The Condition Book

The condition book is usually published every two weeks to every month and contains races available at a particular racetrack for the upcoming weeks. This is where you find out if there is a race perfectly suited to your horse.

The condition book is available either in print or online versions. You can obtained one in the office of the Racing Secretary at the track, or call them to request one by mail. Also please check the websites of the racetracks to see their entire condition books online. For your convenience, the Arabian races from these condition books are posted on this website under Upcoming Races.

The Racing Secretary writes the races based on the availability of horses to fill those races. It is helpful and important for the Arabian trainers and owners to meet together with data about horses available and communicate this to the Racing Secretary, so that appropriate races can be written. The Racing Secretary is sometimes also required by state mandate to particular races. The Racing Secretary’s goal is to write races that will fill and also be closely competitive.

Before looking through the condition book, familiarize yourself with the correct definitions of some racing terms:

CONDITIONS: These concern the horse's racing record, sex, and age.

ADDED: If this word appears after purse amount, it means that the Racing Association or a Sponsor is "adding" that sum to the race's purse.

CLAIMING RACE: a race with conditions where every horse entered is available for purchase at the price stated in the Condition Book (as well as the Program

ALLOWANCE RACE: a race with conditions, but without a claiming price. The conditions specified in these races are particularly concerning the horse's racing record.

STARTER: An Allowance race in which the basic condition is that the horse has raced within a given time past in a Claiming race with a stated price of "X" dollars or less.

STAKES RACES: Races in which the owners of the entered horses contribute to the purse usually through a nominating fee and an entry fee.

HANDICAP RACES: The Racing Secretary sets conditions and with a staff committee assigns weights to each horse individually based on past money won.

GRADED STAKE: The highest class races which are internationally recognized as such, with Grade III being the lowest graded stake and Grade I being the top graded stake.

INVITATIONAL STAKES RACE: The Racing Association of the current meet in the region "invites" individual horses to compete in a particular promoted race without requiring the owners to contribute to the purse.

MATCH RACE: A special "duel" race between two horses. These are quite common in other countries but not held at the Texas tracks.

NOMINATOR: The person who enters a horse in a Stakes race. The owner at the time of entry pays the nominating fee. If the ownership changes after nomination, the current owner collects the purse.

SUBSTITUTE RACE: A race described in the Condition Book which will be the first to be placed on the official racing card for that day should any of the primary races for that day fail to fill.

BY SUBSCRIPTION: Designates that an entry fee is required.

STATE-BRED: A horse foaled in a particular state. Most, but not all, tracks will card some races restricted to those horses foaled in that state. These restricted races may also have their purses supplemented by the state's breed incentive fund. In Texas, the program is Accredited Texas Bred.

MAIDEN: is a horse of any age or sex which has never won a race in any recognized jurisdiction.

FILLIES: Female horses age 4 years old or less, indicated on forms with a lower case “f.”.

MARES: Female horses which have turned 5 (as of January 1 from the year of their birth), indicated on forms with a lower case “m.”

COLTS: Male horses (not gelded) 4 years old or less, indicated on forms with lower-case "c."

HORSES: Males which have turned 5 (as of January 1 from the year of their birth), indicated on forms with a lower case “h.”

GELDINGS: Male horses over 3 years which have been castrated. These are indicated on forms by lower case "g."

SPRINTERS: Horses who specialize in short races, generally 4 1/2 to 7 1/2 furlongs.

ROUTE HORSES: Horses who specialize in longer races, 1 mile or more, generally covering 2 turns or more on the track.

TURF HORSES: Horses who specialize in races on the grass tracks.

For other important racing terms, see the Racing Dictionary