Just curious and though I’d ask the racing collective…
To me, the cheaper claiming races like $5k or $10k make sense but what is the reasoning behind putting a horse in for an “expensive” tag, say $50k or $75k (or are tags that high usually an optional claim so you can run for the condition without the risk of your horse being claimed?)
Good horses that are running in allowance company get to the point where they’ve used up all their “conditions”. (eg “non-winners of a race other than maiden, claiming or starter”, “non-winners of 2 races other than…”). If they cannot be competitive in stakes company then the only option is to run them for a tag.
That doesn’t mean they are cheap horses or that their connections are willing to lose them. It’s just that they are out of other choices. If you’re winning races, you can’t run in allowance company indefinitely. At some point, you must go either up or down.
[QUOTE=LaurieB;8719898]
Good horses that are running in allowance company get to the point where they’ve used up all their “conditions”. (eg “non-winners of a race other than maiden, claiming or starter”, “non-winners of 2 races other than…”). If they cannot be competitive in stakes company then the only option is to run them for a tag.
That doesn’t mean they are cheap horses or that their connections are willing to lose them. It’s just that they are out of other choices. If you’re winning races, you can’t run in allowance company indefinitely. At some point, you must go either up or down.[/QUOTE]
Very good explanation. I’ll add it also opens the door to run in “Starter Allowance”. Which are are “allowance races” that are written for horses that have run for a tag.
The conditions of a Starter Allowance will state open to horses that have run for X claiming price or lower. So a horse that is competitive running say $75,000 claiming can not run in a Starter Allowance that is open to horses that ran for $35,000 claiming. It’s kind of a “handicap” using the value of the horse instead of weight.
There can be any number of “conditions” other then just the last claiming price. You got to read the condition book closely it can be very cryptic to the average owner/fan. Racing Secretaries can be or have to be very creative at times.
In addition to allowance and or stakes the only other opportunity besides claiming in this country are Handicap races also.
Thank you 
(I knew there was more to it but on the outside looking in was hard to see).
If a horse has “used up all their conditions” in allowance races and has to move to the claimers, do they have to run for a tag or just in the race with a no-claim option?
Another question then.
When I have my never-started horse, do I start in the allowance races until either the conditions or performance either require moving to claiming races or justify moving to the stakes? Having never paid attention, are there handicaps for 2 year olds or just various conditions for 3 years and older (i.e., 3 yo only vs 3 and up or 4 and up).
Here’s the latest Woodbine Condition Book. You can get an idea here on all the different types of races that get written.
It is probably the nerd in me but I find condition book chess fascinating and well worth the effort to study at your local track. You get an insight as to what is really going on and the best trainers and the smartest owners are condition book masters.
There are roughly 4 large categories of horses to be accommodated in any book: maidens, straight claiming, winners with conditions (allowance), and stakes horses. There is also a lot of overlap (maiden claiming, starter allowance (claiming horses not in for a tag in a special race called a starter) and optional claimers (allowance races if the horse meets the conditions otherwise the horse must run for a tag).
Generally the career of a good not great horse follows this trajectory–maiden special weight to allowance (NW1. NW2, NW3 or possibly optional claimer). Pass all of those hurdles (and they may change based on different racing secretaries) and your horse is out of conditions. Then you have two choices–stakes or claiming. If the horse started for a tag in the past, you may be eligible for a starter allowance. Stakes horses are few and far between and stakes horses themselves don’t stay at that level forever. That leaves claiming and some of those “cheap” claiming races is where you have veterans who have won 10 times-- they are tough as nails and probably better than an average NW1. That may be the biggest disconnect in racing, that “cheap” horses can be good horses. They are not all just cripples but they have run out of conditions where, chiefly because of age, they can be competitive.
It depends on how the races are written. Optional claiming races still usually fall into the same conditions of NW1, NW2, NW3, etc. Normally they’re written along the lines of “non winner of two races OR claiming price of xxx.” It all depends on how the races are written, though… not every track is identical.
When I have my never-started horse, do I start in the allowance races until either the conditions or performance either require moving to claiming races or justify moving to the stakes? Having never paid attention, are there handicaps for 2 year olds or just various conditions for 3 years and older (i.e., 3 yo only vs 3 and up or 4 and up).
Your never-started horse will begin in maiden races which are for horses who have never won a race. They fall into two categories: maiden claiming or maiden special weight. Maiden claiming horses are obviously running for a tag and often for a smaller purse than maiden special weight races, which have no claiming. Usually ability shown during training (or previous races) is how you determine which of the types your horse will start in, with more seemingly talented horses (likely to go on to ALW/stakes) starting in the MSWs and lesser competitors running in the MCs. Although there are WAY more MSW races written than stakes/allowance races, so it’s not a perfect split and I’m very much oversimplifying. Many other factors are at play, such as state-bred restrictions, value of the horse, etc.
Many horses’ entire careers are just trying to get that M win. They often say when a horse breaks his maiden, he loses his best friend… because it can be difficult to find races for the average joe racehorse where he can be successful enough to pay his bills after breaking his maiden.
Most horses go into claiming races after they break their maiden. The majority of races written at every racetrack in North America are of either the maiden or claiming variety. The more talented horses will either move into allowances or stakes races, which are fewer and farther between.
Start reading the condition books for different tracks. They are all available for free download through Equibase or on the race track’s websites. No two tracks are identical, though. The purse structure can vary dramatically and will dictate the quality of the horses more than the type of race alone. For example, a claiming race at somewhere like Del Mar will never have a purse below about $18K, while if you go up the coast to Emerald Downs, their allowance races rarely have a purse above $18K. If you bring an allowance horse from Emerald Downs down to SoCal and try to run in allowance races, he will likely be very well beaten and may not even be able to hack it in claiming company.
Hope this long, rambling post addresses some of your questions!
Texarkana, thank you for your detailed answer.
I didn’t realize the condition books were available (yay, free ). I’ll have to poke a bit just to understand it a little better.
Yes, I can see the challenges the track secretary has in writing conditions for races to fill the race.
And yes, I know that a horse that runs well at, say Emerald Downs or Pleasanton, might just get their booty kicked at SA or DM (and same with the east coast horses).
Pronzini nailed it. The best trainers and owners are condition book masters.
When I was about 16 I was walking hots for a very famous trainer and very famous owner in Saratoga. I used to hear the owner ask the trainer to explain “why that race, and not that one”. The trainer just couldn’t explain. I could overhear the frustration in each of them. A couple days later the trainer was replaced. The change got headlines as that trainer had trained for the same family for quite a while. The new trainer did a better job translating the condition book and the owners were happier.
This thread has already helped me understand it better. Get yourself some conditions books, you can download them on line, and study the nuances. I’ll tell you, there should be a degree of some sort for mastering this.
Oh, and just to make it more fun: I get regular alerts by text of “change” to the condition books!
And don’t forget the “claiming price less than $X not to count.” In this area, you are working off up to 6 different condition books at some times, and you can find these crazy paths through the conditions where you can win 3-4 races before you run out of conditions…
So, haven’t downloaded a condition book yet (debating on which track to start with ).
If you are looking at 6 different condition books, thats one book per track?
[QUOTE=Where’sMyWhite;8723487]
So, haven’t downloaded a condition book yet (debating on which track to start with ).
If you are looking at 6 different condition books, thats one book per track?[/QUOTE]
Mostly, but they don’t usually write one condition book for the entire meet, they keep coming out with new ones.
You really trying to make my head hurt? 
But at any one time, only one condition book in play for an individual track? Then superseded or the new condition book picks up where the old one left off?
Yes, I should probably just pick the track and look
Any recommendations on a good track for this? I think Santa Anita, Belmont, Gulfstream might be winding down their meets (Pimlico is done).
Saratoga should be out soon, if it isn’t already.
[QUOTE=Where’sMyWhite;8724339]
You really trying to make my head hurt?
But at any one time, only one condition book in play for an individual track? Then superseded or the new condition book picks up where the old one left off?
Yes, I should probably just pick the track and look
Any recommendations on a good track for this? I think Santa Anita, Belmont, Gulfstream might be winding down their meets (Pimlico is done).[/QUOTE]
Condition books are calendars with the races offered to enter a horse in on each individual day so it’s not so much that one supersedes another as it runs through he dates listed and moves on to the next dates. Any track to look up will be fine, I would pick whichever is closest to you.
[QUOTE=Where’sMyWhite;8724339]
You really trying to make my head hurt?
But at any one time, only one condition book in play for an individual track? Then superseded or the new condition book picks up where the old one left off?
Yes, I should probably just pick the track and look
Any recommendations on a good track for this? I think Santa Anita, Belmont, Gulfstream might be winding down their meets (Pimlico is done).[/QUOTE]
Did you look at the Woodbine condition book link that I included in my earlier post? It’s even got our ‘Euroturf’ races.
I took a peak at SA’s condition books and forgot Saratoga is coming up. That might be fun one to check out.
Laurierace, my closest track is Turf Paradise and we are so done for the summer
In just a quick glance at SA, I can see that you need a degree to read them (or rather wade through them to figure out which is the “best” race for the average (i.e., not stakes/handicap) horse.
You guys are great!
[QUOTE=Where’sMyWhite;8720502]
Thank you (I knew there was more to it but on the outside looking in was hard to see).
If a horse has “used up all their conditions” in allowance races and has to move to the claimers, do they have to run for a tag or just in the race with a no-claim option?
Another question then.
When I have my never-started horse, do I start in the allowance races until either the conditions or performance either require moving to claiming races or justify moving to the stakes? Having never paid attention, are there handicaps for 2 year olds or just various conditions for 3 years and older (i.e., 3 yo only vs 3 and up or 4 and up).[/QUOTE]
To add a bit to Tex’s well written explanation of things.
The horse will dictate what type of maiden race to start with. A good trainer will/should know if the horse is MSW (Maiden Special Weight) caliber or not based on how it trains and its works leading up to its first race.
The value of the horse based on pedigree, and the cost of getting it into the gate is irrelevant leading up to that point. We hope that our horses will show enough open in MSW. Or high level claiming.
If it does based on the quality of the field and how the horse runs, be it in the first 3 or the last 3 will determine what “kind” of race it should run in next to be competitive.
I train any horse that I breed and or bought at my farm. From the ground and on its back. I am lucky to have access to some very good riders who’s opinions I respect. If there horse/s don’t show me enough to feel they should be competitive in MSW or high level claiming I pull the plug/expenses and point them in a different direction. At the most if they show me a bit of “spark” I send them to the track to see another card. But I tell the trainer I do not want to put a lot of training money into them. When they get to the track they are fit and ready to roll/work not long after.
If their works are moderate, low level claiming types they come home ASAP. Bad money management if the horse has to open in $10-$20,000 claiming. If they show any kind of form they will get taken in the first couple of starts. Besides the purchase/breeding expenses it cost around $3,000 a month to train.
The average owner can have over $20-$30,000+ in training expenses before a horse’s first start. If it has to open in $15-$20,000 Maiden claiming and runs a decent race it will get taken in the next start. Even if it wins and gets taken the owner will most likely lose a lot of money. Bad money management in most cases. I just suck it up and cut my loses and keep them at my farm, re-school and sell.
There’s an old saying among trainers, there’s 2 things owners hate to hear, “their children are ugly and their horse is slow”. Good trainers will tell an owner what they need to hear not what they want to hear.
Another is “the worst owner is an owner with a condition book”.
But I don’t subscribe to another old saying, “treat an owner like a mushroom, keep them in the dark and feed them sh*t”. But trainers should/need to make the process fun and educational. They need/have to make losing fun, winning is always fun.
I know how to train, I could easily get my trainer’s license, I know how to read a condition book. But I rarely do. When I send my horses to a trainer I leave it up to them. That’s what I am paying them for.
I am not saying don’t read/learn about the process. A good trainer, especially these days should be happy to answer/educate an owners questions. Just remember there are only so many hours in the day and we as an owner are only one of many in a good trainers barn. So “pick” your spots.
That being said if a trainer is not a bit generous with his/her time, is blowing you off move the horse to someone who is more “fun” to work with AND write a check to. Win, lose or draw.
That’s the way I see and what I advise people when asked.
gumtree, thank you for the additional thoughts and how you decide. I am neither a trainer or owner (nor really do I want to be ) but was interested in the ‘what was going on’ aspect.
If I was an owner, I would certainly let the trainer pick the races although it would be nice to know what they’re deciding before post time. I would think even a graded stakes winner I would let the trainer decide but at that level maybe a smidge of input on my part.
So curious and fun to learn from those who actually work with this either in the past for a living Reading the dictionary definitions is part but actually speaking the language goes for a lot.
Closest I got was (and still own) a TB with no lip tattoo but nominated to the Breeder’s Cup I suspect for her (and I love her dearly) running was far too much work for her 
Higher level claiming races offer opportunities for the non stakes horses. Since no secretary I know has ever written a race for “Non winners of 6 other than…” the claiming ranks are the way to go if a horse is out of conditions.
Most “optional claimers” are written like this: “non winners of 2 races other than maiden, claiming or starter OR claiming price of $30k” If the horse has won more than 2 races “other than” then he can only enter for the tag. Contrary to popular thought, those horses that are in for the tag are often better racehorses than the ones in under the condition.
“Starter” races are usually open to horses which have run for a pre determined tag at a certain point. (“Open to horses which have started for a claiming price of $20 or less since Jan 1st 2015.”) If you have a stakes quality horse that happened to have been in for a tag in that time frame, you are eligible. Some trainers are willing to drop maidens into fairly low claiming races so that they become eligible for starter races. Since cheap maidens are rarely claimed from their debuts, it’s often a risk worth taking.
In NY, they often combine starters with other conditions like “started for $20k AND never won 2 races” so they are pretty much assembling horses that broke their maiden for $20k or less. They also combine starters with optionals where there is an allowance condition (NW2x) or a claiming tag ($30k) and/or the requirement that the horse had run for a certain tag before.
The purpose of the claiming race (and all conditions, really) is to create a competitive race with a full field. The idea is to match horses with others of similar ability. The horse that can win for a $40k tag might crush a field of $30k horses, but you’d probably lose him. OTOH, he’d be unlikely to handle the $50-60k crew who are just a notch better. It’s expensive to keep horses training without WINNING races. At most venues the winner gets about 60% of the purse and runner up and third get 20% and 10% respectively. That is a huge gap, so you can see why a barn needs to win. The trainer’s job is to assess the competition and determine at which level the horse has the best chance to win.
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