What Is A Claiming Race?

As someone who enjoys the sport of horseracing, I am always looking for interesting horse-related topics to share.

Today I want to share some information I found recently when researching one of the most common types of races in US racing, the ‘claiming race’

So, what actually is a claiming race?

A claiming race is a weighted race ran with the intention of finding potential buyers for horses. Before the race, a maximum weight is attached to them and horses are all available to be bought for a standard price. After the race, their prices vary depending on how much weight they carried or was removed from them.

In this article I will aim to answer any other questions you may have relating to claiming races.

Some of the questions we’ll cover include: how do claiming races work?

Why put a horse in a claiming race?

Do you have to sell your horse in a claiming race?

How do you claim a horse?

Can you make money claiming a horse?

Plus, some claiming race strategies will be covered!

Let’s not waste any time and get to answering these questions!

How does a claiming race work?

Having briefly explained what a claiming race is, let’s talk a bit about how the whole process works.

As previously mentioned, claiming races are weighted races.

This means that all horses begin with a maximum attached weight of 9st 10lbs, and a set selling price of around £12,000 (roughly $16,500).

For each 1lb of weight that is removed from the horse before the race commences, the horse’s selling price decreases by £1,000 ($1,300).

It should be noted that in order for a horse to be claimed, the buyers must make an offer of purchase before the race begins, not after it has competed.

Why put a horse in a claiming race?

So why would you enter a horse into a claiming race in the first place?

Firstly, claiming races are a good way to sell horses quickly.

For example, if a trainer really wanted to sell a horse, in theory they could remove 11lbs of weight and sell the horse for just $1,300.

Interestingly, many horses who compete in claiming races are entered primarily to win prize money – not actually to be sold.

In this instance, the trainer would most likely not remove any weight from the horse prior to the race – making their price $16,500.

Do you have to sell your horse in a claiming race?

As mentioned, it is common practice for horses to be entered into claiming races when the owners have no intention of them being claimed.

These events are called optional claiming races.

There is no requirement for horses to be claimed (bought) in optional claiming races, and one way for owners to signal to buyers that they do not want to sell their horse, is to not remove any weight from them.

This does, however, generate interest in the horse as it demonstrates their racing potential and strength.

So, when the owner does decide to sell, they might be claimed for a higher price.

How do you claim a horse in a race?

There are certain requirements that should be taken into account before you can claim a horse.

Firstly, in order to claim a horse, you need to be either a registered agent at the track where the horse is competing or be a licensed racehorse owner yourself.

As a licensed owner, you should own at least one other horse at the same track where the horse is being claimed.

However, if you do not own horses at that particular track but still want to claim a horse, there are means of creating an application to claim, but this can be a lengthy process.

Can you make money claiming horses?

While you might think that claiming horses will put you out of pocket, this is not necessarily the case.

Claiming horses, if done strategically, can actually be a really effective way to make money as a horse owner in the long run.

Claiming a horse who you might think has potential for certain events can be a sure way to win back your purchase in prize money.

Even maidens (horses who have never won any events) can rake in the money in prize money!

So, the answer is, yes! You can certainly make money by claiming horses.

What is a waiver claiming race?

We briefly mentioned optional claiming races as a way for horses to enter claiming races without the intention of being claimed.

Similarly, a waiver claiming race is a specific type of claiming event where horses who have been on extended leave from racing can enter a race without the possibility of being claimed.

However, they must run in an event where the starting claiming price is equal to, more than their last starting claim price.

What are some claiming race strategies?

As mentioned, horse owners that are looking to sell their horse immediately can remove as much weight as possible to entice buyers to claim for a cheap price.

In terms of claiming strategies, horses who have been claimed more than once in recent races are usually ones whose potential has been spotted by trainers.

These horses usually go on to have winning streaks and claiming these horses is usually a strong strategy for success in horse claiming.

In conclusion, this article has answered the overarching question that is: what is a claiming race?

We found that a claiming race is a race where horses can all be bought for roughly the same price as one-another, and the prices can be lowered by removing weight from them before starting.

Claiming races can be a good way to get rid of horses quickly or to generate interest in a horse.

But they can also be a great way for licensed owners to profit from purchases in the long run – especially if they claim strategically!

I hope this article has provided you with helpful information about claiming races!