Magic Cap Stable's Twelve Volt Man made a late charge along the rail to register an upset victory in Saturday's $125,000 Jewel at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
The Jewel, a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up that have raced for a claiming price of $35,000 or less, headlined nine starter stakes in the Claiming Crown, an annual event that celebrates the blue-collar horses that support the daily programs of racetracks throughout the country.
Twelve Volt Man ($23.60) gave trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. his third Claiming Crown victory of the day. Joseph also visited the winner's circle with Face of Victory ($11) in the $75,000 Express in Race 5 and Sugar Fix ($8.40) in the $95,000 Tiara in Race 6.
“It's an amazing day. You come into these races and you can have thirds and fourths and go home with no wins. After we got the first one, I was thankful. Then, the second one happened Then, we got a hard beat and got the third one,” Joseph said. “All the horses showed up.”
Joseph-trained Girolamo's Attack, who was seeking his third straight stakes victory in the Jewel, was more highly regarded than Twelve Volt Man but wasn't a factor.
“Girolamo's Attack got beat. He doesn't like to be behind horses and dirt,” Joseph said.
Twelve Volt Man, who won his first two career starts before finishing far back in two subsequent stakes starts, was made eligible for the Jewel while winning an Oct. 14 optional claiming allowance while running for a $35,000 claiming tag. He tuned up for the Jewel with a fourth-place finish in the Showing Up over the Tapeta Course Nov. 6.
Twelve Volt Man raced between horses while tracking the pace along the backstretch a few lengths behind Hanalei's Houdini, who was sent after early leader Mo Hawk on the far turn before moving to the lead while racing extremely wide entering the stretch under Paco Lopez. Edwin Gonzalez sent Twelve Volt Man inside Hanalei's Houdini at the top of the stretch, and the two horses battled through the stretch while steadily drifting to the inside.
Twelve Volt Man won the battle nearing the wire to prevail by three-quarters of a length.
“I had a really good trip. I was saving ground around the first two turns. This is a really big horse. After the first time I rode the horse when he broke his maiden, I said to Saffie that this horse wants to go long,” Gonzalez said. “At the half-mile [pole], I followed the horse that finished second. At the quarter pole, when Paco moved, I moved with him. He drifted out with me and then I took my horse back inside and I think that won the race. When he got in a little bit tight, my horse got aggressive again. He's a nice horse. I feel great.”
Twelve Volt Man, a 3-year-old gelded son of Violence, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.92 to edge Hanalei's Houdini. Mo Hawk held on for third.
“The time was really good,” Joseph said. “Now, he's going to have to face proper older horses.”
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