First Timer in Maiden Claimer Question

[phystech]

I'm currently in a claiming partnership and our $25k claim has won 4 times this year with $67k+ in earnings and is targeted for a stake entry this week. Claimed the horse in Jan 09, so after 5 mos worth of bills totalling around $17k, we're profitable and looking for stake action soon.

Your yearling you purchased last year for $25k was saddle broke early in the year, then turned out for 30 days for a freshening. He's back under saddle and needs about 4 more months of works to get ready for a race. Assuming everything goes perfectly, which it never does, you might race in Sept. That's 8 months worth of bills just this year alone (doesn't include the pasture time after purchase) before you ever stand in the gate on race day. You may have bought lightning in a bottle but it takes a year+ to ever find that out.

If the $25k claim had peckered out the day after the claim, he'd have been in for $15k next out. A win and a claim would have netted us a slight loss but we'd have $22k in our pockets to go find another one. Or, if it had been a really bad claim, we'd be out the full $25k max and someone would have received a new riding pony or lawn ornament. We wouldn't be out $25k plus 8 months of bills.

I'd rather not shoot for the sky and simply understand my modest means allows me to be a part of the claiming game. My stake races are the N1X allowance races I'm lucky enough to win.