WON: Breeders Bowl Turf(G1), Derby De English(G1), Adelaide Derby(G1), Sydney Derby(G1), Aslan Memorial Stakes (3rd Running)(G1), Owner's Stakes(G1), The Dubai Millenium(GB) Memorial(G1), The Seventh King Eddie Stakes(G2), The Ray's Sword Stakes, The LT. Daring Stakes
2nd: The Pennsylvania Marathon(G1)
3rd: Ark De Triumph(G1), Dynatango Field Handicap

In Memoriam

By- Snowchief

In 2004, two horses led the Sim in stakes wins. One is known to all by now: our Sim Horse Of The Year, Sunnybank Memorial. The other, however, is known only to a few...... and particularly to the residents of the Northwest Racing Circuit. M.R. King Dancer, a Kingmambo filly, won 10 stakes races last year, equaling Sunnybank Memorial's mark.

10 stakes wins -- quite a mean feat. Our champion Sunnybank Memorial won premier grades from Maine to Spain. He took the classic Derby De English, the Sim's equivalent of the Epsom Derby. Nicknamed 'Memo,' he penned a mighty story down under in the Sydney Derby. The drama came to full force won he lost the 'Ark de Triumph. And dreams came true in the 'great race': Sunnybank Memorial marked his 10th 2004 stakes win in the Breeders Bowl Turf, defeating superstars Allied Assault and Bristol Rovers.

But so did M.R. King Dancer -- she won 10 stakes races too. A battler in the listed turf distaffer ranks, she wasn't quite good enough for the big time. A vigorous schedule set by her trainer, Paul B (kingpony stable), saw her excel with more and more racing. She had her share of headlines: NWRC trainers voted her the "Horse Of The Month" for this past August. Paul B collected a homebred from the circuit as a prize.

M.R. King Dancer's trainer, Paul B, loved the NWRC. Most players call a residency "a residency", but not Paul -- he called it a "club." He was amazed at what he called "the club's family atmosphere." His son (also a Sim player) said a while back, "A couple of times I heard dad say, 'It's amazing how friendly people from all over the land can be.'" Paul would post contest ideas on the club's message board. He enjoyed the site's Poker Challenge and was an active participant. Paul also quietly wrote for the SimRacing Form a couple years ago. His track was Iowa, part of his beloved NWRC circuit.

Paul's son shared a story about his Dad last year. He and his Dad were on their way to a business meeting. They were a couple of hours early, so they stopped by a little league baseball field to watch a game in progress. One team of kids was getting beat pretty bad. Someone there told Paul B that that was because the team was made up of "leftover" kids. They had no uniforms and they lost all their games. Upon leaving the game, Paul B said that the leftover team looked like they were having fun despite being so far behind on the score board.

A week later, both father and son met at that same ball field. Those "leftover" kids were getting ready to play another match. The pair brought buckets of chicken and brand-new uniforms for every kid on that team. It was all Paul B's idea. "I have told this story all the time and never get sick of it, " Paul's son said. "Dad was always for the underdog and the little guy."

In 2004, the Sim marked time as of old. We renewed stand-by events such as the Sim Equinics, Breeders Bowl and Triple Crown. Billgulch extended the Sim's growth with RODOTS and RAFI. We saw new depth added to the game with the revamped YOSS and Nexis utilities. Great storydays like the DelPenn Championship and the ongoing GSR Racing Series continued in our Simosphere and the ladies had their just due with Ladysierra and Chilcoat's fabulous stakes stars. We welcomed new excitement with the Player Sites Webring and Down Under Racing. Beauty and plain fun came back to the Sim at the Sim Silks Page and rowdy Great Plains Residency. And we said goodbye to old friends like Iago's Forum and the SimRacing Form.

And on October 20th, 2004, we lost another friend when Sim gamer Paul B. (kingpony) died of a heart attack. He is remembered at bullfrogmb's Northwest Racing Circuit, and his name shall always remain on the site's "residents" page. His son, Paul Jr, continues to play his dad's Sim stables. "I wish more club residents could have got to know him," Paul Jr said in a post.

I wish I had gotten to know him better. I wish he could've read of his prize Sim horse and heroine, M.R. King Dancer, in this article alongside Sunnybank Memorial. Ten stakes wins, equal to that of the Sim's 2004 champion. Somewhere, Paul B is smiling on us.

A great Sim hero came to us in 2004 in sunnybank's 'Memo,' son of A.P. Indy, winner of the Breeder Bowl Turf, Champion 3YO Colt, and Champion Turf Horse. And, with him, we remember another great Sim hero, Paul B. His memory reminds us of the human faces behind these stablenames. Who are we behind these titles of anonymity? How are we different and how are we alike? What we share makes all the difference..... and we all share this game.

And because champions shall be crowned in this lovely game's allure, and the champion of all champions shall be crowned as we name our Sim racehorse heroes.........