Tip of the Week: A Good ‘Start’
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Horses in starter allowance races, like Political Justice, can indicate confidence from connections. (Photo by Coady Photography)
Starter allowance races can sometimes create a handicapping puzzle.
Since they are basically a non-claiming race for claiming horses, they often bring together a collection of sharp horses descending from various claiming levels into the safety of a race in which their owners need not worry about losing them.
The third race at Keeneland on April 19 was a starter allowance race for horses that had run for a claiming tag of $7,500 or less since the start of 2014 and it had a couple of interesting runners.
Topping them was the 8-5 favorite, Political Justice. The 6-year-old horse had not raced since capturing a starter allowance/optional claimer at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 19.
The two-month layoff was a cause for concern, but what outweighed it was the rationale involved in placing Political Justice back in a starter allowance race.
In the race before his win on Feb. 19, Political Justice was claimed for $16,000 by trainer Mike Maker on behalf of owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey – connections that relish winning races at Keeneland.
Besides that, in the previous four races that Political Justice ran for a claiming tag, he was indeed claimed. The fact that Political Justice changed hands so often was a highly positive sign. Plus, if Maker had any concerns about Political Justice slipping into a weak form cycle, he probably would have entered him in a claimer, where such a popular horse most likely would have been scooped up by another stable.
By protecting Political Justice in the starter allowance race, Maker was in essence sending out a signal that all was well with the horse and that a sharp 35 2/5 workout for the race was indeed a sign that a top effort was in the offing.
Those who picked up on those positive vibes received their just reward when Political Justice rolled to a 2 1/2-length victory as an even-money favorite and returned $4 for a $2 win bet.
THE LESSON: Simply entering a horse in a starter allowance race can speak volumes about a horse’s current form and his connections’ desire to keep him in their barn.