Tricky, but not furlong - Tips and tricks for Kairosofts Pocket Stables

Pocket Stables is the latest business-management game from Japanese dev Kairosoft.

Sadly, it's the studio's weakest entry to date, though it's still worth a gander if you're seriously into your Kairosoft.

As I mentioned in my review, there's not a whole lot to it compared to past Kairosoft releases. That doesn't mean, however, that it's all easy peasy lemon squeezy.

This guide will help you on your journey to horsey-riding stardom. In it, I'll be detailing how best to train your fillies, and where you should be throwing your cash.

Here, then, are all the tips and tricks you'll need to gallop to the finish line in first place time and time again.

Know when it's time to put him down



Okay, so you can't actually put horses down in Pocket Stables. But that doesn't mean you should keep them around until their dying day.

When horses turn three years old, they hit their prime and can no longer be 'levelled-up'. You'll know this has happened when your horse's stats all have the word "MAX" underneath them.

With this in mind, it's best to buy a new horse when your first one is around two years old. This will give you enough time to train your new recruit up, enter it into the lower-tier races, and prepare the line of stallion succession. Out with the old, in with the new, you see. Harsh, but true.

Remember to always use new horses that you've unlocked, for these will be able to obtain higher stats than the horse that they're replacing.

Later on in the game, you'll need to have two - or maybe three - horses on the go at any one time to deal with the different types of track. Just use the above formula, multiply it by two / three horses, and you'll be fine.

Special training



Each day, you can put each of your horses through a set amount of special training.

This is essential for making sure they are fully pumped up by the time they hit their prime. So, don't forget to put them through the full amount of training each and every day.

Note that special training will cause fatigue, which is disastrous for races. However, you can spend special training points to "massage" your horse and lower the fatigue levels.

Make sure your horse never has a fatigue level higher than an eighth before a race or else its performance will suffer greatly.

And if the massaging isn't bringing the fatigue levels down enough, use items to reduce the levels even more.

The race is on



In a similar fashion to the regular training, you need to ensure that you enter one of your horses into a race every single day. I can't stress this enough.

Again, this is necessary for making sure that by the time a horse hits its prime, it's done enough to help you improve your ranch and enable the horse that succeeds it to progress even further.

If you don't enter a race a day, it's possible to get stuck in an awful loop. You'll keep buying new horses and training them up to the same point as the horse before them if you're not careful.

Remember, then: train constantly, race at every opportunity, and plan ahead.

Tactics and abilities



While you can't control your horse directly during a race, you can set the tactics it uses. These have different effects on the horse's performance.

"Early" and "Stalker" tactics will help your stallion to win the race more easily. "Front runner" and "closer" will make it harder to win the race, but will result in far more fame and attention.

The latter is important for long-term monetary growth, for it'll mean more visitors will roam around your ranch and spend more money on its facilities.

You'll also want to invest in upgrades to the various abilities of your stable of horses. Check the stats of each horse, look for deficiencies in certain areas, and boost the levels as appropriate. Simple.