Class is one of the most important elements in handicapping and a rather powerful angle involves backing horses who tumble into a claiming race for the first time.

Any time a horse descends into a claimer, there’s a cause for skepticism. At times, it can surely mean a horse has fallen into a declining form cycle.

Then there are times when circumstances indicate that a horse has a big class edge, which he should be able to exploit against weaker competition.

Take the case of Theycallhimthekid in the 10th race at Belmont Park on July 1.

The 4-year-old was making his ninth career start and was running for a claiming tag for the first time. With a record of two wins, four seconds and a third in those eight starts, he certainly seemed to fit in well against allowance company.

Even in his last two starts, which came in optional claimers, trainer Michael Stidham could have entered him for a claiming tag, but didn’t. So why the change, especially when Theycallhimthekid was a respectable third in his last start?

The answer was that his last start came at Laurel Park and now he was competing at Belmont Park for the first time. With a purse of $42,000 for horses running for a $35,000 claiming price, Theycallhimthekid stood to earn $25,200 for his connections through a victory. Put that on top of a claim and the horse’s owners could get as much as $60,200 if they lost the horse.

Beyond that, if Theycallhimthekid was tailing off, why would his owners absorb the expense of shipping him to New York?

With that kind of money in play and the arrival in a new circuit, the drop into a claiming race made sense and Theycallhimthekid took shape as an attractive option in the wagering.

So attractive, in fact, that he was sent off as the 1.75-to-1 favorite, and when he closed with a rush to win by a head and paid $5.50 for a $2 wager, handicappers had yet another classy winner to celebrate.