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Special Reserve Named National HBPA Claiming Horse Of The Year

Special Reserve started last season being claimed for $40,000 and ended 2021 as the National HBPA Claiming Horse of the Year. In between, the 5-year-old gelding won two graded stakes and three stakes overall, finished second by a half-length in Saratoga's Grade 1 Vanderbilt and concluded the season with a very competitive fourth in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).

“It's been such a great experience, and he's such a great horse,” said David Staudacher, who co-owns the Mike Maker-trained Special Reserve with Peter Proscia's Paradise Farms Corp. “This award means a lot. I've been in the business over 40 years, and I had my first stakes win with Mike four or five years ago. I've been claiming horses a long time – claimed some good ones, claimed some not-so-good ones. Love the sport, love the people involved. It's just so much fun.”

Echoed Proscia: “He's been a great horse to watch. He tries all the time, and Mike did a great job with him. (The award) was a pleasant surprise. This horse has brought us a lot of fun and success. We're looking forward to his 2022 campaign.”

Each year the National HBPA Industry Awards Committee, chaired by Pennsylvania HBPA Executive Director Todd Mostoller, reviews nominated horses to choose the one most exemplifying the spirit of a National HBPA Claiming Horse of the Year.

“Claiming horses are the hard-knocking heroes of this industry, who must prove themselves every day through sweat, muscle and heart,” said National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback. “Each year our awards committee seeks to reward the best representative. As the heart, soul and brawn of American Thoroughbred racing, they are extremely popular competitors. Their stories, and those of their owners, are often easily identified with and appreciated by all racing's fans.

“This year the committee had several quality horses to decide from, and it was a tough choice. In the end, Special Reserve and his connections proved the quality of horses that are found within the claiming ranks, the horses that make this industry's foundation. We are honored to recognize the connections at our 2022 Conference at Oaklawn and recognize them for the accomplishments of such a great horse.”

The National HBPA Annual Conference will be March 1-4 at the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Ark.

Maker, headquartered in Louisville and with divisions throughout the Midwest and East, has made a career out of claiming horses and turning them into graded-stakes winners.

“He's just phenomenal,” Staudacher said. “His program and his team, they're able to move horses up. He's got a real eye for the ones he claims. Winning a couple of stakes races and finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup was like a dream come true.”

Proscia and Staudacher both utilize handicapping “sheets” and liked what they saw in Special Reserve, with Maker in agreement that they try to claim the horse. Proscia, of Garden City, N.Y., said the gelding fit other parameters they use for identifying horses to claim. That Special Reserve was the longest shot (and the only horse in for the claiming price) in the tough second-level allowance/optional claiming race Feb. 6 at Oaklawn didn't bother them. Their faith was rewarded when the gelding won by a neck at 22-1 odds.

“I thought he could move forward,” Proscia said. “Did I know he was going to be in the Breeders' Cup? No, not a chance. But he started to develop. We gave him the time he needed, spaced the races out and he rewarded us.”

Five weeks after the claim, Maker ran Special Reserve right back for the second-level allowance condition at Oaklawn, resulting in another victory. The gelding subsequently was second in Keeneland's Grade 3 Commonwealth, won Pimlico's Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Match Series Stakes and the $100,000 Iowa Sprint before his narrow defeat in Saratoga's Alfred G. Vanderbilt.

Special Reserve earned his spot in the Breeders' Cup by taking Keeneland's Grade 2 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix, a “Win and You're In” qualifying race for the $2 million Qatar Racing Sprint (G1). That day he defeated eventual Sprint winner Aloha West by a neck. A month later at Del Mar, Special Warrior pressed the very fast favorite Jackie's Warrior, fighting gamely in the stretch before getting passed late to lose the Sprint by a total of 2 1/4 lengths.

The 2021 Claiming Horse of the Year is getting a break after a hard campaign that saw the gelding go 5-2-0 in eight starts, earning $617,100. A son of 2008 juvenile champion Midshipman, Special Reserve has a career record of 8-2-7 in 23 starts while accruing $738,647.

Maker said he is particularly happy to see Proscia and Staudacher recognized.

“They love the game, whether it's claiming, buying, betting,” he said. “Just great guys. It's a very big deal. They get satisfaction at any level of race and any track. If it was up to Peter, he'd have a horse in every race at every track in America.”

Proscia in turn said Special Reserve's award is a credit to Maker's entire staff.

“I want to give them a shout out,” he said. “The people who should really get the kudos are the ones who work in the barn area. They work all kinds of hours. The people Mike employs are excellent. I've been owning horses since 1989. I have to say, they're exceptional, between the exercise riders, the grooms and the assistants, they do a great job.”

Maker said Special Reserve's 6-year-old campaign could resemble last year's path. A definite goal is trying to repeat in Keeneland's Phoenix, especially with the Breeders' Cup being at the Lexington track.

“Hopefully we can duplicate the success,” he said.

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Maker Has Strength In Numbers For Pegasus World Cup Turf

Especially when it comes to major turf stakes, trainer Mike Maker believes in the power of numbers. In that regard, he's hoping to get as many as four horses into the 12-horse starting gate for Gulfstream Park's $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) Jan. 29.

While last year's third-place finisher, Cross Border, and multiple graded-stakes winner Field Pass are among the original invitees to the 1 1/8-mile grass race, the Maker-trained Atone and Flavius await on the also-eligible list.

Maker is particularly hoping that Atone, second in Gulfstream Park's Fort Lauderdale (G2) Dec. 18 behind Pegasus Turf invitee Doswell, gets in the field. Owner Three Diamonds Farm could have some say-so in Atone's destiny, as it also owns Field Pass and Cross Border.

“I'd sure be disappointed if he doesn't make it into the body,” Maker said. “He's run well every time we've had him. Before we had him, he had some behavior issues and they gelded him. That seemed to work. I'm really high on that horse.”

Kirk Wycoff of Three Diamonds purchased Atone for $130,000 at Fasig-Tipton's horses of racing age sale last July. After an initial sixth place, the son of Spendthrift Farm's stallion sensation Into Mischief sported two wins and a second in three New York allowance races before making the Fort Lauderdale only his second stakes appearance.

“He's just improved, holds his weight really well,” Maker said. “It seems like he's getting better each race.”

Field Pass comes into the Pegasus off a victory in Del Mar's Seabiscuit (G2), his fifth graded victory at five different tracks. The Maryland-bred son of Lemon Drop Kid owns two additional stakes among his eight career victories, including Gulfstream Park's 2020 Dania Beach on turf.

Maker said Field Pass will definitely run in the Pegasus Turf. He called the Three Diamonds trio “all classy horses. Atone is an up-and-comer. Cross Border, you could say that it seems like he's been running forever. Field Pass, he's won a stakes in California, won a stakes in Kentucky. He's won on the [Polytrack] at Woodbine and Turfway. He's won a stakes in Maryland. At Gulfstream.”

Three Diamonds has the option of keeping Cross Border with Maker's division at Turfway Park, which has stakes for older horses in February and April 2 over its all-weather Tapeta surface. Cross Border, an 8-year-old millionaire, won Turfway's $100,000 Prairie Bayou Stakes in his last start. Cross Border won last summer's Bowling Green (G2) at Saratoga before taking third in the Sword Dancer (G1).

“He ran third in the race last year, so he deserves his chance, too,” Maker said of the Pegasus Turf. “He's an old classy veteran who loves Saratoga and always runs well at Gulfstream. He had some tough luck last year in the Pegasus but still managed to run up for third.”

The stable's fourth Pegasus Turf contender is Flavius, purchased for $230,000 by Michael Iavarone from Juddmonte Farms at Keeneland's November sale. Flavius has yet to start for Maker but has four strong workouts at Gulfstream for his new barn. Flavius is graded-stakes placed with his biggest victory Kentucky Downs' $750,000 Tourist Mile in 2020. He was fifth in the same race in 2021, with the stakes promoted to a Grade 3 worth $1 million and renamed the WinStar Mint Million.

“His works have been very good,” Maker said. “We've worked him with some good horses and he's held his own, galloping out. His hair, weight, I'm very pleased with his appetite, his energy level, everything is doing well.”

The 7-year-old Flavius, who was previously trained by Chad Brown after starting his career in Ireland, has not raced farther than 1 1/16 miles since finishing a close fourth in the 2019 Fort Lauderdale, whose 1 1/8 miles is the same as the Pegasus Turf. However, he won a minor stakes at 1 1/4 miles in Ireland in his third start.

“I'd like to get all four in,” Maker said of his Pegasus Turf contenders.

Maker ran two horses in the Pegasus Turf each of the past two years, including winning with Zulu Alpha in 2020.

He also said that Endorsed will run in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) if he can get in that field. Endorsed, a $100,000 claim at Saratoga last August, has raced four times for owner Mark Breen and Maker, all in one-turn races but closing well. He was a very good second in Gulfstream Park's seven-furlong Mr. Prospector (G3) Dec. 11 in his last start.

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Barese Returns From Layoff To Win Aqueduct’s Rego Park

Paradise Farm and David Staudacher's Barese came home the best of nine state-bred sophomores to win his first stakes in Sunday's 6 1/2-furlong $100,000 Rego Park at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Trained by Mike Maker, the son of Laoban was making his first start since a debut maiden special weight win at Belmont Park on May 21, taking a five-furlong sprint for state-breds by a half-length under Irad Ortiz, Jr. from just off the pace.

Eight months later, Barese, piloted by Dylan Davis, was kept a bit farther off the pace than in his debut, breaking last in the field of nine and unhurried by Davis to track in sixth behind pacesetter Unique Unions through an opening quarter-mile in 22.64 seconds over the good and harrowed main track.

Barese continued to hold in fourth going four-wide down the backstretch as Unique Unions held his lead a length the better of Daufuskie Island and 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Agility with Kendrick Carmouche up.

Barese began to kick into gear entering the turn with slight urging from Davis, who was still content to bide his time with plenty of horse underneath him. Swinging wide to the center of the racetrack, Davis showed Barese a right-handed crop and gave him one tap as the field straightened for the drive to the wire, grinding away to the outside of Agility as Unique Unions began to toil along the rail.

Matching strides with Agility and Daufuskie Island just before the sixteenth pole, Barese pulled away under left-handed encouragement from Davis and secured the second win of his career by 2 3/4 lengths, stopping the clock in 1:19.13. Agility held on to finish second by a neck over Daufuskie Island.

Davis, who rode Barese for the first time in the Rego Park, said the bay colt was full of run.

“He's a big boy and coming off the layoff, I was just trying to get a nice, comfortable break and that's what he got,” Davis said. “They ran away from him which I thought would happen, but he was handling the kickback well.

“Nearing the five-eighths pole, he started getting a little aggressive with me and I thought it was better to not keep him behind those horses,” Davis added. “I gave him a nice, clear spot in the four-path and just let him do his thing into the turn. Turning for home, he had plenty left and his big stride was able to keep going and going. He might want to handle more distance, but he handled this great.”

Davis, who currently sits in second behind Carmouche [22 wins] in the jockey standings at the Big A winter meet with 19 wins, gave credit to agent Mike Migliore for his success this meet.

“I'm doing the best I can. I want to win this title,” said Davis. “I've been top-three or top-four for the past five years and I really want to get this title. It would be a real accomplishment for me. Mike has been working really hard behind the scenes.”

The Jorge Abreu-trained Agility stayed on well for place honors, holding off a stubborn Daufuskie Island, who finished third a head in front of Unique Unions in fourth.

“The horse ran a great race,” Carmouche said of Agility. “He lugged in a little, but I think he needs blinkers. Maybe that will straighten him up and get him going, but I thought he ran a game race. The whole way I was in good position, just second best today.”

Completing the order of finish were Cut the Cord, Doin'ittherightway, G Munning, Always Charming, and Bali's Shade.

Bred in New York by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Lakland Farm, Barese earned $55,000 in victory and improved his record to a perfect 2-2-0-0. A $2 wager on Barese returned $11.

Live racing returns to the Big A on Thursday with a nine-race card. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Late-Developing Abaan Takes On Maker Quartet In Friday’s H. Allen Jerkens Stakes

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Alex Daigneault's Abaan will be outnumbered in the $100,000 H. Allen Jerkens at Gulfstream Park Friday when the Todd Pletcher-trained 4-year-old gelding will take on four Mike Maker-trained rivals in the two-mile turf race honoring the memory of the legendary Hall of Fame trainer.

The late-developing son of Will Take Charge will also be making his stakes debut while conceding experience to the well-tried Maker trainees in the Race 10 feature on a 10-race program.

Following a three-race juvenile campaign with a pair of runner-up finishes at Churchill Downs, Abaan has demonstrated marked improvement this year after being privately purchased and transferred to Pletcher. Since switching from dirt to turf, the Kentucky-bred has won twice and finished second twice. In his most recent start, Abaan register a front-running two-length victory in a 1 3/8-mile optional claiming allowance at Aqueduct Nov. 14.

Luis Saez has the call on Abaan.

Paradise Farm Corp. and David Staudacher's Ajourneytofreedom tops the Maker contingent. The multiple graded stakes-placed son of Hard Spun finished fifth in the John's Call and won a 1 ½-mile optional claiming allowance at Saratoga in his two most recent non-graded stakes starts.

Paco Lopez is scheduled to ride the 4-year-old gelding for the first time in the Jerkens.

Michael Ryan's Bluegrass Parkway, who finished third in the 1 ½-mile Point of Entry at Belmont Park last time out; Three Diamonds Farm's Jarreau, who finished second behind Abaan in the Nov. 14 optional claiming allowance; and Paradise Farm Corp. and David Staudacher's Malthael, a 1 ½-mile optional claiming allowance winner at Keeneland two starts back; will also represent the Maker Stable Saturday.

Bloom Racing Stable and trainer Ignacio Correas IV's Fantasioso looms as a strong contender looking to his second-place finish in the two-mile Belmont Gold Cup (G2) in June. Rice Racing's On Base, trainer Marcy Brooks' Cheyenne's Colonel, San Jose de Ecuador and Luis Duco Stable Inc.'s Nixon Joy, round out the field.

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