Kentucky Derby Countdown:
67 Days Until May 3rd and the 134th Kentucky Derby
Thoroughbred Horse Racing and Stakes CategoryHere are some explanations and examples of each category of a stakes race:
Grade 1 Stakes: These stakes exemplify the very best races in the country.
For example, the Triple Crown races - the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes - are grade 1 stakes. In races of this caliber, you expect to see champion racehorses competing against the very best in their respective divisions. The richest purses tend to be grade 1 stakes, because the best horses follow the money. Serious horse race handicappers live for a Grade 1 event.
Grade 2 Stakes: These stakes are considered a cut below grade I, but they attract a very talented group of horses. A stakes race can move up or down in grade depending on the caliber of horse that runs in it. For example, if a grade 2 stakes has horses in it that normally run in a grade 1 stakes, the race may be upgraded the following year to grade 1 status.
Grade 3 Stakes: Another level down from grade 1 and grade 2 stakes, these stakes have a noticeably smaller purse because they attract a lesser caliber of stakes horse. Still, the competition is keen, and the field sizes can be large because the race draws starters from a bigger pool of horses.
Non-graded Stakes: The vast majority of stakes races don't have grades 1,2, or 3. However, that doesn't mean the horses are inferior. Quite the contrary. At a major racetrack, a non-graded stakes may be a stepping stone race to a graded stakes. At a smaller racetrack, a non-graded stakes can attract the best horses on the grounds. Any stakes race at any track attracts a very good caliber of racehorse, and the competition is always keen and competitive.
Restricted Stakes: These stakes are written for horses born in a specific state. For example, there are horse races for horses born specifically in California, Florida, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, to name a few. So, for example, in a California-bred stakes race, only horses born in California can compete.
Horse race handicappers know that when they handicap a stakes race, that the horses in that race are there because of their particular credentials.
Horse racing handicapping and wagering, although a legal form of gambling, does not guarantee that the risk of losing your money has been eliminated; even in a Stakes Race.
Always wager with money that you can afford to lose, do not violate your money management rules, and do not be greedy, there will always be another horse race to wager on.
Fact: Only 2% of all horse race handicappers actually make money wagering.
Visit http://www.HorseRaceHandicappingCollege.com for more information.
