TurfPedia - The Horse Racing Encyclopedia

STAKES AND HANDICAPS Grade II stakes, all ages.

FORM:

Has raced within sixty days, condition remains in the improvement cycle, as indicated by latest races and workouts.

DISTANCE:

Has won or finished second in an open stakes at the exact or related distance.

HANDICAPPERS PREFER:

1. A Grade I stakes winner.
2. A Grade II stakes winner that has finished close this season in Grade I events.
3. Any recent listed stakes winner, the higher the purse, the better.

REQULAR ELIMINATIONS:

1. Horses that have never won an open stakes, unless no such winners have been entered.
2. Horses that previously have won a conditioned stakes but have never finished in-the-money when entered in an open stakes.
3. Horses aged four and up that do not compete regularly in open stakes, and satisfactorily.
4. Horses that have won a single stakes but today are not particularly well suited to the distance or footing, or to the probable early pace.
5. All claiming horses.

EXTRA ADDED ATTRACTIONS:

1. A recent second-place finish or close finish in a Grade I stakes.
2. Consistency, especially two wins in the latest six stakes efforts.
3. Leading stable, leading rider combination.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS:
RACES LIMITED TO THREE-YEAR-AIDS, PREFER:

1. The nicely bred, lightly raced improving horse from a leading barn that has done everything asked of it in smashing style and now is moving into graded stakes competition.

ON TURF, PREFER:

1. Previous stakes winners on turf, preferably horses four-years-old or older.
At distances of a mile and one-quarter or father, prefer:
1. Horses having a dosage index of 4.0 or below.