AboutStephanie Frost Expertise Questions about Thoroughbred training, racing and breeding. Rules and regulations regarding Thoroughbred racing. Mainly focused on racing in the USA. I can also answer breeding and bloodstock questions, along with pedigree advice, plus advice about forming a realistic plan for starting into the racing or breeding business. No handicapping questions, please.
Experience I have been a licensed Thoroughbred trainer for 20 years, a thoroughbred farm owner and Thoroughbred breeder. Owner of Alchemy Bloodstock, a full service bloodstock agency, specializing in locating quality racing and breeding stock for clients, and representing clients at various Thoroughbred sales. Alchemy Bloodstock has been instrumental in the purchase and training of several graded stakes horses, as well as many extremely profitable sales horses.
Question Why would someone enter a horse they did not want to lose into a claiming race?
Answer Deborah,
Horse racing is a business, not a hobby, and there is a saying in the business, "keep yourself in the best company, and your horse in the worst", meaning that you always want to run your horse in a place where he has the best shot to win. Often that is in a claiming race.
But basically, if you want to survive in the racing business, the sad fact is, you cannot get too attached to a horse. You can't keep them all, especially if they aren't paying their way. Soemtimes the hard reality is that you have to risk losing the horse in order to give the horse a shot at a win, especially if that win will allow you to keep the horse with you a little bit longer.
Claiming races are just a way of keeping the playing field level for all types of horses. For instance, if you own "Slow Sally", wouldn't you rather have her running against "Turtle Ted" and "lazy Larry", than against "Rocket Randy"? If all races were open to all horses, then the better horses would get all of the money, and the slower horses would never have a shot at winning.
By putting a horse in for a tag, you are basically putting a price on that horse. Nobody is likely to run a horse that is able to win for a $30,000 tag (and the higher purse amount), for a $5000 tag (and the lower purse amount), since they would likely lose the horse for the $5000. Even if he won the purse as well, the horse is far more valuable than what he;d have earned.
I hope this helps explain things a little,
Stephanie Frost
