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Originally Posted by max
So what races are there? What would you classify them all as?
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As others have often described it here, it's all a bit of "dog's breakfast" really.
Here's the
theoretical sequence of race type in terms of expected quality.
Maiden - no wins.
Class 1 - 1 win maximum to qualify to enter.
Class 2 - 2 wins maximum to qualify to enter.
Class 3 - 3 wins maximum to qualify to enter.
Class 4 - 4 wins maximum to qualify to enter.
Class 5 - 5 wins maximum to qualify to enter.
Class 6 - 6 wins maximum to qualify to enter.
Open
Listed (aka Group 4)
Group 3
Group 2
Group 1 - Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, etc.
But then they have some races like 0MW (zero metro wins to qualify), where a horse that has won it's first ten races out in the country, can come to the city, and race for bigger prizemoney, potentially against some city horses who haven't even won once yet. I think the handicapper's view a 0MW race being between a Class 5 and 6 race, but I doubt the typical punter would know that. Then there's Quality races and Cup races and Flying races, etc, and they all probably fall somewhere between a Listed and Group 1 race. Then some races by age and sex, eg. - Fillies and mare only, or say 3yo only.
Some races are now given a maximum rating. For instance, Geelong race 7 today is classified as a max 68 rating race, so to qualify to enter a horse's rating must be 68 or less. So Whitebait (68) has the highest rating, and is therefore the top weight (59kg), and Dramastic had the lowest rating (50) and was given the lowest weight (53kg).
When you get a bunch of horses having previously raced in all different types of races, it can be hard to find a way to compare them against each other. What I usually try to do is forget about class types altogether, and focus instead on prizemoney raced for. In a race for $100,000, I'd much prefer to be on a horse who has run 10 seconds in a row in $100,000 races, than a horse that has won 10 races in a row in $10,000 country races.
You have to think like the trainer/owners. For instance, if a horse wins a $200,000 race, and then it's next race it's racing for $40,000, when it could have entered a race of similar distance for $250,000, then that's a big hint that the trainer thinks the horse isn't at it's best, and isn't willing to risk paying the higher fees to enter a race with higher prizemoney on offer. Too often, you'll see that being touted as the "class horse" in the race, just because it won a big race in it's last effort, and is now racing in a much lower class race. It will be always be overbet, and possibly be an odds-on favourite, and will often be beaten by a longshot, who will then be touted as the next big thing.
If you've got a horse you think is primed for a good run, you're going to be racing it for more prizemoney, not less than it what it last raced for. That's my big tip of the day. Forget about class, and consider the horses by the amount of prizemoney they've raced for and how they've faired in such company instead.
Just to confuse you a bit more, here's a link to a webpage that talks a bit more about class types if you're interested:
http://www.justracing.com.au/index....=52&news_page=1
If that link doesn't work, google "just racing class types" and select the first result.