Meadowlands: Understanding the conditioned class system

There are many factors that handicappers use when making their selections at The Meadowlands. Some of the rationales lead to favorites, while others lead to big prices, something Big M players don't mind waiting for, because at the mile oval, they do connect.

In the end, a player needs to find the right balance for them.

When looking at past performances and a handicapper is trying to figure out which horse is classier than another, it's good to have a chart that shows which claiming and conditioned classes are similar, not to mention the relatively new TrackMaster rating system, which has been one of the prominent new ways that race secretaries seed horses to make for competitive fields.

At The Meadowlands, race secretary Scott Warren has made his basic conditions simple to understand. With the help of the old, classified ABC system as a guide, we will illustrate how easy it is to follow the ups and downs of the class ladder at the mile oval.

AA = Marquee 3YO and 3YO & Up stakes

A1 = Free For All/Invitational

A2 = Non-winners of $20,000 last five starts or Preferred

A3 = Non-winners of $15,000 L5 or TrackMaster 90

B1 = Non-winners of $10,000 L5 or TM 86

B2 = Non-winners of $7,500 L5 or TM 83

B3 = Non-winners of $5,000 L5 or TM 80

C1 = Non-winners of $3,000 L5 or TM 77

C2 = TM 74

"The chart shows the various levels broken down into their simplest form," said Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. "The (above) chart is based on horses currently racing at The Meadowlands and how they perform in these events. The higher the class, the faster the competition. The end result is races that are the most competitive in the harness game, which yield a low percentage of winning favorites that are comparable to the top Thoroughbred tracks in North America.

"As we head into summer, some of these classes get much tougher and may need adjusting. Right now, a $10,000 claimer would be similar to a non-winners of $3,000 or TrackMaster 77. This level stays fairly consistent."

On the other hand, some adjustments need to be made when doping out races with younger horses in the non-winners of "x" amount of races. In the winter, a non-winners of four is a middle condition, but as we move into summer, that condition becomes loaded with horses that will soon be racing at the top levels.

These are the ever-changing dynamics of racing that create the parimutuel puzzles that everyone loves to try and figure out to get paid every Friday and Saturday night.

-edited release (Meadowlands)