| Since most of the horse races you will encounter | | | | sustain a winning form. Of all the races at a race |
| during any meet at almost any track will be claiming | | | | track, the claiming races are the most demanding for |
| races, it is a good idea to focus your efforts on | | | | a trainer and any man or woman who can patch the |
| them and to master them if at all possible. But | | | | platers up good enough to get his or her fair share |
| claiming races do have their own special sets of | | | | of wins deserves a fair amount of respect. While |
| challenges, so it is a good idea to think about what | | | | the bettors may not understand that, the other |
| characteristics are common in claiming races. | | | | trainers do. |
| The first challenge a claiming race might present is a | | | | I've seen a top level trainer ask a trainer who never |
| horse or horses moving up or down in class. While | | | | had anything, but cheap claimers in his barn to take a |
| horses usually move down off a loss and up off a | | | | look at a horse and give an opinion about its |
| win or claim, that isn't always the case. Some | | | | condition. The conditioners who make a living with |
| trainers will claim a horse that finished third in a | | | | horses at the bottom of the heap have to know |
| $10,000 claimer and successfully move it up and win | | | | how to treat many ailments and bring horses back |
| in a $14,000 claimer. | | | | into form as quickly s possible. That kind of |
| Other trainers are not so skilful and often claim a | | | | knowledge about horses is very valuable on the |
| horse then start dropping it down the ladder until | | | | backstretch. |
| they finally get the win. When you handicap a horse | | | | Therefore, if you want to master claiming races the |
| race, it doesn't matter which way the horse is | | | | first thing you have to do is understand each trainer |
| moving, as long as you understand the trainer's | | | | and then, look for improvements from the good |
| moves and can put a fair value on them. The | | | | ones and expect the fair ones to win off a drop or |
| biggest mistake you can make when handicapping a | | | | two. The one advantage you will have over the |
| claiming race is to think that the horses will keep their | | | | crowd is that they usually expect things to stay the |
| form from race to race. | | | | same with the claimers from race to race and they |
| They aren't in a claiming race, especially a cheap | | | | seldom do. |
| claiming race, because they are healthy and able to | | | | |