What Are Harness Racing Allowances?

There are three basic types of allowances in harness racing. They are far different than for steeplechasing or flat racing. There are three types of allowances in harness racing '" for qualifying times, prices added for a claimer and conditions a horse must meet to be allowed to compete in a race.

Qualifying Race Times

In order to be sure the betting public has a fair chance, only competent horses are allowed in a betting race. All harness racing Standardbreds must pace or trot qualifying races at particular tracks, especially if they have not raced at that rack before or are switching over from the trot to the pace or vice-versa. The Standardbred breed got its name because it trotted or paced a mile in a standard amount of time. When the breed was in its infancy in the 1800s, the standard time was trotting three minutes, or 3:00, for the mile. Currently, the time is less than 2:15.

The qualifying time can differ from track to track. But allowances can be made in case the weather is extremely bad or how old the horse is. For example, if an owner of a California-bred two year-old Standardbred trotter wanted to compete in the California Standardbred Sires Stakes Program, it would need to complete the mile in 2:10 minutes or less. However, the track steward may decide that 2:11 or an allowance of one second is okay under certain circumstances of that particular day.

Claiming a Racehorse

Horses of nearly equal quality are grouped together in levels of harness racing. Claiming races are the lowest tier, where all of the horses are running with a price. The prospective owner fills out a claim ticket and the price before the race. It is only after the race is completed do the horse's owners learn if there is a new owner for their claimer.

Claimers run at a beginning price tag. For example, the purse is $10,000 so the claimer costs $10,000. But if the horse can be bred and isn't a gelding or a spayed mare then the allowance is an extra fee for the horse. This fee depends on the horse's age, breeding ability and any particular local laws or taxes, according to How to Own Winning Standardbred Racehorses (Russell Meerdink Company; 2002.)

Conditioned Races or Handicaps

At one point these were called allowance races, but the US Trotting Association prefers that they be called conditioned races or handicaps. They are the equivalent of allowance races in Thoroughbred or flat racing. The horse needs to fulfill all of the allowances, or conditions, in order to be eligible for the race. This is another way to ensure that horses of a similar quality race against each other and make for a fairer race.

These allowances are similar to allowances on a claiming horse. They can be for age, sex or how much money the horse has won in its lifetime.

In Conclusion

Even after reading this, you can be excused for still thinking, "What are Standardbred horse racing allowances?" The average punter will never need to know about them in order to help pick a winner.

Sources

Siegel, Paul D. How to Own Winning Standardbred Racehorses. Russell Meerdink Company; 2002.

California Standardbred Sires Stakes Program. "Conditions for Sires Stakes No. 31." http://horsemen.ustrotting.com/OnLinePDFConditions11/Calf%20Stbd%20SS%2031.pdf

US Trotting Association. "2009/2010 Charter, Bylaws, Rules and Regulations." http://www.ustrotting.com/pdf/USTARuleBook.pdf