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. FMCLMHC breaks into parts, and each part narrows the field a little further.
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| FM | restricted to fillies and mares, so no horses or geldings may enter |
| CL | claiming: every starter may be bought for the stated price shortly after the race |
| HC | handicap: post positions are assigned by the racing secretary instead of being drawn |
In the programs held here FMCLMHC was carded 3 times for the pace (3), carrying purses from $2,300 to $2,800. The first appearance in this record is Sep 28, 2002 and the last is Jun 16, 2003, 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 did FMCLMHC pay?
Purses of $2,300 to $2,800. 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 FMCLMHC last appear on a card?
2003-06-16, having first appeared on 2002-09-28. Both dates come from the surviving documents for those days.
What does the class code FMCLMHC mean?
It is a set of eligibility conditions, not a grade. Read in parts: FM — restricted to fillies and mares, so no horses or geldings may enter, CL — claiming: every starter may be bought for the stated price shortly after the race and HC — handicap: post positions are assigned by the racing secretary instead of being drawn.
How often was FMCLMHC carded?
3 races in the recovered record, 2002-09-28 to 2003-06-16. That is a count of surviving charts and entry sheets, so it is a floor rather than a total.
Was FMCLMHC raced at the trot or the pace?
Only at the pace — all 3 races.