Races in Photo Finish™ LIVE Live can be one of several different types. A race’s type determines how competitive it will be as well as whether any special rules will be in effect; the Race Grades are:

• Claiming
• Maiden
• Handicap
• Allowance
• Benchmark Allowance
• Benchmark Restricted
• Grade III (Stakes)
• Grade II (Stakes)
• Grade I (Stakes)

This list is in order of competition level. More competitive races often have more entrants and bigger purses. Some race types also have special rules.

RACES WITH SPECIAL RULES

Claiming

A Claiming Race is a special race where the horses running may be “Claimed” or purchased before the race begins. These are the lowest tier of race as they are meant for horses the owners do not feel confident in.

All horses in a Claiming Race are purchasable for an amount listed before the race. If a horse is purchased in a claiming race, the OLD Owner receives any prizes won during that race.

If multiple people try to claim a horse, a random, automated lottery is held, and a winner is selected. If you do not win the Claim, your funds will be returned

Maiden

A Maiden Race is a special race that only accepts horses that have never won a race before. It is often the first step toward discovering the next big champion.

Juvenile Races

Juvenile races are not considered a special race type. However, if you see this term around, it refers to special races that are exclusively available to 2-year-old horses. These races are particularly cheap and exist to help owners test and appraise young colts and fillies before the big racing season at age 3.

Allowance Races

Allowance races routinely come with distinct registration criteria, such as career wins. Some criteria may result in a horse carrying extra weight, intentionally slowing it down to level the playing field.

Benchmark Allowance

Every horse has a “Benchmark,” which is, in essence, the average of their recent Fleet Figures that determines their recent strength. Benchmark Allowance races group horses together by a range of Benchmarks and then add weight to stronger horses to somewhat level the playing field.

Benchmark Restricted

In Benchmark Restricted races, a Max Benchmark can enter the race to limit the top end of the horses entering the race.

No weight is added to horses, so you may not want to stray too far from the Max Benchmark.