OVERVIEW OF HORSE RACING CONDITION BOOK
The clear objective of any horse racing trainer is to win. Winning a race has ultimately evolved around the trainer and horse relationship, along with strategically planning a proper entry for the horse to have an increased chance of winning. If a trainer wants to win a particular race, he/she will pick up a booklet issued by the corresponding racetrack which includes a list of all the future races. This booklet is considered the “Condition Book” and is a vital necessity to trainers in initial process of finding success.
Each horse race has specific “conditions”, meaning that each race has pre-requisites for the horses that will be entered. Conditions range from a field of horses who have no race experience to horses who have a ton of experience and are eligible to enter “Graded Stakes” races.
CONDITIONS BOOK EXAMPLE:
Below you will see the conditions for all races at Del Mar Racetrack on Wednesday, August 12, 2015 (click link for DMR Condition Book).
You will notice there are 8 Races, all which have different conditions/requirements for entry. For instance, if a trainer has a female horse who has yet to win a race, he may consider Race #2.
The specific conditions of Race #2 are: “For Maidens, Fillies and Mares (female horses) 3 years old and upward. The trainer will then contact the racing office and apply for entry. This process can start as early as the condition book is released, typically 3-4 weeks prior to the race. Once the trainer has initiated this process, he/she will then strategically train his/her horse for the race.