Post by Kate on Jun 24, 2009 23:00:59 GMT -5
Originally published as part of the racing education series written by Hannah, Kaitlyn, and Kate, in summer 2007
For our introductory article, we thought we’d educate the HF public on what kind of races there are, and hopefully solve some confusion with that. If anyone has any questions after reading this, PLEASE post them; we’re doing this for the sole purpose of educating YOU!
Maiden
A maiden race is for a horse who has never won a race. This should be a fairly simple concept; if the horse has won a race, he is no longer eligible to enter a maiden race. The most usual type of maiden is called a Maiden Special Weight, abbreviated MSW. Let me repeat this; if a horse has ever won a race in its career, it is no longer eligible to enter a maiden race!
Claiming
Over half the races run in North America every day are claiming races. Claiming races run on a very simple premise; every horse in the race is for sale for the price named in the race’s name. For example, if the race is listed as “Claiming $100,000,” that means that every horse in the field is available to be purchased for $100,000. If you’re interested in a horse, you file a claim prior to the race being run. When the race is over, the old owner gets any money the horse earned in that race, and you own the horse, regardless of what condition it’s in. If multiple people file claims, it’s generally luck of the draw as to whether or not you get that horse. We don’t really run claiming races, because people very rarely want to sell racehorses, and it’s difficult on our part to organize them.
Allowance
When horses have won their first race, or sometimes even before they’ve won a race, the next step up is an allowance race. These are generally easier races; you won’t find a horse who’s capable of competing in the Kentucky Derby running in an allowance race. However, if a horse hasn’t been performing very well in higher-rated races (stakes races), he may be dropped back to the allowance level, temporarily or long-term. Many horses never make it past this level, and that’s perfectly fine. As much as you might not like it, you have to realize that some horses are not cut out for stakes competition. Trying to push a horse into a higher level of racing is like trying to take a training level dressage horse and have them competing in Grand Prix; they’re generally not physically or mentally capable of that skill level. And some horses will never be. That’s all right!
Stakes
Stakes are the next step up for racing. Many of the major races (the Triple Crown and Breeders Cup) are based on stakes earnings when entering. Stakes are divided into four subtypes.
- Ungraded; ungraded stakes are the lowest level of stakes racing. This is for the horse who is ready to move up from allowance, but not yet ready for the heavy duty, graded stakes. This is a good level to run your horse at if he’s not been doing too well in G1/G2 stakes. Some examples of ungraded stakes include the Barbaro Stakes and the Alydar Stakes.
- Grade III; G3 stakes are a step above ungraded stakes. They aren’t as elite as some of the G1/G2 stakes, but this is still a good level to be at. Some G3 stakes include the Lazaro S. Barrera Memorial Stakes, Hill Prince Stakes, and Northern Dancer Breeders Cup Stakes.
- Grade II; G2 stakes are a step above G3, and a step below G1. Still fairly prestigious, some G2 races are the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, Dixie Stakes, and the Dwyer Stakes.
- Grade I; G1 races are the highest level races. This is where the elite compete. Of all the racehorses foaled every year, only about 200 will ever make it to this level. This category includes the Triple Crown and Breeders Cup races.
(In Europe, graded stakes are called "group" races; it's just a different word for the same thing. So in England, a Group I race is the same as a Grade I race.)
Other racing terms
Other terms you will hear for races include;
- Derby; a race for three-year-olds. Generally males, although fillies can also enter.
- Oaks; a race for three-year-old fillies only.
- Distaff; a race for fillies and mares only.
- Handicap; a type of stakes race where horses are assigned different weights depending on things such as experience, age, or when they last won a race.
- Futurity; a race for horses who fulfill a particular condition (sold at [blank] sale, bred in [blank] state)
For our introductory article, we thought we’d educate the HF public on what kind of races there are, and hopefully solve some confusion with that. If anyone has any questions after reading this, PLEASE post them; we’re doing this for the sole purpose of educating YOU!
Maiden
A maiden race is for a horse who has never won a race. This should be a fairly simple concept; if the horse has won a race, he is no longer eligible to enter a maiden race. The most usual type of maiden is called a Maiden Special Weight, abbreviated MSW. Let me repeat this; if a horse has ever won a race in its career, it is no longer eligible to enter a maiden race!
Claiming
Over half the races run in North America every day are claiming races. Claiming races run on a very simple premise; every horse in the race is for sale for the price named in the race’s name. For example, if the race is listed as “Claiming $100,000,” that means that every horse in the field is available to be purchased for $100,000. If you’re interested in a horse, you file a claim prior to the race being run. When the race is over, the old owner gets any money the horse earned in that race, and you own the horse, regardless of what condition it’s in. If multiple people file claims, it’s generally luck of the draw as to whether or not you get that horse. We don’t really run claiming races, because people very rarely want to sell racehorses, and it’s difficult on our part to organize them.
Allowance
When horses have won their first race, or sometimes even before they’ve won a race, the next step up is an allowance race. These are generally easier races; you won’t find a horse who’s capable of competing in the Kentucky Derby running in an allowance race. However, if a horse hasn’t been performing very well in higher-rated races (stakes races), he may be dropped back to the allowance level, temporarily or long-term. Many horses never make it past this level, and that’s perfectly fine. As much as you might not like it, you have to realize that some horses are not cut out for stakes competition. Trying to push a horse into a higher level of racing is like trying to take a training level dressage horse and have them competing in Grand Prix; they’re generally not physically or mentally capable of that skill level. And some horses will never be. That’s all right!
Stakes
Stakes are the next step up for racing. Many of the major races (the Triple Crown and Breeders Cup) are based on stakes earnings when entering. Stakes are divided into four subtypes.
- Ungraded; ungraded stakes are the lowest level of stakes racing. This is for the horse who is ready to move up from allowance, but not yet ready for the heavy duty, graded stakes. This is a good level to run your horse at if he’s not been doing too well in G1/G2 stakes. Some examples of ungraded stakes include the Barbaro Stakes and the Alydar Stakes.
- Grade III; G3 stakes are a step above ungraded stakes. They aren’t as elite as some of the G1/G2 stakes, but this is still a good level to be at. Some G3 stakes include the Lazaro S. Barrera Memorial Stakes, Hill Prince Stakes, and Northern Dancer Breeders Cup Stakes.
- Grade II; G2 stakes are a step above G3, and a step below G1. Still fairly prestigious, some G2 races are the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, Dixie Stakes, and the Dwyer Stakes.
- Grade I; G1 races are the highest level races. This is where the elite compete. Of all the racehorses foaled every year, only about 200 will ever make it to this level. This category includes the Triple Crown and Breeders Cup races.
(In Europe, graded stakes are called "group" races; it's just a different word for the same thing. So in England, a Group I race is the same as a Grade I race.)
Other racing terms
Other terms you will hear for races include;
- Derby; a race for three-year-olds. Generally males, although fillies can also enter.
- Oaks; a race for three-year-old fillies only.
- Distaff; a race for fillies and mares only.
- Handicap; a type of stakes race where horses are assigned different weights depending on things such as experience, age, or when they last won a race.
- Futurity; a race for horses who fulfill a particular condition (sold at [blank] sale, bred in [blank] state)
