STAKES RACES - These races offer the largest purses. They are races in which the purse consists of nomination, entrance, and/or starting fees, plus money added by the track or sponsor. These races generally attract the highest quality of horses and are abbreviated by the name of the stakes (For example: Allmerfut 1 meaning All American Futurity (gr. I). Graded races are the premier stakes races, which by a grade one (gr. I), grade two (gr. II) or grade three (gr. III), designate the class of horses participating. The size of the purse, amount of added money and the historical significance of the race also are determining factors in the grade status. Grade one (gr. I) is the highest designation.
HANDICAP RACES - These races feature better quality of horses in which the Racing Secretary or Track Handicapper assigns weights designed to equalize the winning chances of entrants. The better horses get higher weights to enable a horse with a lesser record to have a chance at winning. The designation HDCP is utilized.
CLAIMING RACES - Claiming races are the most common, constituting approximately 70% of all races run. In these races, horses are entered for a specific price and can be purchased or "claimed by any licensed owner at the track for that price. This tends to equalize the class or competition in these races. An owner who has a $25,000 horse is not going to put him in a race with a field of $5,000 claimers, for fear that someone would claim his horse at a greatly-reduced value.
ALLOWANCE - An allowance race is a non-claiming race for better quality or more lightly raced horses. These races generally offer higher purses than claiming races. Eligibility requirements and conditions are similar to those of claiming races, and weight allowances are given based on winnings and/or number or type of wins in a given time.
MAIDEN RACES - Maiden races are limited to horses that have never won a race. There are three types of maiden races: "Maiden Special Weights" for better horses; "Straight Maidens" and "Maiden Claiming," which is designated by the claiming price.
TRIAL - A trial is a race designed to determine the qualifiers for a final based on the fastest qualifying times or order of finish. A trial may be run as a purse race, or it may be run with no purse at all.
GLOSSARY OF RACING TERMS
ACROSS THE BOARD - A method of wagering on a horse to win, place and show. If the horse wins, the player collects three ways.
ADDED MONEY - That money which is added to a purse by the racing association (track), or by sponsors, state bred programs or other funds added to the money gathered by nomination, entry, sustaining and other fees coming from the horsemen.
AGE - all racehorses have January 1st of the year they were born as their official birth date, regardless of their foaling date.
ALSO-ELIGIBLE - (a horse officially entered, but not permitted to start unless the field is reduced by scratches). Also, the next preferred non-qualifier for a final or consolation from a set of elimination or time trials which will become eligible in the event a finalist is scratched by the stewards or is otherwise ineligible.
APPROXIMATE ODDS - those odds placed on the tote board in 90-second to three-minute cycles, which reflect the current odds to win on the horse. Apporximate/current odds calculations are generated by totalisator computers and are posted from the time the wagering windows open for a race until the moment the windows close.
ASSISTANT STARTER - the employee of the racetrack, who helps place the starting gate for a race, leads horses into the gate, helps riders and handles horses while in the gate until the start is given. Will also help with any equipment change or repair at gate and with the "schooling" of horses in the mornings.
ASSISTANT TRAINER - a person employed by a licensed trainer to assist and assume responsibility in the absence of that trainer in all the daily work, chores, saddling, etc. involved in the training of horses. Assistant trainers are required to be tested and licensed by state racing commissions.
AT THE POST - term used by track announcers signifying to the public that the horses have arrived at and are ready to be loaded into the starting gate.
BACKSIDE - the stable and training area of a racetrack.
BACKSTRETCH - straight or far-side of a track between the turns; stable area.
BANDAGES - for horses, these come in two forms: 1) Standing-used in the stall at rest, for therapeutic purposes (i.e, poultice, brace, liniments); and 2) Racing-using Vetrap or ace type bandages for support of tendons and to prevent a horse from "running down" or burning his heels on the track surface as legs tire and strain more.
BEARING IN (OR OUT) - a horse that moves or lugs inward (to its left toward the inside rail) or outward while racing. May be due to weariness, infirmity, whip use by the rider or rider's inablity to control mount.
BEST BET - term used by handicappers, tip sheets, selectors, etc., to signify the horse they feel will most likely win that day.
