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- |*| CLASS |*|
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-
- MR. EDD defines CLASS as the level of race the horse is
- running in. A horse is either running in today's race at
- the same level (CLASS) as his last race or he is Moving-Up
- or Dropping-Down in CLASS from his last race.
-
- To get a better understanding of CLASS and Class Movement
- read the information that follows the CLASS Factor grading
- list, below.
-
-
-
- When using the CLASS FACTOR grading list do not grade or
- consider any horse who has not won one race after their
- Maiden win or any foreign last race, these horses have yet
- to established their CLASS.
-
- Last race must be on the same type Surface
- and Distance (ROUTE or SPRINT) as today.
- *===========================================================*
- | SCORE ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING, WHEN APPLICABLE |
- |===========================================================|
- | |
- | Dropping: Won last race at higher level. 5 POINTS |
- | |
- | Dropping: Last race within 3 lengths of win. 4 POINTS |
- | |
- | Same CLASS today: Won last race. 3 POINTS |
- | |
- | Dropping: Last race within 8 lengths of win. 3 POINTS |
- | |
- | Same CLASS today: Last race within 3 lengths |
- | of win. 2 POINTS |
- | |
- | Dropping: Last race more than 8 lengths of win. 2 POINTS |
- *===========================================================*
-
- ********************************
- VARIOUS THOROUGHBRED CLASSES
- ********************************
- LEARN THE CLASS LEVELS TO RECOGNIZE CLASS LEVEL DROPS
- (see "MOVING DOWN (DROPPING) IN CLASS" below)
-
- o MAIDEN:
- A horse who has never won a race, can be either sex.
-
- o MAIDEN CLAIMING:
- A horse who has never won a race and is up for sale at
- a specified purchasing, claiming, price. (see CLAIMING)
-
- o CLAIMING:
- Participating horses are up for sale at a specified
- price. Horses may be purchased, claimed, before the
- race by any owner or trainer at the track.
-
- Levels, within this class, increase as the
- claiming price increases. Claiming prices
- normally ranges from approximately $10,000
- to $100,000 and can be higher or lower
- depending on the caliber of the horses at the specific
- track. Claiming prices are indicated the Daily Racing
- Form.
-
- o ALLOWANCE:
- Non-claiming race where conditions have been
- established for the horse's eligibility, example might
- be:
- "Purse $40.000. For fillies, three years olds,
- which are non-winners of $3,000 other then maiden
- or claiming..."
- Levels of allowance races, are normally based on the
- purse value of the race.
-
- o HANDICAP and STAKE:
- Normally these are the highest purse value races.
-
- Handicap races are where entrants are assigned
- weights, theoretically, to equal their chances of
- winning.
-
- Stake races are those in which the owners are,
- normally, required to post an entry fee. The track may
- add an additional sum of money to the purse.
-
- Graded Stake Races are those most prestigious races,
- as designated by a selected committee of associated
- horse owners and breeders. Grade Race levels are I,
- II, & III, in the order of their prestiges, not
- necessarily purse value.
-
-
- *--------------------------------*
- MOVING DOWN (DROPPING) IN CLASS
- *--------------------------------*
-
- When the claiming price, in Claiming races, or purse
- value, in Allowance races, as defined in the Daily Racing
- Form, is lower in today's race then it was in the last
- race, the horse is moving down in class.
-
- (EXAMPLES)
-
- T Claiming Allowance
- O Price Purse $44,000
- D |
- A |
- Y $20,000
-
- L/R ...xx xxx Clm 50000 xx ... ..xx xxx Alw 50000 xx...
- ...xx xxx Clm 50000 xx ... ..xx xxx Alw 50000 xx...
- L/R = Last Race
-
- - or -
- When a horse is jumping down in class; Stakes / Handicap
- to Allowance or Allowance to Claiming.
- (See class overlapping chart, below)
-
- *======================================================*
- APPROXIMATE CLASS OVERLAPPING CHART AT MAJOR TRACKS
- *======================================================*
- ~~~~~~~~~~
- HANDICAP
- & STAKE
- RACES
- ~~~~~~~~~~
- (and up)
- $375 K
-
-
- ~~~~~~~~~~~ $250 K
- ALLOWANCE
- RACES $150 K
- ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
- CLAIMING $80 K-------------> $75 K
- RACES
- ~~~~~~~~~~
- $150 K-------------> $50 K
-
-
- $100 K-------------> $45 K AT Minor Tracks, STAKE
- $80 K-------------> $40 K and H/C. races are
- normally ALLOWANCE
- $60 K-------------> $35 K or CLAIMING races at
- Major Tracks. Many
- ALLOWANCE and CLAIMING
- $20 K race values are below
- $10 K $10 K.
-
- NOTE: Charts are nonlinear. (K = $1,000)
-
- A few thousand dollars difference in the cheap claimers,
- below $20,000, is significant and is less significant at
- the, more expensive, upper class levels.
-
- Horses moving down in class are generally considered good
- bets, unless they are continually poor performers or their
- condition is suspect, because the competition is easier at
- the lower levels. This is especially true at the lower
- claiming levels, where, incidentally, it is easier to
- distinguish class level movement, up or down.
-
- *--------------------------------------------------------*
- Horses generally move down in class for one of two reasons
- *--------------------------------------------------------*
-
- 1. The stable is interested in selling the horse at
- today's claiming price. (may be a condition problem or
- just a poor performer for this stable)
-
- 2. The stable feels the horse has a good chance of winning
- the race and is willing to take the risk of him being
- claimed at today's, lower, claiming price.
-
- Remember the stable won't risk the loss of their horse
- being claimed at a lower price than it is worth, unless
- they think the horse can win at this new level. If the
- horse is claimed the seller hopes to makes up any loses
- by purse winnings in the race and betting profits.
-
- *--------------------------------------------------------*
- Class movement not always noticed by the average fan
- *--------------------------------------------------------*
-
- The symbol [S] (in a box) located in the DRF, Past
- Performance Line, before the race type / value, means the
- race was limited to horses foaled in a specific state.
-
- The symbol [R] (in a box) is used to indicate other types
- of restricted races, i.e., owners from certain state,
- sired by a stallions standing in a certain state, etc.
-
- Races with limited entries, such as above, are normally
- weaker races than those of the same value that are not
- entry limited. The handicapper should consider this fact
- when examining CLASS MOVEMENT, UP or DOWN.