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Owner Wycoff Splashes Home With Two Wins On Rain-Soaked Claiming Crown Card

Owner Jordan Wycoff was victorious with his only two entrants on Saturday's Claiming Crown card, executing a similar strategy with both favored winners. Each had met their respective starter-allowance eligibility conditions by only once having raced at or below the required minimum claiming price. And both recently had been running against tough competition on the New York and Kentucky circuits before overpowering their fields at Fair Grounds in a rain-soaked renewal of the annual event nicknamed “the blue-collar Breeders' Cup.”

One of Wycoff's wins Dec. 2 was delivered by Money Supply (Practical Joke), who was so keen to score in the featured $200,000 Jewel at nine furlongs that the 2.8-1 shot broke through the gate prior to the start.

After being cleared to reload, the 4-year-old colt was a touch unsettled in the early stages. He got pelted with wet kickback while carving out an inside trip, brushed briefly when seeking room for a rally in mid-stretch, then opened up when cued to quicken between tiring leaders before extending fluidly under hand encouragement through the final sixteenth.

“He broke good and just kind of got shuffled back in there, but he was handling it well the whole time, and when we turned for home, I had a lot of horse,” said jockey Jareth Loveberry after the 1:52.05 win over nine furlongs.

A $400,000 KEESEP buy, Money Supply had never been in for a tag until previous connections Klaravich Stable and Chad Brown risked losing him for $35,000 on Aug. 20 at Saratoga. Money Supply won his N2L condition the day he was claimed by trainer Joe Sharp on behalf of Wycoff, and three subsequent allowance and/or starter races after that yielded one narrow defeat at Saratoga and two victories at Churchill Downs.

Sharp said he and Wycoff had “an epiphany” after the first of those two wins Sept. 27 that reminded them that having run for a $35,000 tag in 2022-23 meant that Money Supply was eligible for the Jewel.

“At that point, we started to target it,” Sharp said.

The result was a 1 3/4-length, going-away win in the premier Claiming Crown race.

The Claiming Crown, which began in 1999 as a way to showcase and reward horses who compete in the types of races that form the backbone of day-to-day American racing, is a partnership between the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

After initially starting at Canterbury Park while occasionally rotating among other tracks in its formative years, Gulfstream Park had evolved into the host track starting early in the 2010s decade.

But for 2022, the Claiming Crown switched sites to Churchill Downs, where a November snow wiped out last year's turf races. When the series got switched to the Fair Grounds (which last hosted in 2011) for the 2023 edition, Mother Nature followed with more nasty weather.

It rained so hard in New Orleans prior to Saturday's first post that track management opted to cancel the days first two (non-Claiming Crown) races, and an abandonment of the grass races was necessary for the second year in a row.

Maintenance crews worked the track to remove standing water, and after an additional 45-minute pushback to post time, Fair Grounds commenced the card with Race 3, the first of eight consecutive Claiming Crown races. The main track was sealed and sloppy throughout according to Equibase charts, although Fair Grounds announced on its broadcast feed that the main track would be rated “good” for the Jewel.

Anatolian | Hodges Photography

Wycoff's other Claiming Crown winner was Anatolian, a 4-year-old filly by Not This Time. She emerged as the strongest in a wall of late bidders (on a day when speed was not holding) to win the $150,000 Tiara for distaffers in a 1 1/16 miles off-the-turfer in 1:46.11.

Anatolian's win by 2 1/4 lengths as the 3-2 favorite was the 22nd lifetime Claiming Crown victory for trainer Mike Maker, who extended his record as the event's winningest conditioner. James Graham rode.

Anatolian met her $25,000 starter condition by only starting once that low, for a $16,000 tag when breaking her maiden back in 2022. Since then she has kept far higher company, and twice won off-the-turfers over 10 furlongs at Saratoga and Churchill as a lead-in to her Claiming Crown engagement.

Trainer Sharp also doubled on the program. The 5-1 Runway Magic (Runhappy) took the $150,000 Emerald, a 1 1/16 miles off-the-turfer, for owner Baron Racing Stables.

The 5-year-old hounded the pacemaker, took over midway on the far turn, then uncorked a long, steady drive to hold off a fresh challenger late to win by 1 1/2 lengths under Jaime Torres in 1:44.71.

Runway Magic was a former stakes competitor at age three but had swapped stables via the claim box four times since.

Claimed for $50,000 out of a 12th-place effort when previously trained by Sharp (but for a different owner) at Oaklawn Jan. 22, the gelding didn't resurface until nine months later for a $20,000 tag at Delta Downs. He ran sixth in that start, but Sharp, reclaiming with the backing of Baron Racing, gambled by taking Runway Magic back for the heavily discounted price.

That move paid off five weeks later with a next-start win in the Claiming Crown.

In the $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial that got washed off the grass at 5 1/2 furlongs, Mischievous Rogue (Into Mischief) closed widest with a well-timed burst to win by 3 1/2 lengths as the 17-10 favorite in 1:04.20 for owner Southern Comfort Stables, trainer William “Doug” Cowans, and jockey Luan Machado.

A 5-year-old gelding, Mischievous Rogue had spent the bulk of career (14 of 17 starts) racing on either turf or synthetic surfaces, and had never before raced on a wet track prior to showing a huge affinity for it with Saturday's convincing tally.

In the $100,000 Glass Slipper for fillies and mares at one mile, it was Chris Hartman trainees one-two across the wire with 5-year-old mare Xylophone (Tonalist) orchestrating a 3 3/4-length victory at 7-2 odds for owner Joseph Longtin and jockey Mitchell Murrill.

The 5-year-old mare circled the field and drove to the lead unopposed a furlong out, stopping the timer in 1:39.02.

Although a number of familiar names graced the Claiming Crown winner's circle in this year's renewal, the $100,000 Rapid Transit at six furlongs represented a big, breakthrough score for some less-heralded connections shipping in from FanDuel (formerly Fairmount Park).

Richiesonaroll (Gone Astray) prevailed by a neck at 15-1 odds in 1:10.64, lighting up the tote board as the Claiming Crown's highest-odds winner this year. The 3-year-old, three-time-claimed, Illinois-bred races for owner/trainer Jose G. Rodriguez, who has only been a licensed conditioner for 13 months.

The jockey for Richiesonaroll was Emmanuel (Manny) Giles, who had been badly injured in a three-horse spill at Hawthorne Race Course during his rookie season in 2021. Giles had to undergo several surgeries to repair hip and back damage, and missed 14 months of riding before getting back in the saddle earlier this season.

Caramel Chip | Hodges Photography

In the $75,000 Ready's Rocket Express at six furlongs, Caramel Chip (Midshipman) stalked from fourth and picked off the pacemakers with a three-wide swoop at top of lane to win by 3 1/2 lengths as the 2.3-1second choice in a 1:10.25 clocking.

Jose D'Angelo trains for Bianco Stable, with Florent Geroux riding.

It was the 10th lifetime victory for the 5-year-old horse, and his seventh on the season. Caramel Chip was claimed for $8,000 out of a Jan. 8 win at Gulfstream.

In the $75,000 Iron Horse Kent Sterling Memorial at 1 1/16 miles, the 11-10 favorite Time For Trouble (English Channel) wrested control in the final hundred yards and prevailed by a head in 1:46.17.

The 6-year-old gelding had started for an $8,000 claiming tag only once in his life, back in 2021. But that eligibility has enabled him to win back-to-back editions of the Iron Horse, both times over a sloppy surface.

Time For Trouble seemingly enjoyed a class edge on paper from running in Grade II and III stakes in Florida, Kentucky and New York earlier this season. Yet he made his connections, the partnership of Thorndale Stable and owner/trainer Jeff Hiles, sweat out a photo finish that was one of two wins on the day for jockey Graham.

“This is why we do what we do,” said Hiles. “Three-sixteenths pole, we thought we didn't have a shot. And the emotions that you experience that last three-sixteenths of a race, that's exactly why we're in this…The adrenaline that kicks in, the emotions–you can't buy it.”

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Ramsey Seeks to Add to his Record 16 Claiming Crown Wins

Edited Press Release

Ken Ramsey is back at the Claiming Crown. If he has only three horses (in two races) running in the program designed to showcase American horse racing's blue-collar horses, it's not for a lack of effort.

The 88-year-old Ramsey is the winningest owner in the history of the Claiming Crown, which will be staged for the 25th time this Saturday at the historic Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. But his last starter came with Peru (GB) (Motivator {GB}), whose victory in the 2018 Claiming Crown Tiara at Gulfstream Park extended Ramsey's record in the program to 16.

“I'm trying to pad my resume,” quipped Ramsey, who significantly downsized his once-massive racing operation in recent years. “… I was trying to get a horse for each [Claiming Crown] race. I started looking when they finished up last year. I decided, hey, I'm going to get back in the game. I'd downsized and I had a few health issues and I've not been as active. But I enjoyed it so much and missed it so much that I started claiming some. I probably claimed 20 horses this year–and got out-shook for probably three times that many.

“… I just turned 88. I'm kind of an old fossil. It's like my last hurrah. I'm probably getting pretty close to the finish line, so I'd like to go out with a blaze of glory.”

The Claiming Crown, conceived to be a Breeders' Cup-style event for claiming horses, was created in 1999 by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). The program gives Thoroughbred racing's workhorses, their owners and trainers a day in the spotlight in recognition of their importance to filling out race cards across the nation.

Though he and his late wife, Sarah, became major players internationally–earning four Eclipse Awards as outstanding owner and two as outstanding breeder, as well as four Breeders' Cup victories and the Dubai World Cup–Ramsey burst on the scene as a Pick Six bettor and by claiming lots of horses and winning lots of races. Extremely goal-oriented, Ramsey put his mind to setting records for meet titles at wins at Churchill Downs, Keeneland and Kentucky Downs–in the process becoming the winningest owner in Kentucky history.

The Claiming Crown became a major goal as well, one now off hiatus.

In King's Ovation (Not This Time), Ramsey has one of the favorites for the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel at 1 1/8 miles for horses that have competed for a claiming price of $35,000 in 2023. Ramsey claimed King's Ovation for $62,500 at Keeneland–a race he won impressively–in his last start. The owner also has Shimmer Me Timbers (Eddington) and Cotton (Twirling Candy) in the $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf for horses that have raced for a $25,000 claiming price or less in 2022-2023. All three were claimed out of their last start specifically for the Claiming Crown, he said.

“It gives the little guy a chance to strike a home run,” Ramsey said of the Claiming Crown. “The purses are good and the competition is good. They spread it around. It's been at about four or five different tracks. I used to never miss, would have three, four or five running in it all the time. But I'm back to feeling good. I'm looking forward to Saturday so I can try to add another one.”

King's Ovation and Shimmer Me Timbers are trained by Robertino Diodoro, while Saffie Joseph, Jr. trains Cotton.

Diodoro began training for Ramsey this past spring.

“I'd have loved to have seen this guy when he was about 45 years old,” the trainer said of Ramsey. “I give him a lot of credit. He's full of a lot of energy and I love his attitude. He loves the game–and loves winning.”

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The Wait Begins: Fifth Circuit Hears HISA Constitutionality Appeal Arguments

A 2 1/2-year-old legal fight led by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) to try and overturn the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) based on alleged constitutional flaws got distilled into one hour of oral arguments on Wednesday in the case's second go-round before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans.

As expected, lawyers for the two sides stuck to the finer points of constitutionality law, and there were only several passing references related to horse racing. The arguments centered on the non-delegation doctrine, which is a legal principle that holds that Congress cannot delegate the power to legislate to executive agencies or private entities.

The panel of three judges–the same trio that declared a previous version of HISA unconstitutional last November, leading to an amended version of HISA that became law in December–did not overtly tip their hands as to which arguments they might be favoring based on the questions they asked of the attorneys. Nor did the judges conclude the session by declaring any timetable for issuing their decision.

The National NHBPA, 12 of its affiliates, and a number of Texas-based racetrack entities, plus the state of Texas itself and its racing commission, are the plaintiffs/appellants.

The HISA Authority, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and officials from each organization are the defendants/appellees.

“Congress did not, with this meager amendment, fix the fatal non-delegation problems plaguing HISA,” said William Cole, an attorney for the state of Texas who was among those who argued for the appellants.

“Again, there's at least three areas where the lawmaking power is not sufficiently subordinated, because, as we've mentioned time and again, the Authority's rules govern unless they can shove a rule through notice-and-comment rulemaking. The upshot is that for years, it's likely going to be the case that the Authority's rules govern, not the FTC's,” Cole said.

Joseph Busa, an attorney for the FTC, argued that the appellees believe the Fifth Circuit already settled the outstanding non-delegation issues when the same panel identified the constitutional flaws that led to Congress's rewrite of HISA.

“What [the appellants] are presenting to you, is they are saying no private entity can wield this kind of power, regardless of how subordinate they are, regardless of the degree of supervision that the public agency has over them. That is squarely inconsistent with almost 100 years of Supreme Court precedent,” Busa said.

The panel of judges referenced the “voluminous” number of pre-argument briefs filed by both sides in the case.

The HBPA had written in a pre-argument brief that it has problems with the Authority allegedly portraying itself as both a governmental body or a private organization “depending on which suits its interests on any individual argument,” according to an Aug. 25 court filing.

“Sometimes [the Authority] wants to be like a government entity, with the power to compel registration, collect mandatory fees, conduct searches, draw blood and urine samples, and impose sanctions with 'the force of federal law,'” the HBPA brief stated.

“Other times it wants to be a private business league, choosing its own board, running its own corporate affairs, and exempt from the Appointments and Appropriations clauses, the Freedom of Information Act, etc…” the brief continued.

This purported dual nature of the Authority, the HBPA alleged, “exposes the overall flaw” by which the 2022 rewrite of the HISA law should be struck down.

“Nothing could be more unfair or inequitable than to have a regulator with all the powers of government but exempt from all the democratic accountability and safeguards for liberty imposed on government,” the HBPA's filing stated.

The Authority defendants had asserted to the Fifth Circuit in their own pre-argument brief filed Aug. 4 that the HBPA's “feeble attempts” to contrast HISA with other statutes upheld against private non-delegation challenges rest on supposed differences that are either factually inaccurate or constitutionally irrelevant.

The Authority's brief put it this way: “Congress, the Executive, and all three federal courts that have considered the amended Act have reached the same conclusion: HISA is now constitutional. As every court to consider Congress's amendment has held, HISA no longer violates the private-nondelegation doctrine because the Authority is now subordinate to the FTC,” the filing stated.

The first time the HBPA plaintiffs attempted to challenge the original 2020 version of the HISA statute in federal court, on Mar. 15, 2021, the suit was dismissed, on March 31, 2022.

The HBPA plaintiffs then appealed, leading to the above-referenced Fifth Circuit Court reversal on Nov. 18, 2022, that remanded the case back to the lower court. In the interim, an amended version of HISA got passed by Congress and was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Dec. 29, 2022.

On May 4, 2023, the lower court deemed that the new version of HISA was constitutional because the rewrite of the law fixed the problems the Fifth Circuit had identified.

The HBPA plaintiffs then swiftly filed another appeal back to the Fifth Circuit, which led to an “expedited” scheduling of the Oct. 4 oral arguments.

The three judges on this Fifth Circuit panel are Stuart Kyle Duncan and Kurt D. Engelhardt (both nominated to their positions by President Donald Trump in 2018) and Carolyn Dineen King (who was nominated by President Jimmy Carter in 1979).

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Vets: HISA Puts Them at ‘Greater Risk than Other Covered Persons’

The North American Association of Racetrack Veterinarians (NAARV) is arguing for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to overturn the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) on constitutional grounds because the law allegedly “places the racetrack veterinarians at a greater risk than other covered persons” from a due process standpoint.

Chief among the assertions made by the NAARV in a 51-page “friend of the court” brief filed July 14 are that “initial findings of wrongdoing by a member of NAARV, pursuant to HISA, result in a report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and, therefore, a federal violation. A federal violation would inevitably result in the loss of not only the NAARV member's track license, but also the loss of the member's professional license to practice veterinarian medicine.”

In addition, the NAARV alleged that HISA creates a “financial barrier to due process review.”

That's because, according to the NAARV's filing, the ultimate authority, the FTC, isn't obligated to accept any covered person's request for review of a HISA ruling against them.

And if such a request for review is denied, that covered person's only right to appeal is to bring the matter all the way to a United States Court of Appeals, the NAARV stated. There are only 12 such courts in the country, divided regionally.

“Logistically, this is more challenging,” the NAARV filing stated. “Take, for example, a covered person who has an alleged violation in Texas. He or she must now pursue an appeal before the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“A person who has allegedly committed a medication violation in Puerto Rico, if he or she decide to appeal, must pursue that appeal before the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston,” the brief continued.

Beyond potential travel burdens, the NAARV pointed out, bringing any legal action to that level of the federal court system isn't cheap.

“The estimated legal cost for a trip to the U.S. Court of Appeals is in excess of $25,000,” the NAARV stated.

“It creates a cost or premium for substantive due process rights that is unobtainable for most NAARV members and thus, results in a denial of their due process rights,” the NAARV stated.

At a different point in the filing, the NAARV explained that veterinarians accused of wrongdoing would no longer be “in a position to 'take the deal' on a minimum violation but instead forced to defend their position to maintain their license and their livelihood.”

The NAARV continued: “Prior to the implementation of HISA, NAARV members were able to negotiate a state violation without necessarily risking their general veterinary license. Under HISA, they are forced to do so in a system [that] deprives them of both substantive and procedural due process.”

The NAARV's assertions were made in support of the appeal led by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and 12 of its affiliates.

The defendants in the underlying case, which has lingered in the federal court system for 28 months, are personnel from the FTC and the HISA Authority.

The HISA Authority and FTC have an Aug. 4 deadline to file their own briefs with the Fifth Circuit Court.

Oral arguments in the case are tentatively scheduled for the first week in October.

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