a race for non-winners.

Ostensibly for those horses, colts, geldings or fillies, which have never won a race. However, conditions sometimes permit previous winners (e.g. maidens at closing, i.e. those which have not won a race up to the time the entries close), in which case penalties are allotted for later wins.

A maiden race is one in which the field is solely comprised of horses that have never won a race.