There is not one race type called optional claiming. There are several race types in the optional claiming family:
Allowance Optional Claiming - Race conditions are written as an allowance race and if horses don't meet allowance conditions they can still enter the race if the owners are willing to run the horse for a claiming tag. Most optional claiming races are Allowance Optional Claiming.
Examples of AOC race conditions:
FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON A RACE OTHER THAN MAIDEN, CLAIMING, STARTER, OR STATE BRED ALLOWANCE OR WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES OR CLAIMING PRICE $12,500.
FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON THREE RACES OTHER THAN MAIDEN, CLAIMING, OR STARTER OR WHICH HAVE NEVER WON FOUR RACES OR CLAIMING PRICE $20,000.
Note that both these examples (and all others) the conditions are the conditions for an allowance race, with "...or claiming price $xxx..." added at the end Enter a horse that does not meet these conditions if you want but the horse will be for sale at the specified price. If you meet the conditions and enter, you are not for sale just like in any other allowance race.
Optional Claiming Handicap and
Optional Claiming Stakes - These don't appear to be used anymore.
Starter Optional Claiming - Race conditions are written as a starter race and if horses don't meet start conditions they can still enter the race if the owners are willing to run the horse for a claiming tag.
Examples of SOC race conditions:
FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE STARTED FOR A CLAIMING PRICE OF $5,000 OR LESS SINCE JANUARY 1, 2017 OR CLAIMING PRICE $8,000.
FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE STARTED FOR A CLAIMING PRICE OF $12,500 OR LESS IN 2017 - 2018 OR CLAIMING PRICE $25,000.
Note that both these examples (and all others) the conditions are the conditions for a starter type race. Enter a horse that does not meet these start conditions (typically the horse must have started for a claiming price within a certain time period) if you want but the horse will be for sale at the specified price. If you meet the conditions and enter, you are not for sale just like in any other starter race.
Weird Hybrid races
Be aware that there are all sorts of creative race conditions now that mix and match themes For instance:
FOR REGISTERED INDIANA BREDS THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE STARTED FOR A CLAIMING PRICE OR WHICH HAVE NEVER WON FOUR RACES.
This is not an optional race but is a hybrid of a starter race ("WHICH HAVE STARTED FOR A CLAIMING PRICE") and allowance race ("WHICH HAVE NEVER WON FOUR RACES"); if you meet either condition, you're in.
Allowance or starter? Both? Neither? Add an optional claiming tag at the end to make things really fun.
Same thing here:
FOR REGISTERED INDIANA BREDS FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE STARTED FOR A CLAIMING PRICE OF $16,000 OR LESS OR WHICH HAVE NEVER WON FOUR RACES.
Racing secretaries have gotten creative to fill their races and the old cut and dried categories are not so cut and dried anymore. Depending on the track you play, you might see a lot of creative race conditions or very few.
And by the way, you can get a feel for what kind of races the optional claiming group are by looking at the horses these races draw. And the number (typically small to none) of horses that enter for a tag (in other words, the number of horses who do NOT qualify for the allowance or starter condition but enter anyway).
Ron Tiller
HDW