A variety of race types are programmed on DigiTurf.com on a weekly basis. Races are generally available a minimum of 7 days in advance of the race taking place. Races are categorized according to Age Group and Grade. Within each of these broad categories, race types are determined according to certain eligibility rules and a handicapping structure.

Eligibility determines which horses qualify for a nomination. Eligibility is based on Age, Sex, Grade, Wins, Non-wins and Non-places. Non-wins is the number of times a horse has run since last winning a race. Non-places is the number of times a horse has run since last winning stakes with a place or win result.

Handicapping introduces performance Penalties and Allowances (performance enhancers). Penalties add weight and Allowances reduce weight measured in pounds (lbs.). Download the weight calculator (click here) to learn more about this.

Eligibility and Handicapping rules encourage competition between horses of similar abilities as well as allow horses of different abilities to compete off a more level playing field.

Allowance races have handicapping rules that are not conventional to real racing. These races provide a horse with a weight benefit (Allowance) for not winning a number of consecutive races. Virtual Horse Racing has the luxury of adding these popular categories.

Prior to developing the racing career of your horse you need to establish whether it is better suited to Grade 1 or Grade 2 races. A variety of non-graded races are available for an owner to get his/her horses graded.

After running two successive non-graded races a horse will be graded and thereafter it is up the owner to determine the optimal racing career for his/her horse.

You may develop your own technique in choosing races to nominate in. Each horse may warrant a different approach, with many being immediately ready for the higher level Stakes or Championship races. If a horse can’t make the grade in Grade 1 races, you may try a variety of non-graded races or Claiming races where it may find a win.

The race names, eligibility and handicapping may change from time to time. Please consult the Eligibility Categories section for the latest information.

A variety of stakes races are programmed both for Grade 1 and Grade 2 horses. Within each Grade eligibility for a Stakes Race is always based on Age, Sex and Wins, so as to ensure that Stakes Races are competitive among horses of similar calibre. These races start with Maiden races, for horses that have never won a race before, and go all the way to A Division races for horses with 8+ wins. Many maidens, in fact, have never raced at all. After winning a race, your horse becomes eligible for nomination into the next Stakes Race category such as a Nursery Plate. Maiden and Nursery races are also used for grading purposes and as such many of these races are scheduled as non-graded races.

As an example, when your horse wins a Maiden Plate, it will qualify to race in a higher Category Stakes Race for horses with 1+ wins. Horses in Maiden Plates will only run against other maidens (no wins) and horses in higher Category Stakes Races will run against other horses that have won on a similar number of occasions. There are also Stakes races for New and Small stables as follows:

Small Stable races - for owners that have purchased less than 20 horses.

New Stable races - for new owners that have purchased their first horse in the last 30 days.

Some Stakes races have additional eligibility criteria or special conditions.

An example of the special conditions is as follows:

NPL3R – not placed in the last 3 races.

An example of a Stakes race with a special condition is as follows:

Progress Plate 2YMix NPL3R – which is open to 2 year-old (2Y) colts and fillies (Mix) that have not run a place (NP) in their last 3 races (L3R).

Use the race program filter ‘Type’ to list the available Stakes Races.

Special Handicap races are special stakes races at a Grade 1 level that are programmed weekly and run for higher stakes. These races are sponsored and are generally targeted at the top level Grade 1 horses. They also attract higher nomination fees.

Eligibility in these races varies but generally they are for horses with a larger number of wins. The normal handicapping rules apply.

Examples of such races currently on DigiTurf.com include; The Juvenile Jive, Saturday Stars and Friday’s Delight.

The Championship Races are the flagship Grade 1 races on DigiTurf.com. They are held three times a calendar year at the end of each virtual season of 4 months. Big prize money is sponsored on the Qualifying Races and the Championship Finals. A series of sponsored Championship Consolation races are also carded for those horses not fortunate enough to get a position in the final 14.

Horses are invited to race in the Championship Finals based on points scored in the Qualifying Races held throughout the four-month season. To find a suitable Qualifying Race to nominate in, simply use the filter function on the RACE PROGRAM and NOMINATION pages. You can also view the points standings on the Championship POINTS menu option under the RACES menu item.

To be eligible for all Qualifying Races, your horse must have won at least one other race and you must have paid the Championship Supplementary Fee for the horse ($2 when acquiring the horse or $50 thereafter).

Use the race program filter ‘Type’ to list Qualifying Races and Championship Races (Finals).

Allowance Races are available at both the Grade 1 and Grade 2 levels. They represent Stakes Races with special allowances that are not conventional in real horse racing, but are very much a feature of virtual racing.

If you have a horse that is not finding a win, then nominate it in an Allowance race before nominating it in a Claiming Race and run the risk losing a potential Stakes winner. Your horse will get a weight allowance (reduced weight) in these races. This is basically a performance enhancement for not performing well in previous races.

There are two types of allowances that are often combined into a single Allowance Race:

Non-Wins Allowance - Weight allowance for each race run without a win. This means weight that your horse carries will be reduced for each consecutive preceding run without a win.

Use the race program filter ‘Type’ to list Stakes Races. Allowance races are a sub-category under Stakes Races.

Claiming Races are great fun and are some of the most well supported races on DigiTurf.com as they are in real racing. These races allow owners to race their less competitive horses with the opportunity to win some stakes but at the same time risk losing them to another owner.

They are non-graded races meaning that both Grade 1 and Grade 2 horses can compete together in these races. When you nominate your horse in a Claimer, it is up for sale as any other member may place a Claim on your horse. You own the horse until the end of the race and if it wins you collect the prize money. If someone has claimed it, you will also collect the claim price specified in the name of the race (eg. In a $15 Claiming Plate, you collect $15 less 15% commission) and your horse will be transferred to the Claimer (purchaser). This equals good fun and more winning opportunities for moderate class horses.

It is unlikely that a Champion horse will be nominated in a Claiming Race as owners will generally not risk losing their champions. Unless of course, a nominating owner has not recognized the true ability of a Champion horse in which case the astute claimer will make a prize purchase of a horse that has ability to succeed in traditional racing. The higher value Claiming Races will naturally attract more competitive horses.

High value claiming races are an exception. In these races, horses may be sold for as high as $100. Potential Championship contenders may well make an appearance in these high value events.

Some Claimers include eligibility conditions that restrict nomination, such as N4L (non-winner of 4 lifetime). These races also run at level weights. See the rules on Claiming races for more information.

You can Claim a horse that has been nominated in a Claiming Race and Conditioned Claimer by accessing this facility under the BUY A HORSE section. A list of horses to claim will only be displayed here when a Claiming Race has closed for nominations.

Use the race program filter ‘Type’ to list Claiming Races.