TurfPedia™ - The Horse Racing Encyclopedia

CLASSIFIED ALLOWANCES

Three-year-olds and up, minimally restricted.

FORM:

If stakes winners, have raced within sixty days, and have recorded at least four workouts since; if not stakes winners, have raced within three weeks, with at least two impressive workouts since.

DISTANCE:

Have won at the exact distance during this season or last.

HANDICAPPERS PREFER:

1. A Grade III, listed, or open stakes winner in acceptable form, notably if it won a race having a winner's share higher than today's specified amount within the past three weeks or so.
2. Any nonclaiming horses whose recently demonstrated class, as indicated by purse values, eligibility conditions, and quality of competition of its latest best efforts, is superior to today's conditions, provided their form remains sharp or continues in the improvement cycle, and the horses remain eligible today only because they have not raced frequently enough recently, or they have raced well recently while losing to better; the better the recent class, the better.

In the absence of the above, prefer:

3. Horses that since the specified date have one fewer win than the permissible number in the conditions and/or winning or strong performances in races having winner shares just slightly below the amounts specified in the conditions, notably if their records just prior to the specified date in today's conditions would make them ineligible today.

REGULAR ELIMINATIONS:

1. Previous Grade I and Grade 2 winners returning to action following lengthy layoffs, such that they are not expected to be in winning condition, or are not well meant, particularly if their running styles will not be nicely suited to the distance and footing.
2. Allowance horses that have raced regularly since the specified date for comparable or smaller purses, but have not won or have not won frequently enough.
3. Undistinguished three-year-olds moving from nonwinner allowances to classified allowances, or from out-of-the-money finishes in conditioned stakes to classified allowances.
4. All horses whose current form looks questionable or deteriorating, including previous stakes winners.
5. All allowance and claiming horses that have been competing for purses having winner shares smaller than today's specified amount by $5,000 or more.
6. All claiming horses that have never won a classified race, or have not finished in-the-money in an open stakes this season.

EXTRA ADDED ATTRACTIONS:

1. An in-the-money finish in a recent open stakes; the higher the purse, the better.
2. Peak form, a previous satisfactory performance in an open stakes, a strong finish last out, and today switching to a more suitable distance or footing.
3. Strong comeback race within past fourteen days, record prior to today's specified date better than today's conditions would permit.
4. To be handled by a jockey that has achieved best results with the horse in the past.
5. The highest speed rating at the distance and footing during this season under classified conditions or better.
6. Beats all but the top horses, today facing a top horse returning from a layoff and not well suited to the distance or footing.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS:
ON TURF, PREFER:

1. Previous classified and stakes winners on turf; the higher the purse, the better.
2. Three-year-olds that have been impressive winners of nonwinner allowance races on turf, in opposition to older stakes winners on dirt that have raced unimpressively on grass.