TurfPedia - The Horse Racing Encyclopedia

MAIDEN RACES

Maidens are horses that have never won a race.
Handicappers must deal with three broad categories of maidens.

Experienced maidens
First-time starters
Second-time starters

EXPERIENCED MAIDENS
Handicappers should prefer maidens that finished 2nd or 3rd last out, especially 2nd, provided the horses have not finished 2nd or 3rd repeatedly without winning.

FIRST-TIME STARTERS
First starters should have an acceptable trainer (11% wins), acceptable sire (11% wins)), and acceptable workouts (regular, sharp, with two or more at five furlongs or longer)

All three factors should be positive. If only two factors are positive, the odds should be 4-1 or greater.

If the first starters are two-year-olds, strong betting action is a highly positive sign.

SECOND TIME STARTERS
Many maidens improve dramatically in their 2nd race. If the 1st race had been ordinary or even dull, but the trainer-sire-workouts look positive or the 1st race resulted in a troubled trip, beware. Especially if no first starters or 2nd starters are in the field, second starters can be an excellent play. The odds are frequently attractive.

MAIDEN-CLAIMING RACES
Maiden claiming horses are maidens who are entered for sale at today's claiming price.

Because maiden-claiming horses are entered to be claimed before their true value is understood. They tend to be the cheapest, slowest, and least reliable horses in the barns.

The most reliable play is any maiden claiming race is the horse dropping from a straight maiden race. Give extra credit to horses that have run on the lead or within three lengths of the lead against straight maidens at the 1st and 2nd calls

If straight maidens are absent, maiden claiming races can be difficult to analyze. Final time is not reliable and neither are speed figures based upon final times.

Early speed, early pace, and pace figures can be useful. If a horse figures to have a clear lead at the 2nd call, the others may be two slow to catch up.