Entering a regular race does not cost anything and purses can be lucrative. See Upcoming Races for purse amounts available over the next few weeks of racing.
Important Notes: Be sure you have ordered your Silks (your unique shirt and helmet cover for your jockey to wear in the race), and have turned these into the jockey room. This is also a good time to make sure your Horseman's Account is opened at the track with the Horseman's Bookeeper. This is the account to which your race winnings will be deposited. It is also the account from which your jockey mount fee will be withdrawn. You must have enough money in your account before the race to cover the jockey fee for an unplaced mount (generally $40. See Costs for more info.)
Before any entry can be made, the specific horse must meet all the criteria to enter a race. He must be registered and tattooed, he must have completed all his official works or have completed a race in the prior 45 days, and the owner must be licensed as well as the trainer. If the horse has been racing and for some reason ended up on the vet list or the starter list (by the track determining in his last race he was not sound, or that he did not behave appropriately in the starting gates), he must have been removed from this list in order to start the next race.
Entries are the official submissions for a particular race made in the Racing Office. Trainers generally handle this task, although some owners will enter their horses, or a jockey agent may be used. Entries take place 48 or 72 hours, beginning at 8 a.m., before the day the race will run. Entries close at 10:30. Days of entry are noted in the racetrack’s condition book.
Each entry must be accompanied by a form, or if entries are made by phone all the following information must be supplied: horse's name, age, sex, and color, trainer name and phone number, owner(s) name and phone number, and jockey to ride the horse. If a jockey is not chosen, the person entering the horse can ask the track to designate any available jockey. When entering it also must be specified if a horse runs with Lasix, if it has been gelded since its last race, and if it will be running with blinkers on or off. Owners and trainers must be careful to claim weight allowances and preference date at the time of entry. This is the sole responsibility of the person making the entry. No horse is allowed to be entered in more than one race on any racing day.
Once all entries have been checked and processed, the Racing Secretary determines which races -- and their accompanying purses -- will be used to make up a day's program, or "card." He then determines "the set," meaning the order in which the races will be run on that day.
The "Final" is the announcement of all the accumulated, confirmed entries for the day's written races. For any races that can accommodate more horses, entries will continue to be taken until, at last, “The Draw” is held.
If a race over-fills with entries, the actual starters will be chosen based in "preference conditions." Depending on how the race conditions have been written, a horse may be "preferred" based on races previously run, or on the class in which the horse most recently competed. Most often, preference will be based on the "date system," meaning that the horse which has started most recently is the least "preferred."
When the "Final" is announced, jockeys' agents, trainers and often owners assemble to witness the drawing of post positions. A Steward is present at the draw to monitor the procedure and resolve any disputes that may arise. A member of the Racing Office staff will coordinate the draw, utilizing a "bonafide horseman" -- a trainer, jockeys' agent or owner -- to select the numbers. Little balls called "pills" with numbers on them that represent post positions are placed in a jar, and the selected person will take one from the jar as each horse name is announced. Here too is where horses are selected, if not by "preference," then by lot, if the race is over-subscribed.
Overnights are true "Finals," printed sheets which list all the races, horses and jockeys drawn for the race card. On any day entries are taken, this is the final word. As soon as the Overnights are published (usually by midday), the sheet is available by fax from the office of the Racing Secretary and many tracks post them to the internet.
Now, you are almost ready for your race! See Race Day.
SCRATCHING YOUR HORSE FROM A RACE
A word of caution: If you/your trainer decide to scratch (or cancel) your horse from a race in which he is entered, the scratch must be submitted with a full explanation no later than the morning before the scheduled race day (this varies slightly by track).
A scratch by your trainer from a race with 8 horses or fewer (at some tracks, and for some races, the number is 10 or fewer) means automatic inspection by the State Vet for the illness or injury you are claiming.
Automatic placement of your horse on the Vets List will mean for a certain number of days your horse is ineligible to be entered in a race until the horse has passed another vet inspection.
