It may be a contest for horses who haven’t managed to win this year, or have won no more than four times during their entire careers, but Saturday’s third race at Hastings is as important to the success of the track as any number of glamorous Stakes events.

Only two of the six horses entered for the mile-and-sixteenth contest have managed to win this season although, between them, they’ve competed in 48 races, adding much-needed depth to assembled fields and, in turn, helping to boost betting turnover — the lifeblood of the sport.

Lower-level claiming contests are the bedrock of racing in most jurisdictions and the blue-collar horses who contest these types of events are venerated by those responsible for their welfare.

“The lower-level races are our meat and potatoes,” trainer Steve He

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