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CLASS EVALUATIONS

The guidelines presented here, are intended as a ready-reference to help handicappers distinguish horses well suited to the conditions of eligibility from horses that are not.

The standard array of races carded in major racing is examined as follows.

First, similar to what appears in the Form, the conditions of eligibility for each kind of race are displayed. The basic handicapping requirements of the Form and Distance factors are given. Each horse in the race should satisfy the basic requirements. An exception to this format is races for maidens, where the basic requirements refer to the Form, Jockey, and Speed factors, but omit Distance. Experienced handicappers can modify the basic requirements as situations demand or new evidence indicates, Novices and others should interpret the basic requirements strictly.

The basic requirements normally will eliminate some horses from further consideration, thereby erasing errors of the grossest kind while easing the remaining handicapping burden.

Next, horses that qualify when judged on the basic requirements can be evaluated in four ways: