What It Means
A class code is the racing secretary's shorthand for who was allowed to enter. It is set down in the program unexplained, because the horsemen reading it already know the grammar. 5000CLM breaks into parts, and each part narrows the field a little further.
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| CL | claiming: every starter may be bought for the stated price shortly after the race |
The figure 5000 in the code is the money threshold itself. Read together with the letters above, it is what separates a horse that may enter from one that has won too much to be eligible any longer.
In the programs held here 5000CLM was carded 3 times for the pace (3), carrying purses from $3,000. The first appearance in this record is Jun 19, 2007 and the last is Jul 24, 2007, which gives a rough sense of how long the racing office kept the condition in rotation.
Conditions like this one are the machinery that keeps a small meeting competitive. Rather than grading horses by an official rating, the secretary writes an eligibility sentence and lets the entries sort themselves out. A card at a regional track therefore carries far more distinct class codes than an outsider would ever expect to find.
Race Days Carrying This Condition
Questions about this condition
What does the class code 5000CLM mean?
It is a set of eligibility conditions, not a grade. Read in parts: CL — claiming: every starter may be bought for the stated price shortly after the race.
How often was 5000CLM carded?
3 races in the recovered record, 2007-06-19 to 2007-07-24. That is a count of surviving charts and entry sheets, so it is a floor rather than a total.
Was 5000CLM raced at the trot or the pace?
Only at the pace — all 3 races.
What did 5000CLM pay?
Purses of $3,000. Purse is the money on offer for the race, split by finishing position, and it is the most reliable indicator of where a condition sat relative to the rest of the card.
When did 5000CLM last appear on a card?
2007-07-24, having first appeared on 2007-06-19. Both dates come from the surviving documents for those days.