With Monmouth Park (N.J.) and Shawan Downs (Md.) sharing on the same race date of Sept. 26, the National Steeplechase Association has decided to give the open claiming timber race a try again to lure more timber horses to Maryland.

Claiming races are nothing new for steeplechase meets. Many trainers use these races to prep for others, taking the risk of losing their owner’s precious mounts in a claim or perhaps hoping to unload some excess horses, but these races are usually run as hurdle races.