Has won or finished close at the exact distance or a related distance: if sprint to route, finished sprint final quarter in twenty-four seconds or less without tiring, can be rated kindly, and does not figure to be severely contested on the early pace.

1. Horses that have finished in-the-money in an open stakes in which previous stakes winners competed: the better the open stakes, the better.
2. Any nicely bred, lightly raced improving horse that has beaten successive nonwinners allowance conditions easily or powerfully in quick time, notably if the horse finished with obvious reserves of speed and power.

1. Horses once entered to be claimed.
2. Horses that won two nonwinners allowance races in ordinary time and manner and have never been seasoned against stakes horses, or have been beaten badly in an open stakes.
3. Horses that struggled in average time to win a nonwinners three times other than maiden or claiming
allowance race.
4. Horses moving ahead in class and to a distance longer by a quarter-mile or farther, unless after staying reasonably close to the pace of the shorter race the horse finished the final quarter with impressive speed and power.

1. From leading stable, switch to leading jockey.
2. Only horse favored by probable early pace.

During first three months of year, prefer:
1. Nicely bred, sharp-working maidens entered in sprints by leading stables that have won stakes with maidens in the past.
2. Horses that broke preliminary conditions at two impressively and are making their first three-year-old start.

1. Previous impressive turf winners.
2. Impressive multiple allowance winners on dirt, bred for turf.