Optional claimers: first of ten trial handicaps attracts entry of 16 at Yarmouth

A trial run of ten 'optional claiming handicaps' starts on Wednesday at Yarmouth, where a healthy entry of 16 has been received.

Three of them are trained by Jamie Osborne, who was among those behind the concept, and four by Stuart Williams, another trainer who places his runners particularly well and is always open to new ideas.

The series is pitched at four-year-olds and upwards racing from marks in the 80s and 90s who are struggling to win off their rating. Each race has a prize fund of £30,000 and allows trainers to 'buy' a handicap rating up to 7lb lower than currently published if they make that horse available to be claimed for a pre-determined price that is in line with the allowance chosen.

Trainers must nominate whether or not the horse can be claimed by 9.30am the morning after the entries are revealed, and the weights and claims will be published later the same day. If they choose, trainers can opt to run off their current mark, as in any other handicap.

Osborne said: "A few of us felt these races would suit those horses who are forever running their race without getting a break but who didn't have a lot of value owing to age or miles on the clock.

"It will be interesting to see in the morning who is in to be claimed and who isn't. Of my three, Reckless Endeavour will run without a claim; Volatile is in the sales later today [Thursday], so I might not even have him, but he will be sold with the entry; and Qassam will go with a claim."

Entries for Wednesday's optional claiming handicap at Yarmouth

He added: "It might take a while for people to get the feel of them and it's fairly possible the scale of prices might need a tweak, but I think the concept is solid and if people can get their head around it and embrace the idea then it will be valuable addition to the programme for people who are constantly banging heads with the handicapper. It's going to be interesting."

Williams said: "I entered a few because it's a different race and I thought there might not be many runners. There are a few more entries than I expected, to be honest."

The trial run concludes at Doncaster on October 27. All ten races are from 6f to a mile and they are spread around Britain.

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