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Eight Friday Races See 76 Entrants Vying For Spots In The Claiming Crown

A total of 76 horses were entered for the eight Claiming Crown prep races on the Pimlico Special (G3) program Friday, Oct. 2 at Pimlico Race Course.

In addition to guaranteed berths in the Claiming Crown, the Pimlico prep race winners will receive travel subsidies to the event to be held at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, Dec. 5.

The 22nd Claiming Crown, nine races offering $835,000 in purses, is being held at Gulfstream Park for the ninth-consecutive year. Featured on the first weekend of Gulfstream's 2020-2021 Championship Meet, the Claiming Crown shines the spotlight on the blue-collar horses that are the backbone of the Thoroughbred industry's day-to-day racing schedule.

Handle on the Claiming Crown has climbed each of the last eight years since being held at Gulfstream. The Claiming Crown is a partnership between the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA).

The $50,000 Claiming Crown Emerald Stakes Prep at 1 1/16th miles on turf drew a field of 13. That group includes Stonehedge LLC's 7-year-old veteran Abiding Star, a 13-time winner. The Florida-bred son on Uncle Mo trained by Ned Allard will be running at Pimlico since his 11th-place finish in the 2016 Preakness. In his most recent start, Abiding Star was third in the Red Bank Stakes (G3) on Sept. 5 at Monmouth Park.

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Brown Stablemates Viadera And Blowout Could Face Off Again In Grade 1 Matriarch

Trainer Chad Brown reported that his one two-finishers of Saturday's Grade 3 Noble Damsel, Viadera and Blowout, both emerged from their efforts in good shape and will likely square off once more in the Grade 1, $300,000 Matriarch on November 29 at Del Mar.

Owned by Juddmonte Farms, Viadera notched her second stakes victory in her third start in the United States in the one mile test over the Widener turf, where she was placed at the rear of the field early on, saved ground to the inside and prevailed to get up at the right time by a neck under jockey Joel Rosario.

“He rode a really good race,” said Brown, who secured a fifth straight victory in the Noble Damsel. “He was able to save some ground and she was able to get up at the last jump.”

Rosario also piloted Brown-trained Off Limits (2017) and Uni (2018) to Noble Damsel triumphs, both of whom won the Matriarch at the end of their respective years.

Viadera, a 4-year-old bay daughter of Bated Breath, arrived at the Noble Damsel off a narrow victory in the De La Rose on July 17 at Saratoga, where she defeated stable mate Noor Sahara (fourth in the Noble Damsel) by a neck. A victory in the Matriarch would give Juddmonte Farms a record seventh triumph in the race after previously winning with champions Ryafan (1997), Heat Haze (2003), and Intercontinental (2004).

But it was Blowout who Brown said impressed him the most. Peter Brant's consistent daughter of Dansili out of Group 1 winner Beauty Parlour set torrid fractions on the front end, and the favorite still had enough left to hang on for second.

“Those were just insane fractions,” Brown said. “It showed the heart and the talent that she has to nearly still pull it off. It was remarkable to me. I was most impressed with her. Both horses ran terrific and so far, they look good. If they do well this next month, we'll point them both to the Matriarch.”

Never off the board and never beaten more than three-quarters of a length in 10 lifetime starts, Blowout is still in search of her first graded stakes win but scored triumphs in the Wild Applause last June and the Pebbles last September going one mile over the Widener turf.

“She's very consistent,” Brown said. “She's been very unlucky in a couple of her losses, but she's a developing horse with a lot of ability and super well-bred as well. I'll believe she'll have her day winning a graded stakes.”

Earlier on the card Brown saddled the Brant-owned American West to a debut victory going a one-turn mile over the Belmont main track, where she earned a 65 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort. The juvenile daughter of Curlin is out of stakes placed Jacaranda, who is a half-sister to leading second crop sire Constitution.

“She came out of the race well, we'll talk to Peter Brant about what we'll do with her and just see how she trains,” Brown said.

Bred in Kentucky by Alpha Delta Stable, American West was purchased for $925,000 from the Mill Ridge Sales consignment at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

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Popular At Claim Box, Cupid’s Claws Finds Marathon Distance To His Liking In Tokyo City Cup

Claimed out of his last three starts on turf, 5-year-old gelding Cupid's Claws tried dirt for the first time Sunday, waltzing to a 7 1/4-length win in the marathon Grade 3, $100,000 Tokyo City Cup at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden by Flavien Prat, who collected his second stakes win on the day, he got a mile and one half in 2:30.12.

With the starting gate set at about the half mile pole, Cupid's Claws was unhurried in the initial run to the far turn and was fourth, about two lengths off of favored pacesetter Tizamagician as the field crossed under the wire for the first time. From there, Prat was able to save ground while in close attendance to the pace and shifted three-wide outside of Tizamagician and Combatant with a quarter mile to run.

Full of run at the top of the lane, Cupid's Claws gained the advantage a furlong out and darted clear late as much the best.

Claimed out of a third-place finish for $50,000 going a mile and one eighth on turf Sept. 5, Cupid's Claws was trying stakes company for the first time and paid $17.00, $6.20 and $3.00.

Owned by Flawless Racing, Masino Racing Stable, Brian Flanagan and Michael Jarvis, Cupid's Claws, a 5-year-old Kitten's Joy gelding, picked up $60,000 for the win, boosting his earnings to $172,296. A winner of two turf starts and one race on synthetic Tapeta, Cupid's Claws is now 18-4-2-3 overall.

Tizamagician, who was ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, was the narrow second choice at 2-1 and outfinished Combatant by 1 ¼ lengths and returned $3.40 and $2.60.

With $39,101 bet to win on Combatant, he was the actual favorite by just five dollars at 2-1 and paid $2.40 to show with Umberto Rispoli up.

Fractions on the race were 25.22, 49.72, 1:14.82, 1:39.75 and 2:04.52.

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Patience Pays Off As Shared Sense Victorious In Oklahoma Derby

Into August, Godolphin's Racing operation and trainer Brad Cox had considered running Shared Sense in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. When they opted out, the G3 Oklahoma Derby was chosen as the next stop for him and on Sunday, he came through for those connections at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Godolphin's top option for the Kentucky Derby for most of the year was a horse named Maxfield. When he left the Derby trail with an injury, Shared Sense became a possibility for the run for the roses the first Saturday of this month. He was a late bloomer, however, winning his first stakes race on July 8 when he took down the G3, $300,000 Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand. While he earned 20 points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby field, he would have had to be supplemented for $45,000 if they wanted to take on Tiz the Law and Authentic. The connections opted to keep him on a different route and that's when he came to Remington Park.

“We just didn't feel like he had the turn of foot coming out of the gate that you need to be in position to run against horses like those in the Kentucky Derby,” said Blake Cox, who represented his dad, Brad Cox, at Remington Park. “We always thought he was a nice horse, but he still needed to learn some things.”

A perfect example of Shared Sense's lack of a turn of foot came after he won the Indiana Derby and was entered back in the $200,000 Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 9. If a horse doesn't have the temerity to get position out of the gate as Cox mentioned, it can be an even tougher task to beat this class of horse from the outside 12-post position. That's what he drew for the Ellis Park Derby and he left the starting gate dead last. He was behind the field down the backstretch of that race and did close, but could do no better than fifth.

That's when Blake Cox said his father, Brad, talked to Godolphin representatives and they opted out of Kentucky for Oklahoma to give him more experience.

Brad Cox, the second-leading trainer in the country behind Remington Park leading trainer Steve Asmussen, has stable earnings of more than $11 million this year. Cox became the first trainer to win the Oklahoma Derby in back-to-back years, having also scored in the 2019 edition with Owendale.

Shared Sense, a 3-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by Street Sense out of the Bernardini mare Collective, was made the betting favorite at 9-5 odds, and pulled away deep in the stretch for a two-length victory over Mo Mosa (5-1) in second. Lightly raced Liam, making his first start against winners, and first stakes try, ran third at 26-1, another 2 1/2 lengths back.

A pair of horses with plenty of action on the tote board that didn't live up to the backing were Oklahoma-bred Rowdy Yates (5-1) in sixth and Dean Martini (4-1) in seventh. Rowdy Yates was trying to become only the third Oklahoma-bred to win this race but didn't have any rally into the stretch. Dean Martini pressed the pace into the stretch but backed up over the final furlong.

Jockey Richard Eramia took comfortable rein on Shared Sense down the backstretch of the 1 1/8-mile race on the main track, sitting fifth.

“I had a little hold on him and he was relaxed behind horses,” said Eramia. “I knew I had a lot of horse left and the best horse in the race.”

Eramia and Shared Sense put a head in front at the top of the lane before drawing off from their competition.

Shared Sense hit the finish line in 1:49.88 over the fast surface. The final time was well off the stakes and track record, set in 1998 by Classic Cat in 1:48. Shared Sense chased fractions set by Liam of :24.11 for the first quarter-mile, :48.96 for the half-mile, 1:13.75 for three-quarters of mile, and 1:38.14 for the mile.

Shared Sense earned $120,000 for the win, his fourth from 10 starts to go along with two seconds while boosting his overall bankroll to $447,745 lifetime. He was bred in Kentucky by the owner. Shared Sense was not the top money earner in this nine-horse field, going in, but he was coming out, proving he is learning his craft.

The complete order of finish in the Oklahoma Derby was Shared Sense, Mo Mosa, Liam, Avant Garde, Salow, Rowdy Yates, Dean Martini, Code Runner and Creative Plan.

Remington Park racing continues into a new month with a Thursday-Saturday schedule on Oct 1-3. The first race nightly is at 7:07pm-Central.

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