Race Limits and Race Rejection
A horse may participate in one Grade 1, one Grade 2, one Claiming or one qualifying race per day; in three rated races; and in an unlimited number of Grade 3 races per day.
Multiple race entries for a single horse may be made at one time if the races run on different days. However if the horse is entered into a Claiming race or Auction , then the Claimer or Auction needs to take place before further race entries will be accepted. The reason for this is a horse may change ownership and the new owner may prefer a different race strategy for the horse.
A horse is also prevented from being entered for a Claiming race if there are current entries for the horse that will run subsequent to the Claiming race.
Once entered, a horse may not be scratched/withdrawn from a race.
Entry fees are automatically refunded when a horse is withdrawn from a race by the system in the event that a race is cancelled (insufficient runners), the horses stabling fee is due (pending payment), the horse is made inactive (retired) or the horse becomes ineligible for the race (win eligibility).
Race Close Times
Graded Races close for entries 5 minutes before race time.
Rated Races close for entries 10 minutes before race time.
A Claiming Race closes for entries 24 hours before it runs and is then opened to placing a claim on a horse. The 24 hours is to allow sufficient time for claims to be placed.
Factors that Determine a Race Result
There are numerous factors involved in determining the outcome of a race. These are the innate ability of a horse in relation to its race rivals, preference for the selected race conditions (distance and going), race preparation (fitness and equipment applied), weight carried based on race selection of the owner, starting gate draw and the jockey.
Race type and category selection will determine the level of competition that you put your horse up against. Weaker fields run in Claiming Races, whilst the strongest fields compete in Qualifying Races. Rated Races, Allowance Races (Graded Race type) and Division Races (Graded Race type) add competitive variety in between.
As in live racing, there is an unpredictable element in every race where a horse and the jockey don’t always run to form.
Graded Race Handicapping
The primary purpose of handicapping is to level the playing field for horses of different abilities. Handicapping introduces performance Penalties and Allowances (performance enhancers). Penalties add weight and Allowances reduce weight measured in pounds (lbs). A handicap will thus slow a horse down slightly and an allowance will benefit a horse relative to the rest of the field. This encourages competition, by allowing horses of different race experience to compete more equally in the same race.
The base weight in each race on which penalties and allowances are applied is 120lbs. The maximum weight that a horse can carry is 140lbs.
In a Small Stable Graded race for example, a horse with 2 wins will carry more weight than a horse with 0 wins (Maiden). The horse with 2 wins will carry 2 times (being 2-0) the specified weight penalty per win. The penalty per win is 2lbs, so the calculated penalty added to the base of 120lbs is 4lbs. This weight penalty will vary depending on the race category. The penalty is applied per incremental win over the qualifying win count for the race category.
More exam
| Win Eligibility | Base Weight | Penalty | Weight Carried | |
| Horse A that has 1 win | 0 to 1 wins | 120lbs | 6lbs | 126lbs (120 + 6 lbs) |
| Horse B that has 10 wins | 4 - 10 wins | 120lbs | 4lbs | 140lbs (120 + (6 wins X 4 lbs) = 144) |
In the last example you will see how the total weight carried by Horse B is limited to 140lbs rather than the 144lbs calculated weight.
You can download a Weight Calculator which is an excel spreadsheet to do your own calculation of the weight of your horse based on the race conditions.
Combined Sex Races
Fillies are generally considered weaker than the Colts, and so a sex allowance allows a Filly to be more competitive within the same race.
When a filly runs against a colt in a race it will receive an allowance of 90lbs. Relative to an equivalent colt with the same win level that may carry 120lbs in a race, a filly would then carry 90lbs.
Level Weights and Weight for Age Races
Level Weights Graded races are races that do not carry handicapping based on prior race results. This is generally aimed at the more accomplished horses with many wins which the owners are finding struggle to carry weight in the Division races.
Weight for Age races combine different age groups. Older horses then carry more weight than the younger horses as they would ordinarily have the upper-hand.
Graded Allowance Races
Allowance Races cater for horses that are battling to obtain their next win in the Grade Division races. These give a horse that has not won a race in recent runs a weight allowance (handicapping) to enhance its relative race performance when running against horses with better recent results.
There are two types of allowances that are often combined into a single Allowance Race:
- Non-Wins Allowance - Weight allowance for each race run without a win. This means weight that your horse carries will be reduced for each consecutive preceding run without a win.
- Lbl Allowance - Weight allowance for each length run behind the leader calculated as an average over the last 5 races.
The average length behind leader (lbl*) value is calculated over the last 5 races and rounded down to the nearest integer before applying the allowance per lbl. If for example the average lbl result over the last 5 runs is 3.45 lbl, this is then rounded down to 3. If the allowance per length is 2lbs, the weight calculation is then 114lbs (120lbs base weight – 6lbs (3lbl x 2lbs).
If you have a horse that is not finding a win, then nominate it in an Allowance race before nominating it in a Claiming Race, where you will run the risk of losing a potential Stakes winner. This is basically a performance enhancement for not performing well in previous races.
IMPORTANT - A win in a claiming race will not count towards penalties applied in handicapping of other races. Claiming race wins will however impact allowances applied in handicapping such as in determining the number of runs since last win.
Special Condition Graded Races
You may have a horse that has not even placed recently in a race. Then look out for this race that limits eligibility to only horses that have not placed in the last few runs.
An example of this race denotation is NPL3R. This is an abbreviation for a horse that has Not Placed in the Last 3 Races.
Race Stakes
The stakes on a race are derived from the entry fee less a 15% administration fee, eg. 10 horses entered at US$10.00 each, will carry stakes of US$85.00.
The stakes are split 50%, 25%, 15% and 10% for 1st through to 4th places respectively. Where there are 3 runners in a race the horses receive 60%, 25% and 15% respectively.
Some Grade 1 races receive additional sponsored stakes from race sponsors. Such added stakes may be in the form of Cash or Bonus credits. Look out for these on the race card. Sponsored bonus credits are also placed on Early Bird (EB) races which may include Grade 2 races. We usually select races to be posted to independent betting operators from these EB races. The betting operators then offer customers betting markets on the EB races like in real racing.
Claiming Races
When entering your horse in a Claimer, you are putting it up for sale as any other member may place a Claim on your horse.
You own the horse until the end of the race and if it wins you collect the prize money. If someone has claimed it, you will also collect the claim price specified in the name of the race (eg. In a US$15.00 Claiming Plate, you collect US$15.00 less 15% commission) and your horse will be transferred to the Claimer (purchaser).
It is unlikely that a Champion horse will be entered in a Grade 1 Claiming Race as owners will generally not risk losing their champions. Unless of course, a nominating owner has not recognized the true ability of a Champion horse in which case the astute claimer will make a prize purchase of a horse that has ability to succeed in Grade Races. The higher value Claiming Races will naturally attract more competitive horses.
Once you have entered a horse for a Claiming Race you may not nominate that horse for any other Race until the Claiming race has run.
Special Condition Claiming Races
Some Claimers include eligibility conditions that restrict entry, such as N4L (non-winner of 4 lifetime). These races also run at level weights.
A win in a claiming race will not count towards eligibility in conditioned Claimers. So, a horse may win multiple Claimers and still be eligible to run in Claimers with conditions such as N6L (non-winner of 6 lifetime).
A horse with a claiming win will not be eligible for a Maiden stakes race or Maiden Claimer. The claiming win will however not count towards penalties applied in handicapping of normal Graded races.
Claiming race wins will impact allowances applied in handicapping such as in determining the number of runs since last win in Allowance races. A Claiming race win will be considered in determining this count since last win.
R A C E C L U B S
VIRTUAL HORSES . REAL WINNERS
THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE
The 28th Season of Virtual Horseracing on RaceClubs.com is worth over $400,000.00 in sponsorships!
RaceClubs.com remains the premier destination for horse racing enthusiasts who enjoy racing their own horses against a community of players that also value the fine tradition of racing thoroughbred horses for lucrative rewards.
New innovations in the 28th season for the world’s premier virtual horseracing community include the following exciting highlights:
·Races with Earnings Restrictions to facilitate racing for the lower caliber G1 horses.·Revised Rated Racing streamlining the horse population to stimulate racing.
·Enhanced Sales Ring to facilitate more exciting racing throughout the season.
·Qualifiers Run four qualifiers to enter the $50,000 Challenge Series and Consolation races.
·Consolation Prizes worth over $2,000 for the horses that miss the Challenge Finals.
Don’t forget to take advantage of the Yearling Sale and start training your future champion before it can race in the new season!
| Race Type | Total Sponsorship |
| Stakes Races | $261,910.00 |
| World Championship Day | $5,000.00 |
| Handicap Races (Feature Races) | $4,000.00 |
| Total | $270,910.00 |
| Championship Qualifiers | $55,200.00 |
| Championship Finals | $50,000.00 |
| Consolations | $23,000.00 |
| Total | $128,200.00 |
| GRAND TOTAL | $399,110.00 |
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