this excitement with us! Racing is what it is all about and we aim to deliver. We will amalgamate all member sentiments and questions in this respect on this forum thread and then update the community accordingly, once a day.