Quote:
Originally Posted by Fager Fan
I've been in favor of writing conditions similar to this, but for claiming horses so they don't have to run for a tag. The problem with this one as you note is that a homebred can be anything from homely to royal. I'd also have to point out that purchase price can likewise not be a reliable indicator of the horsepower you've got.
|
As far as purchase price goes, no contingencies were made for the age of the horse at the time of auction, either. In general, I would presume that a $100K weanling > $100K yearling > $100K 2yo-in-training in terms of expectations.
Not sure what the main impetus was to create these races, but they will not work if the goal is to restrict big barns from running talented horses in them--since when are homebreds considered blue collar? Simpler solutions would have been to: (1) increase the purse of maiden claimers to those of special weights and/or (2) create second-tier special weights with the purse of a maiden claimer.
Spendthrift is not going to risk a homebred half to Beholder in a claimer and probably won't want to run him for a purse of <$30K, either. However, the connections of a $50K 2yo-in-training might recoup some of their expenses despite the risk of a claim if there was a decent purse attached to it or could choose to "protect" their horse while not having to tackle any potential monsters if they thought he might be an overachiever.
Despite all that, it's really a non-existent problem. Seattle Slew, Sea Cadet, Silver Ending, Exaggerator, etc. were modestly priced colts and I don't remember them having to shy away from maiden special weights or have fake races written so they could get a win.
