Race Class Levels (RCL) with Today’s Racing Digest

By Jarrod Horak

In this how to use Today's Racing Digest video, I discuss how to use Race Competition Levels to make money at the racetrack. I use the Today's Racing Digest Complete Digest at Del Mar on Sunday, November 30 as examples.

RACE COMPETITION LEVELS (RCL) makes it easy to handicap any class level changes a horse may be making in today’s race by converting the race conditions into a simple numeric system. The Digest’s RCL assigns a rating to all class levels. Over the past 50 plus years Today’s Racing Digest has built an expansive system to convert class conditions into a numerical value. Assigning a numerical value to a race allows the handicapper to easily detect the class of each horse. The Digest does this by designating a number, anywhere from 75 to 210, to each race.

For the most part, each class level receives a number that remains static. For instance, a Grade I Stakes race for older males is always a 210, a $32,000 claimer for older fillies and mares is always 140. (Three-year-old and two-year-old races earn higher RCLs as the year advances, which reflect horses maturing.) Five points equals one class level. A Grade I race for older males has an RCL of 210, with Grade II older males receiving a 205. Since the Grade I race is five points higher than a Grade II race, the Grade I race is considered to be one class level stronger than a Grade II race.

Del Mar Race 6 Results (11-30-25): 1st - Bartholdy, 2nd - Midland Money, 3rd - See Through It, 4th - Judge Miller, 5th - Elwood Blues, 6th - Getaway Car.

Del Mar Race 7 Results (11-30-25): 1st - Segesta, 2nd - In Our Time, 3rd - Ag Bullet, 4th - Breath Away, 5th - Heredia, 6th - Medoro, 7th - Ozara, 8th - Vibez, 9th - Spicybug.

Del Mar Race 8 Results (11-30-25): 1st - Hope Road, 2nd - Simply Joking, 3rd - Mahina, 4th - Jane Austen, 5th - Home Game, 6th - Lemon Muffin, 7th - Warming, 8th - Precise Timing.

Del Mar Race 9 Results (11-30-25): 1st - Plutarch, 2nd - Rio Grande, 3rd - Honey's Choice, 4th - Medici, 5th - Army Man, 6th - Out of the Woods, 7th - Keagman, 8th - Biggiebiggiebiggie, 9th - Grinders Switch, 10th - Raging Inferno, 11th - Work, 12th - Tanmantoo.

What Are Race Competition Levels (RCL)?

Race Competition Levels (RCL) are Today’s Racing Digest’s exclusive race class ratings.

Every race gets a single RCL number, usually between 75 and 210.
Higher number = tougher race.
The scale is built from 50+ years of data converting stakes, allowance, claiming price, age, and other conditions into a consistent race class level.

Quick examples:

A Grade 1 stakes for older males sits at the top of the scale.
A $32,000 claimer for older fillies and mares sits in the middle.
As the year goes on, 2-year-old and 3-year-old races earn higher RCLs to reflect maturing horses and stronger fields.

The rule you need burned into your brain:

Five RCL points = one race class level.

If one race is a 210 and another is a 205, the 210 race is one full class level tougher. Simple and repeatable.

Where to Find Race Class Levels in the Complete Digest

In the Today’s Racing Digest Complete Digest, race class levels are packed into the race header.

Open the race, then look at lines 8–13. That block is your class snapshot for the field:

What race class level each horse has been running at
Where they’ve actually been competitive (surface, distance, recency)
Who’s dropping in class, who’s stepping up, and who’s just outgunned

The video uses real examples from Del Mar to show this in action. Watch it once with a Digest in front of you and this section will start to feel automatic.

How to Read Lines 8–13 (The RCL Block)

These six lines turn the past performances into a class cheat sheet.

Line 8 – RRL (Recent Race Level)

Class level of the horse’s last race.

RRL higher than today’s race = class drop.
RRL lower than today’s race = class hike.

This is the fastest way to spot basic class changes without reading every condition line.

Line 9 – RCL (Race Competition Level)

Highest race class level where the horse has been competitive in the last 90 days.

Strong RCL near or above today’s race = proven class.
An “X” here means the horse hasn’t been competitive at any meaningful level recently.

This is where hidden class horses live — the ones who’ve been fighting tough company while everyone else is staring at raw finishing positions.

Line 10 – Best Surface

Highest RCL where the horse has been competitive on today’s surface (dirt, turf, synthetic) in the last six months.

Blank line?

Either no experience on that surface, or
No competitive effort on that surface recently.

Use this to keep from falling in love with a dirt monster who’s never shown real class on turf, or vice-versa.

Line 11 – Best Distance

Highest RCL where the horse has been competitive at today’s distance type (sprint or route) in the last six months.

If it’s blank, the horse either hasn’t tried that distance type, or hasn’t been competitive at it. That’s your filter for stretch-outs and cut-backs that actually make sense.

Line 12 – Past Class

Highest race class level the horse has ever been effective at (2-year-old races excluded).

This is your back-class line:

High Past Class + softer race today = dangerous wake-up candidate.
Low Past Class in a salty race = probably needs a miracle.

Line 13 – Average RCL

Average race competition level where the horse has recently been competitive.

To get an Average RCL, the horse has to check at least two of these boxes in at least two races over the last six months:

Finished within 15 points of the adjusted RCL
Finished 5th or better
Finished within 5 lengths of the winner

This strips out the noise and shows you the real day-to-day class level of each runner.

Using Race Class Levels to Find Live Horses

Once you understand the block, here’s how you actually use these race class levels to handicap.

1. Start with Today’s Race Level

Check the race header for today’s RCL number (for example, 170, 175, 195). That’s the bar every horse has to clear.

2. Find True Class Horses

Scan Line 9 (RCL) and Line 12 (Past Class):

Horses competitive at or above today’s race level are legit class animals.
Horses dropping multiple class levels into today’s race are the classic class droppers everybody talks about.

3. Filter by Surface and Distance

Now look at Best Surface and Best Distance:

Does the horse have class on today’s surface?
Has it shown class at today’s distance type?

If not, that shiny class drop might be a trap.

4. Combine RCL with Speed and Pace

Race class levels tell you who they’ve been running against, not everything about how they ran. To tighten it up, stack RCL with:

Final Time Ratings – how fast they actually ran
Pace Ratings – how hard they had to work early
Other performance numbers and charting in the Complete Digest

The best bet types are usually:

Dropping or properly spotted horses
With solid RCL lines (Recent, Best Surface, Best Distance)
And competitive final time and pace ratings in the last few starts

Those are the ones you build tickets around.

Why Serious Players Use Today’s Racing Digest for Class

You can try to figure race class levels out by hand — comparing claiming prices, allowances, stakes names, and purses across multiple tracks — or you can let Today’s Racing Digest race competition levels do the grunt work.

The Complete Digest gives you:

Race Competition Levels (RCL) and race class levels
Fractional charting and race header analysis
Fire numbers, pace and final time ratings
Wagering strategies and more

You get a race-by-race class map plus the speed and pace tools to turn that map into actual plays.

Start Using Race Competition Levels Today

To put what you learned in the video to work:

Open a Complete Digest for today’s track.
Go to the race header and focus on lines 8–13.
Identify:
- Who’s dropping in class
- Who’s proven on today’s surface and distance
- Who has the back-class to wake up
Then line that up with final time and pace ratings and build your bets.

If you’re done guessing at class and want a clear, numeric way to read race class levels, Today’s Racing Digest Race Competition Levels (RCL) are built for exactly that.

You can grab the Complete Digest and other handicapping products at todaysracingdigest.com and start using RCL on your next card.