Basic Action: In the "school" of horse betting, "class" is one of the toughest subjects. To boil it down to the simplest of terms, class refers to the level of competition that a horse is running in or has run against. The class system is used to categorize races and there are three main tiers, in order of descending quality: stakes, allowance and claiming.
At the very top are graded stakes like the Kentucky Derby, which is a Grade 1 stakes race. These races offer the biggest purses (prize money) to the owners of competing horses. There are also Grade 2 stakes and Grade 3 stakes races, which are a cut (or two) below Grade 1 but are still extremely high profile races and always feature some of the best horses in the sport. Beneath those are stakes races that are ungraded.
Following stakes on the class hierarchy are allowance races, which feature horses who might have previously competed in stakes races or who might soon compete in stakes races. These races also feature extremely talented horses. Within the allowance ranks, there are also multiple tiers of races with varying purses (just as there are varying purse levels within the stakes ranks).
Finally, there are claiming races. These races feature horses who are not quite on the level of allowance horses. Owners enter their horses in claiming races when they are looking for softer competition. But with that softer competition comes the risk that an owner might lose his or her horse in the race if the horse gets claimed. When a horse gets claimed, it's literally purchased away from the owner who is running the horse on that particular day. Just like the other class tiers, there are varying purses and claiming levels ranging from just a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.
Advanced Action: Utilizing an understanding of class is a major advantage for seasoned horse bettors.
In the coming weeks on #TheAction, we'll explore strategies for assessing races based on jumps up and down in class. For starters though, it's important to take note of which horses are facing tougher competition (compared to their previous races) and which horses are facing softer or weaker competition.
Logically, if a horse running today is facing weaker horses than his previous race(s), that horse should have an improved result. For example, if he's dropping down from a stakes race in his last start into an allowance race today, he should improve. While that's logical, results don't always work out that way. One of the reasons why is because there are other factors to consider like, for example, were all other factors – aside from class – the same (distance, surface, etc.)?
Another instance where you'll find varied results when horses drop in class is on a major class drop into claiming company from upper level allowance or stakes races. While it makes sense that a former stakes or allowance runner would dominate against claiming horses, that doesn't always happen. Remember, if an owner enters a horse in claiming races, the horse can be purchased out of the race and the original owner loses their horse. So, ask yourself, if the horse was really that good (and capable of winning bigger purses in allowance and stakes company), why would the owner risk losing the horse in a claiming race? The answer might be that the horse just isn't as good as once thought, perhaps not even good enough to beat other claiming horses.
