I think some punters [especially new ones] get a bit too obsessed with race 'class'. Horses are often quickly on the way up, down or can seem all over the place as far as race class goes.

Class of race should not be confused with class of horse. A class horse can go from winning a maiden to winning a G1 in 3 or 4 runs.

As for class of race, I stick by the good old simple formula of prize money. If a horse can win a C1 of $12k, the same horse is in the right class for a $12k C6 at an inferior meeting. A punter would go crazy trying to line-up the class system across states otherwise.