Will someone explain what a claiming race is? I dont understand.

[Zippy Chippy]

I follow horse racing obviously but i never really understood what a claiming race means. I know it means people can claim the horse, but why would you want to sell your horse? I had a horse owner try to explain this to me last night but im completely lost. I always go by the amount of money in the race but never understood when they say, "This horse has 3 claims entered" Appreciate any explanations.

[DJofSD]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claiming_race

Post more questions to zoom in on the part of claiming races you want to understand better. For example, do you not understand why there are claiming races at all, or, what claiming races mean as a handicapper?

[Horseplayersbet.com]

I follow horse racing obviously but i never really understood what a claiming race means. I know it means people can claim the horse, but why would you want to sell your horse?
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Race horses are usually not considered pets. They all have a price. Sometimes the price is $500 and sometimes it is millions. Generally in North America claiming races range from $1500 to $100,000. The lower the claiming level, in theory, the easier the competition. If not for claiming prices, a sub par horse would have no chance to ever make money, let alone win a race.
For most owners, the idea of owning a race horse is to make at least enough money to cover expenses. IF an owner runs a horse for more than it is worth, they will have little chance to cover expenses.

I had a horse owner try to explain this to me last night but im completely lost. I always go by the amount of money in the race but never understood when they say, "This horse has 3 claims entered" Appreciate any explanations.
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3 claims entered means that 3 different racing outfits put in a claim for the same horse in the same race. The outfit that gets the horse is determined by something called a shake (which is similar to drawing straws).

[Cratos]

I follow horse racing obviously but i never really understood what a claiming race means. I know it means people can claim the horse, but why would you want to sell your horse? I had a horse owner try to explain this to me last night but im completely lost. I always go by the amount of money in the race but never understood when they say, "This horse has 3 claims entered" Appreciate any explanations.

Simply stated, claiming races (purchasing/selling races) are races that allow trainers/owners to sell or purchase horses to upgrade or disperse of their racing stock without going through the action ring. It should be noted that a horse can also be acquired or gotten rid of through a private sale.

The “number of claims entered” means the number of purchasers who want to buy a particular horse in the race. The “entered claims” are time dated such that there will not be any confusion about which trainer/owner entered the claim (purchase) first.

Also most racetracks if not all, require that a trainer/owner must have started a horse at the current meet before they can make a claim (a purchase).

A claiming race is made when the racing secretary of a particular track estimates the value of the racing stock at the track and write a set of race conditions with a price for a claiming race with a purse value; there can and normally are a range claiming races set by the racing secretary.

It is up to the owner/trainer to determine if their stock is valued correctly by entering or not entering their horse.

Claiming races are the backbone of racing; there are more claiming races in the nearly 50,000 races run annually in North American than any other class (allowance, stakes, etc).

[Zippy Chippy]

If you race your horse in a claiming race is it 100% that you HAVE to sell the horse? Is every horse in the race being "bought" or no?

Im wondering from a business point of view what it means . Not really from a bettors perspective

I just dont understand if you were all excited about getting your horse to run, why on earth would you put him in a claiming race and get rid of him???

[macguy]

If you race your horse in a claiming race is it 100% that you HAVE to sell the horse? Is every horse in the race being "bought" or no?

Im wondering from a business point of view what it means . Not really from a bettors perspective

I just dont understand if you were all excited about getting your horse to run, why on earth would you put him in a claiming race and get rid of him???


Just because a horse is entered for a claiming price does not mean the horse will be bought by someone else.

In the vast majority of claiming races, the horses all end up back at the same barn that they started from. All it means when a horse is running for a $5000 claiming price, is that anyone on the grounds of the racetrack that is eligible to claim MAY purchase that horse for $5000 if they so desire.

Generally, most horses are entered in the right spots where the trainer feels the horse has the opportunity to win, without someone swooping in and buying the horse.

If the trainer is trying to run a stakes quality horse for a $5000 tag, everyone would pick up on this and there would likely be many claims (or people wanting to buy the horse) entered on that horse.

If a trainer is worried about his horse getting claimed, he can enter the horse for a higher price, but of course the horse is going to be running against better competition and is less likely to win.

Claiming races are simply an easy way to keep the competition fair. It allows horses to be categorized in a fair way, if someone feels that a trainer is trying to steal a race with a horse, it's their right to purchase that horse and run it against better competition next time out.

[Cratos]

If you race your horse in a claiming race is it 100% that you HAVE to sell the horse? Is every horse in the race being "bought" or no?

Im wondering from a business point of view what it means . Not really from a bettors perspective

I just dont understand if you were all excited about getting your horse to run, why on earth would you put him in a claiming race and get rid of him???

If you enter your horse in a claiming race and a legitimate claim is made against it; it must be sold. Every horse in a given claiming race is not necessarily sold because there might not be any claims (offer to purchase) against them.

From a business point of view the claiming race is a “horse exchange” between trainers/owners. You don’t have to run your horse in a claiming race after “getting it to run.” You could enter it in an allowance race, a starter allowance, a stakes race, or a maiden special weight (if it is a maiden) race. However all of those races typically have tougher competition.

[Zippy Chippy]

If you enter your horse in a claiming race and a legitimate claim is made against it; it must be sold. Every horse in a given claiming race is not necessarily sold because there might not be any claims (offer to purchase) against them.

From a business point of view the claiming race is a “horse exchange” between trainers/owners. You don’t have to run your horse in a claiming race after “getting it to run.” You could enter it in an allowance race, a starter allowance, a stakes race, or a maiden special weight (if it is a maiden) race. However all of those races typically have tougher competition.

Is a claiming race usually the weakest competition? Would there ever be a 100k claiming race? Or are they all small stakes?

[Cratos]

Is a claiming race usually the weakest competition? Would there ever be a 100k claiming race? Or are they all small stakes?

Claiming races are typically the “weakest” class of race at the racetrack. However on a major circuit like NYRA there might be a $100K claiming race which could be superior to some allowance or restricted stakes races.

[Zippy Chippy]

Claiming races are typically the “weakest” class of race at the racetrack. However on a major circuit like NYRA there might be a $100K claiming race which could be superior to some allowance or restricted stakes races.

Okay thx for the insight.. im getting it now! :lol:

[Space Monkey]

To confuse you more, maybe we should delve into the Optional Claiming Races and their effect on judging class. OC50,000 vs open 25,000cl or oc25,000nw1x vs open 35,000 :lol: :bang:

[singletax]

How do you figure out optional claiming races? Do you go by purse money? Which race has higher quality horses, ALLOWANCE or OC?

[Linny]

Is a claiming race usually the weakest competition? Would there ever be a 100k claiming race? Or are they all small stakes?

There is some overlap between the quality of claiming and allowance races. Tracks like Belmont, Saratoga, Gulfstream or Santa Anita might run $100k claiming races where most of the runners would be stakes horses at lesser venues. Claiming however is a risky game and most people looking to buy a $100k horse want to give it a vet exam etc. None of that takes place when you claim. You "drop a slip" for the horse and after the race, you take him home.
Some of the higher level claimers in NY are often better horses than the ones running in allowance races. Alot of the allowance runners are at that level because their owners don't want to risk losing them.
Many times horses that have won through their allowance conditions (non winners of 3 other than md/cl etc) are not good enoughfor stakes racing so they settle into a suitable claiming level. Trainers want to enter low enough to be competitive with an in form horse, but high enough to keep the buyers at bay. Then, on the other side of the coin are horses that trainers want to lose, because they are off form etc.
In NY and SoCal over the summer you will often see guys like Pletcher and Lukas etc drop down 3yo's that were in some of the Derby preps etc, into claiming ranks. For the guys who deal in stakes runners, claiming is a cheap and easy way to sell a horse. There are trainers that are always on the lookout for those type runners, figuring that they have good breeding and were probably well started and as young lightly raced animals they might have potential to run for a while. The "big time" trainer wants to unload a horse he doesn't see as a stakes runner and empty a stall for babies and the owners are usually happy to take the loss and get out.

[Linny]

How do you figure out optional claiming races? Do you go by purse money? Which race has higher quality horses, ALLOWANCE or OC?

IMO, Opt Cl are usually tougher. They allow in horses that have already won out of the condition. Ex: A NW2x/50 allows me to enter a horse that might be a multiple stakes winner at some point as long as I'm willing to lose him for $50k. The "allowance" horses in the race are all looking for their 2nd win non claiming or maiden company.
That doesn't mean the horses in for a tag always win, esp at high level meets like Saratoga or Del Mar where many allowance races feature stakes horses returning off layoffs or up and coming stars.
When I am looking at a race and see a horse exiting "allowance races" and one exiting "AL/OptCL" I tend to think that the latter horses has faced tougher fields. In this case the "claiming" horses add to the quality, not detract from it.

[fmolf]

Zippy,
My horse has been winning 20k claming races without being claime and your horse has been winning at the 10k level without being claimed.I drop my horse into a 10k race against your horse to win a purse but have allowed him to be claimed for under the market value.If my horse is healthy and in form this would be a good claim.Your horse would be at a disadvantage against my horse if both were in top form.so claiming races level the playing field so all horses have a chance to race against the same quality competition.

[Space Monkey]

How do you figure out optional claiming races? Do you go by purse money? Which race has higher quality horses, ALLOWANCE or OC?

You used to be able to go by purse $, but nowadays forget it. Just look at the purses at WO. Racino's play a big part in throwing off the structure. I'm no one to ask, as I frequently am wrong when I check the Ultimate Race Summary. I used to be good at determining class but I've got to learn a new way. I now go by the figs and the company they keep. The #'s tell the story better than trying to figure out the small differences between OC and ALW conditions. Saying that, high level OC's are a better class than alw nw1x. Its when the OC's get conditional and lower in value and the alw's rise to nw2 or 3 that it gets murky for me.

[JohnGalt1]

Many years ago at Bay Meadows a horse who had been competitive, and winning 20k-25k claiming races was entered in a $6250 claiming race.

The track handicappers wondered why the connections would enter an obviously talented horse in such a cheap race. Was he injured?

The horse won by 5+ lengths, and was NOT claimed.

Two weeks later, the same horse ran in a $6250 Starter Allowance for horses who ran for $6250 or less within the last 6 months---a race he couldn't be claimed from.

He won for fun again since he was a 20k horse and his competition were $4000-$8000 claiming horses.

[Grits]

Zippy, keep asking questions, you have a lot to digest and to retain before going to France for the Arc. This group will have filled you with knowledge long before you and your fiance' ever board your flight.;)

[Zippy Chippy]

Zippy, keep asking questions, you have a lot to digest and to retain before going to France for the Arc. This group will have filled you with knowledge long before you and your fiance' ever board your flight.;)

Thx . I love all the info. I was afraid to post thing thinking id get flamed.. Definetely interesting.. Im counting down the days to the Arc..

[johnhannibalsmith]

Horses are a continuous investment. They aren't quantified solely by the initial investment. The amount of money required to keep a horse in training is quite substantial. The actual value of a horse fluctuates due to a number of things, including, but not limited to, the horse's physical condition and the location at which it is competing.

Having a horse claimed from you can be a fantastic thing from a financial perspective. As one of the lone insights into the horse's actual value on a daily basis and with the reality that the investment is continual, the simple reality is that there comes a time when putting an attractive price on your horse and eliminating the daily accrual of expense becomes a logical decision.

Claiming races are often about little more than hoping to unload the burden of a perceived asset that is transitioning to that of liability.

[onefast99]

Thx . I love all the info. I was afraid to post thing thinking id get flamed.. Definetely interesting.. Im counting down the days to the Arc..
Now we will confuse you even further, California adopted a rule in 2008 that horses who have been laid up for a minimum of 180 days are considered "claim proof". Thus the owner gets to run him/her back in a claiming race whereby no one can claim that horse, why? This was done so that the horses connections can recoup some of their rehabilitation costs. Some also believe this helps a horse lengthen its career. The horse must race at a level equal to or above what it last raced for. There is a notation in the program or racing form on each horse who is eligible for this.