Post by Charlie Parker on Dec 9, 2009 23:55:11 GMT -5
Alright kids, I've noticed lately that a lot of people just don't know all that much about horse racing here, and we need more realism that area of horsemanship. So, here are a few guidelines about jockeys, trainers, racehorses, and racing structure.
Jockeys
1. a Jockey absolutely MUST be at least 18 to get his license, and even then, odds are he isn't going to get into any of the big races until he has been WINNING the lower level races for at least a year.
2. No trainer in his right mind would put a jockey on his horse that is taller than 5'4" and heavier than 115 lbs. Too much weight would put the horse at a SEVERE disadvantage in the race, and racehorses are built very lightly so their riders HAVE to be light or they will develop joint and back problems.
3. A jockey CANNOT own or train the same horse that he is riding. It just doesn't happen, ever. Sorry.
4. Female jockeys are RARE, I don't want to see a million of them.
Trainers
1. A trainer is NOT going to be under 21 years old... and most trainers won't be under 25 realistically.
2. A trainer cannot train and ride the same horse. He CAN own the horse, but he cannot also be a jockey.
Racehorses
1. NEVER under any circumstances are going to start racing before two years old. Their training STARTS when they are 2, and odds are they won't run more than 3 or 4 races by the end of their two year old season.
2. Racehorses are NOT friendly horses. They're not mean, per-se, but they are extremely high strung and are almost ALWAYS difficult to handle. Racehorses aren't pets. I don't care how Hollywood portrays them, they just aren't sweet and cuddly.
3. CANNOT be racehorses and jumpers and western horses. A racehorse ONLY races. They can be retrained to be english or western, but they will NOT race at the same time.
4. MUST have broken their Maiden before they can run in any race higher than maiden level. End of story. I don't want to hear about a horse running in a Grade I race as their first race.
5. Fillies RARELY run against the colts at the higher levels and almost NEVER beat them. It's a fact of life, the boys are stronger and faster than the girls.
Structure
Maiden Claiming
When a horse has not won a race, it is a maiden. In a maiden claiming race, all horses racing have never won a single race and all horses running can be claimed. This is the lowest class of horse racing and typically accounts for about 15% of all horse races. Maiden Claiming races typically start around the $3,00 level and go up from there.
Maiden Special Weight
Next up is maiden special weight. All the races in this class feature horses that have never won a race, but they can't be claimed. Additionally, many maiden special weight races have special restrictions, such as locally bred horses only.
Claiming Race
Claiming races can be considered the bread and butter of the horse racing world, because they account for about half of all horse races. Horses running in claiming races have won before. Claiming races can also feature, for better or worse, horses from upper levels. For example, if a horse was at a higher level, but has slowed, that horse might be run at a Claiming race so the current owner can sell off that horse. Claiming races are run at all different levels, from $2,000 on up. The amount is determined by the track. A major track, like Del Mar, will typically have claiming races on the high end of the scale.
Allowance Race
The next level up is the allowance race. Allowance races have various levels. N1X, N2X, N3X and N4X. In an N1X allowance race, all horses must have not won an allowance race before. In other words, the horse can only have won at the previous levels. In a N2X allowance race, all the horses have only won once at the allowance level. As you might guess, N3X is for winners of not more than two allowance races and N4X is for winners of not more than three allowance races.
Stakes Races
Stakes races are the major leagues of horse racing. Stakes races have three different classes: Grade I, Grade II and Grade III. The difference between Grade I and Grade III is night an day. A true Grade I horse is far superior to a Grade III horse. This is important to know when you are handicapping stakes races. For example, if a horse is running a Grade I race that has struggled at Grade II or Grade III, the odds of that horse winning the Grade I race is slim to none.
Notes
If I see an application that does not follow these guidelines for jockeys, trainers, and racehorses, I will ask you to change it. We want realism here, and I expect that we can all stick to these rules, yes? If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
Thanks,
Jess
Jockeys
1. a Jockey absolutely MUST be at least 18 to get his license, and even then, odds are he isn't going to get into any of the big races until he has been WINNING the lower level races for at least a year.
2. No trainer in his right mind would put a jockey on his horse that is taller than 5'4" and heavier than 115 lbs. Too much weight would put the horse at a SEVERE disadvantage in the race, and racehorses are built very lightly so their riders HAVE to be light or they will develop joint and back problems.
3. A jockey CANNOT own or train the same horse that he is riding. It just doesn't happen, ever. Sorry.
4. Female jockeys are RARE, I don't want to see a million of them.
Trainers
1. A trainer is NOT going to be under 21 years old... and most trainers won't be under 25 realistically.
2. A trainer cannot train and ride the same horse. He CAN own the horse, but he cannot also be a jockey.
Racehorses
1. NEVER under any circumstances are going to start racing before two years old. Their training STARTS when they are 2, and odds are they won't run more than 3 or 4 races by the end of their two year old season.
2. Racehorses are NOT friendly horses. They're not mean, per-se, but they are extremely high strung and are almost ALWAYS difficult to handle. Racehorses aren't pets. I don't care how Hollywood portrays them, they just aren't sweet and cuddly.
3. CANNOT be racehorses and jumpers and western horses. A racehorse ONLY races. They can be retrained to be english or western, but they will NOT race at the same time.
4. MUST have broken their Maiden before they can run in any race higher than maiden level. End of story. I don't want to hear about a horse running in a Grade I race as their first race.
5. Fillies RARELY run against the colts at the higher levels and almost NEVER beat them. It's a fact of life, the boys are stronger and faster than the girls.
Structure
Maiden Claiming
When a horse has not won a race, it is a maiden. In a maiden claiming race, all horses racing have never won a single race and all horses running can be claimed. This is the lowest class of horse racing and typically accounts for about 15% of all horse races. Maiden Claiming races typically start around the $3,00 level and go up from there.
Maiden Special Weight
Next up is maiden special weight. All the races in this class feature horses that have never won a race, but they can't be claimed. Additionally, many maiden special weight races have special restrictions, such as locally bred horses only.
Claiming Race
Claiming races can be considered the bread and butter of the horse racing world, because they account for about half of all horse races. Horses running in claiming races have won before. Claiming races can also feature, for better or worse, horses from upper levels. For example, if a horse was at a higher level, but has slowed, that horse might be run at a Claiming race so the current owner can sell off that horse. Claiming races are run at all different levels, from $2,000 on up. The amount is determined by the track. A major track, like Del Mar, will typically have claiming races on the high end of the scale.
Allowance Race
The next level up is the allowance race. Allowance races have various levels. N1X, N2X, N3X and N4X. In an N1X allowance race, all horses must have not won an allowance race before. In other words, the horse can only have won at the previous levels. In a N2X allowance race, all the horses have only won once at the allowance level. As you might guess, N3X is for winners of not more than two allowance races and N4X is for winners of not more than three allowance races.
Stakes Races
Stakes races are the major leagues of horse racing. Stakes races have three different classes: Grade I, Grade II and Grade III. The difference between Grade I and Grade III is night an day. A true Grade I horse is far superior to a Grade III horse. This is important to know when you are handicapping stakes races. For example, if a horse is running a Grade I race that has struggled at Grade II or Grade III, the odds of that horse winning the Grade I race is slim to none.
Notes
If I see an application that does not follow these guidelines for jockeys, trainers, and racehorses, I will ask you to change it. We want realism here, and I expect that we can all stick to these rules, yes? If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
Thanks,
Jess
