I took “the condition book” to mean claim a horse that has plenty of options at your particular circuit and has run speed figures/race times that suggest it will be profitable in those races.
If claiming a filly, it’s nice to have a pedigree strong enough to have some residual value or even more value as a broodmare or broodmare prospect. I worked for a bloodstock agent and my main job was finding black type fillies that could be competitive and earn back some of the claim price and then be put in foal and sold at Keeneland November or put into a regional program. Some were just retired without trying to earn anymore - those actually made the most profit. Just another angle to think of.
And depending on the state and the mood they happen to be in, you may not be allowed to claim a horse unless you are stabled on the grounds and/or have run AND lost a horse via claim at that meet.
And then you have an 8 way shake for that filly. The horse population is low in the Mid Atlantic area, and when a good claim comes up, EVERYONE wants it.
There are people who don’t understand the importance of the condition book. They pretend that you have to be one or the other - taking good care of the horse OR operating your barn as a business with the intent and ability to earn money for your owners and yourself. As I said earlier, there are very good horsemen who don’t make it as race horse trainers because you need to do both. And there are some very average horsemen who do very well because they have a knack for finding horses with conditions that can make the owner some money. And there are some very good horsemen who are doing well and understand the subtleties of planning a schedule for a horse and execute it.
I agree with Palmbeach, the condition book dictates what you should be claiming. Not much use in taking a horse you won’t be able to run. Of course the health and welfare of the horse plays into it as well.
I hate to take horses off bad caretakers, sometimes there is just too much to fix. And you sit on the horse for several months.
