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Originally Posted by Scav
Recently, I have realized how HARD claiming is. The people that do claim either have to have a serious reason (change of surface, equipment, rider) for it to be valid or they are looking for one race and then the drop so they can become someone else's problem. I think that the reward is far better to acquire talent as yearlings/2 year olds within the sales if you have someone with a good eye
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Claiming is very, very difficult - but I couldn't disagree with you more about your comment that "...the reward is far better to acquire talent as yearlings/2 year olds within the sales if you have someone with a good eye".
When you buy at a sale, you have very little to go on as it relates to how the horse is going to run when you eventually put it in the gate to start. With a claim, you have a lot to go on as you can see the horse's running line. It helps to have contacts at the track to get a little help with info, such as you received from your jock friend. And, in my opinion, it is most important to understand not only the trainer's racing habits, but also the owner's racing habits.
It's all about doing your homework and having an exit strategy if your claim isn't a good one. You have to have a keen understanding of the condition book, i.e., which races go and which ones don't. Your exit strategy has to incorporate your claim price as it relates to purses, i.e., how far can you drop to win a race and pray for a claim to get out and get back to or close to even.
No doubt it is a tough game but I love it because of the challenge it presents. Nothing is more rewarding than to find a horse that is running ok, has a condition or two left, understanding the horse is in a bad barn, maybe getting bad rides, and know that a little better feed program, a different training regimen and a better jock can move a horse up the few lengths it is getting beat by.
And you don't typically have to wait months and months to run and make some cake!!!!