guckers,
There is no "standard" for translating race conditions, as written by racing secretaries, into "standard" abbreviations, codes or other type of nomenclature. There is a certain amount of tradition in place though, perhaps coming from whoever first did the DRF codes years ago. I have adopted many of these traditions in the codes we create. It looks like you are referring to Equibase codes, which differ somewhat from mine and others, but I'll give it a shot.
The trick is, they are constructed of components; understand the components and you can construct the conditions.
1. You obviously get the NW2 part : non winners of 2 races.
Code:
FOR FOUR YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES. Weight, 122 lbs. Claiming Price $12,500, if for $10,500, allowed 2 lbs.
2. Add a "$" to get money won. NW2$: non winners of some amount of money 2 times.
Code:
FOR THREE YEAR OLDS WHICH HAVE NOT WON $2,255 TWICE. Weight, 123 lbs. Non-winners of a race since August 17 Allowed 3 lbs. Claiming Price $4,000.
3. The dreaded "X". This is a little trickier. I don't like the way Equibase sticks it at the end but to each his own. "X" normally signifies an "other then" type clause. In other words, nw2x is not just non winners of 2 races, but non winners of 2 types of races (or non winners of 2 races excluding some type of race). What type of race? Here are some examples:
Code:
FOR FILLIES THREE YEARS OLD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES OTHER THAN MAIDEN, CLAIMING, STARTER OR TRIAL. Weight, 124 lbs.
Here, MAIDEN, CLAIMING, STARTER OR TRIAL races do not count in the "NEVER WON TWO RACES."
Code:
FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES. Three Year Olds, 120 lbs.; Older, 123 lbs. Non-winners of a race since January 23 Allowed 3 lbs. Claiming Price $2,500 (Maiden Races and races for $2,000 or less not considered).
Here, Maiden Races and races for $2,000 or less do not count in the "NEVER WON TWO RACES."
Code:
FOR FILLIES AND MARES FOUR YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES. Weight, 121 lbs. Non-winners of a race since February 20 Allowed 2 lbs. A race since January 20 Allowed 4 lbs. Claiming Price $5,000, if for $4,500, allowed 1 lb. (W V A Races Not Considered In Eligibility) (Winners Preferred)(Maidens Six Years Old
Here, West Virginia races do not count in the "NEVER WON TWO RACES."
Code:
INNER DIRT FOR FOUR YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES. Weight, 123 lbs. Non-winners Of A Race Since December 18 Allowed 3 lbs. Claiming Price $7,500 (Races where entered for $5,000 or less not considered).
Here, races where the horse is entered for $5,000 or less do not count in the "NEVER WON TWO RACES." In other words, if the horse has won 3 $4000 claiming races, she still qualifies, since those 3 races are not considered.
It gets tricky because there is no standard way to write races. Just think of an "X" as not every race counts towards a horse's eligibility.
4. Date restrictions. These are usually rounded (or truncated up or down, or both, inconsistently) to the nearest 3 month increment, up to a year. Then the only remaining date period is over a year. The codes usually = 3M, 6M, 9M, Y and Y+.
Code:
FOR FOUR YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NOT WON A RACE SINCE SEPTEMBER 30. Weight, 123 lbs. Non-winners of a race since January 1, 2011 Allowed 2 lbs. Claiming Price $5,000 (Claiming races for $4,000 or less not considered in estimating allowances).
A horse may have won 6 races 2 years ago but she still qualifies if she has not won a race since September 30th (in this case, it works out to 6 months, more or less). In other words, NW1 6M
5. Surface. "T" is typical. You'll never guess what is stands for - Turf. Here is an example:
Code:
FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NOT WON TWO RACES ON THE TURF SINCE MAY 24, 2011. Three Year Olds, 121 lbs.; Older, 122 lbs. Non-winners Of A Race At A Mile Or Over On The Turf Since September 24, 2011 Allowed 2 lbs. Claiming Price $10,000 (Races Where Entered For $7,500 Or Less Not Considered) (Winners Preferred). (If the Stewards consider it inadvisable to run this race on the turf course, this race will be run at One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Inner Dirt.).
In my nomenclature, this is "NW2X 6M T". Equibase would probably have something like "NW2 T6MX" However, once you get the components straight, you can figure it out.
6. Distance. "R" is typical = Route. Or "S" = sprint.
Code:
FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NOT WON A RACE OTHER THAN MAIDEN, CLAIMING, OR STARTER AT A MILE OR OVER ON THE TURF IN 2011. Three Year Olds, 120 lbs.; Older, 122 lbs. Non-winners Of A Race At A Mile Or Over Since October 31 Allowed 2 lbs. Such A Race Since September 30 Allowed 4 lbs. (Maiden, Claiming, And Starter Races For $40,000 Or Less Not Considered In Allowances) (Condition Eligibility)(Highest Conditions Preferred). (If deemed inadvisable by management to run this race over the turf course, it will be run on the main track at One Mile and Forty Yards.).
I have "NW1X Y T R" and Equibase has "NW1 RTY X". Again, the key is "R" more than where the "R" is.
7. State bred. Some kind of state bred restriction on the races involved in calculating eligibility.
Code:
FOR FOALED IN NEW YORK STATE AND APPROVED BY THE NEW YORK STATE-BRED REGISTRY THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON A STATE BRED RACE OTHER THAN MAIDEN, CLAIMING, OR STARTER. Three Year Olds, 121 lbs.; Older, 124 lbs. Non-winners of a race since November 5 Allowed 2 lbs. A race since October 5 Allowed 4 lbs. (Races where entered for $15,000 or less not considered in allowances).
I have "NW1X SB" and Equibase has "NW1 B L X."
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The most common condition is a hybrid, like the following:
Code:
FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD FOALED IN NEW YORK STATE AND APPROVED BY THE NEW YORK STATE-BRED REGISTRY WHICH HAVE NEVER WON A RACE OTHER THAN MAIDEN, CLAIMING, OR STARTER OR WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES. Three Year Olds, 118 lbs.; Older, 124 lbs. Non-winners of $24,000 since January 30 Allowed 2 lbs. (Races where entered for $35,000 or less not considered in allowances).
I have this as "NW1X / NW2" and Equibase just shows it as "NW1 X." So beware that compound race conditions are not always shown as compound by other companies.
On the subject of compound conditions, sometimes they get quite involved. For instance:
Code:
FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON $10,000 THREE TIMES OTHER THAN MAIDEN, CLAIMING OR STARTER OR FOUR TIMES OR HAVE NOT WON A GRADED STAKE IN 2011. Three Year Olds, 121 lbs.; Older, 124 lbs. Non-winners Of Races Allowed 2 lbs. $50,000 At A Mile Or Over Since August 22 Allowed 4 lbs. $25,000 Since July 23 Allowed 6 lbs. (Maiden And Claiming Races For $62,500 Or Less Not Considered).
I have this as "NW3$X / NW4 / NW1 STK 9M" and Equibase has "C", which I suppose stands for Complex or Compound or something like that.
Also, a very common complex one in New York is:
Code:
FOR FOUR YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON THREE RACES OR FOUR YEAR OLDS OR WHICH HAVE NOT WON A RACE SINCE OCTOBER 2, 2011. Weight, 123 lbs. Non-winners Of Two Races Since January 24, 2012 Allowed 3 lbs. Claiming Price $10,000 (Races Where Entered For $7,500 Or Less Not Considered).
In other words, all 4 year olds qualify; for others, its non winners of a race other than in 6 months OR non winners of 3 races other than (note the other that = "Races Where Entered For $7,500 Or Less Not Considered")
I have "4YO / NW1X 6M / NW3X" and Equibase has once again "C".
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Last but not least are ones you see more frequently at smaller tracks in the southwest and northwest and at fairs.
Code:
FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON A RACE AT THE FAIR MEADOWS 2010 RACE MEET. Three Year Olds, 122 lbs.; Older, 124 lbs. Claiming Price $4,000.
Here, there is a meet restriction. I have "NW1 @M" and Equibase has "NW1 L".
Here's another one, but its not for non winners - its for non showers:
Code:
FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD FOR HORSES THAT HAVE STARTED AT THE MEET AND NOT FINISHED FIRST, SECOND OR THIRD. Three Year Olds, 123 lbs.; Older, 126 lbs. Non-winners Of A Race Since July 18, 2010 Allowed 2 lbs. Claiming Price $1,600.
I have "NS1 & ST1+ @M" = not showed 1 time and started 1 or more times @ a meet." Equibase has "C".
Another one:
Code:
FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE STARTED AT ALBUQUERQUE IN 2010 AND HAVE NOT FINISHED BETTER THAN FOURTH. Three Year Olds, 120 lbs.; Older, 123 lbs. Claiming Price $4,000.
I have "NS1 9M @T & ST1+ 9M @T" = not showed at track in last 9 months and started 1 or more times at track in last 9 months" and Equibase has (perhaps wisely) "C". As you can see, this code stuff can get ridiculous.
Even I have my limits. Consider this, from Turf Paradise:
Code:
FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE STARTED AT THE TURF PARADISE 2011-2012 MEET AND HAVE NOT FINISHED 1ST, 2ND OR 3RD AT THE MEET OR HAVE STARTED IN A RACE RESTRICTED TO HORSES THAT HAVE NOT FINISHED 1ST, 2ND OR 3RD AT THE CURRENT MEET AND HAVE NOT WON A RACE AT THE CURRENT MEET. Three Year Olds, 115 lbs.; Older, 123 lbs. Claiming Price $3,000.
Sigh...I have "C" and Equibase has "C"
Code:
FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD FOR GRAY OR ROAN THOROUGHBREDS. Three Year Olds, 120 lbs.; Older, 124 lbs. Claiming Price $8,000.
OK.
Code:
FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES LIFETIME ALLOWANCE OR WHICH HAVE NEVER WON THREE RACES LIFETIME $5,000 CLAIMING OR A STRAIGHT CLAIMING PRICE OF $2,500, WHICH HAVE NOT WON A RACE IN 2011. Weight, 124 lbs. Claiming Price $5,000, For Each $500 To $2,500 2 lbs.
WTF? "C"
Code:
FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH ARE OWNED AND TRAINED BY TRIBAL CARD CARRYING MEMBERS. Three Year Olds, 123 lbs.; Older, 126 lbs. Claiming Price $2,000, For Each $200 To $1,600 2 lbs.
"C"
Ron Tiller
HDW
