Diodoro is eligible to race in Texas because the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) does not have jurisdiction in that state.

Diodoro did not return a phone call from the TDN, but it appears that he will be busy at the Lone Star meet, which concludes on July 14. Diodoro has been allotted 50 stalls, which appears to be the maximum amount allowed by the track's racing department. He has not started a horse since April 3 at Turf Paradise. He was able to run in Arizona after his suspension was announced because the horses had been entered before Diodoro was notified of the violation

Diodoro was provisionally suspended by HIWU on March 29. Though he has been summarily suspended the case must still be reviewed by HIWU's Internal Adjunction Panel. Diodoro also has the option of trying to contest the suspension in court.

Levothyroxine is a thyroid medication. According to the National Library of Medicine the use of thyroid hormones for doping to enhance performance in human sports has long been controversial. There have been claims of abuse of these drugs, but they have not been prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The Texas Racing Commission interpreted its state racing rules and concluded that only the racing commission can legally oversee racing in the state and therefore would not allow HISA to come into Texas. Because they are not under HISA's jurisdiction, Lone Star Park and Sam Houston cannot send their simulcast signal out of state.

Diodoro was the leading trainer in 2023 at Oaklawn Park and is currently still in second place in this year's Oaklawn standings. Training since 1995, Diodoro has 3,184 career wins and a winning rate of 21 percent.

A similar scenario is playing out in Louisiana, where trainer Jonathan Wong has begun racing. Wong received a two-year suspension from HIWU after he had a horse test positive for Metformin, a drug that is commonly used by humans to combat type 2 diabetes. Like Texas, Louisiana racing is not under HISA's control. Wong has started eight horses in Louisiana with no winners. He has four horses entered at Evangeline Downs next week and another Saturday night.

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Levothyroxine is a thyroid medication. According to the National Library of Medicine the use of thyroid hormones for doping to enhance performance in human sports has long been controversial. There have been claims of abuse of these drugs, but they have not been prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Diodoro declined to comment and referred questions to his lawyer, John Holleman. At deadline for this story, Holleman had not returned a phone call from the TDN seeking comment.

Horses that were entered by Diodoro before he was notified of the suspension are being allowed to run, but he will not be allowed to enter horses thereafter. Diodoro will not be allowed to saddle those horses or visit the paddock.

Diodoro's upcoming entries include the GII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn, a prep for the GI Kentucky Oaks. His stable will send out longshot Midshipman's Dance (Midshipman).

In the cases where a horse tests positive for a banned medication, HIWU has put off enforcing the suspension until the results of the B sample have been returned. But since Diodoro's suspension does not involve a failed drug test, his suspension will go into effect after his horses that have already been entered have run.

According to the HIWU website investigators found the drug to be in Diodoro's possession on March 13. The notice of his suspension was posted to the HIWU website Friday. HIWU spokesperson Alexa Ravit said she could not disclose why HIWU investigators undertook a search that allegedly led to the finding of the drug.

Diodoro faces a suspension of up to two years.

Diodoro was the leading trainer in 2023 at Oaklawn Park and is currently in second in this year's Oaklawn standings. Training since 1995, Diodoro has 3,184 career wins and a winning rate of 21 percent.

Diodoro was suspended for the first 15 days of the current Oaklawn meet after a horse he ran at the 2022-2023 meet had a carbon dioxide (TCO2) finding above the permitted limit.

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Many of the trainers and owners running horses in Saturday's eight Claiming Crown races already won a critical competition before the starting gate even opens at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots: They got the horse at the claim box.

With shrinking foal crops and enhanced purses in areas such as Kentucky, New York and Arkansas, there has never been more demand for a competitive claiming horse, the backbone of American racing. The Claiming Crown was created 25 years ago by the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association (NHBPA) and the Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders of America (TOBA) to spotlight those horses with their own big-money day.

The 25th Claiming Crown–this year worth a total of $1 million and staged with support from the Louisiana HBPA–clearly has encouraged some owners to seek out horses with this day in mind.

“A lot of guys gear up for this day,” said trainer Robertino Diodoro, whose seven Claiming Crown entrants include three contenders for the $200,000 Jewel in Flying P Stable's Saqeel and Frosted Grace and Ken Ramsey's King's Ovation. “Two of my bigger guys, Flying P and Ken Ramsey, have had success at the Claiming Crown and just love it. Jason Provenzano has mentioned it to me at least once a week for four months about having Frosted Grace for the Claiming Crown. Flying P last winter would say, 'How about this horse (to claim)? He'd be eligible for the Claiming Crown next year.' It was nine or 11 months away, but it shows you how excited some of the owners are and how much pride they take in running in it.

“It's a big day and very important to a lot of owners. The blue-collar horses get to be the spotlight of the day and run for good money. You have to have blue-collar horses in this game, for sure, for spectators, owners and trainers. They're a big part of our game.”

Claiming a horse is one of the quickest and most effective ways to get new owners into the game–or to bring lapsed owners back. Claim a horse, and you could see it run back in your silks in a matter of weeks.

For example, owner Paul Parker and trainer/co-owner Jeff Hiles needed to win a 13-way shake to get Time for Trouble, the favorite in Saturday's $75,000 Ready's Rocket Express, for $8,000 on June 18, 2021 at Churchill Downs. He was one of five horses claimed out of the race. Time for Trouble has not run in another race since where he could be claimed, that includes winning last year's Ready's Rocket Express at Churchill Downs.

Starter-allowance races such as the Claiming Crown are restricted to horses that have started for a certain claiming price or cheaper in a specified time frame. But there is no claiming involved, making starter races attractive to those who don't want to risk losing their horse.

The complexities of the claiming game increase when horses' eligibility for starter races expires. If they're put in another claiming race to make them re-eligible for starter competition, there's a good chance they'll be claimed. On the other hand, horsemen need to run in spots where they can make money to stay in business. Running a horse over its head repeatedly just to hang on to it doesn't do the owner, trainer or the horse any good.

So it's one thing to claim a horse with the Claiming Crown in mind and another to still have it come Claiming Crown day.

Mike Maker, the all-time leading Claiming Crown trainer with 21 victories, and his fellow horsemen Diodoro, Chris Hartman and Joe Sharp are all over Saturday's Claiming Crown entries. Maker and Diodoro entered seven apiece, Sharp six and Hartman four.

Then there are all the horses racing Saturday that those guys used to train. Take Invaluable–and a lot of people did just that.

Now six, Invaluable won last year's Claiming Crown Glass Slipper for Maker but will start this year for Sharp, who claimed her two races ago. The Claiming Crown was only Invaluable's second start for Maker, who took the mare off Diodoro for $32,000 at Saratoga in a race where all four horses were claimed. The prior winter, Diodoro had taken Invaluable off Hartman for $30,000 at Oaklawn, a race in which five of eight starters changed hands.

“That one hurts,” Diodoro said of losing Invaluable, the 2022 National HBPA Claiming Horse of the Year. “I loved that mare. I didn't want to lose her. She's as honest as they come. We could have tried to hold her out for the Claiming Crown. But you get to Saratoga, the owners want to win, the purses are big. You can't just 'protect' these horses. You've got to run them where they can win–and there's a pretty good chance you're going to lose them at the claim box.”

The home run is getting a horse that improves to where it can run well in allowance and stakes races. That's the case with Frosted Grace, a $32,000 claim a year ago who has made $382,860 for Flying P in 2023, including winning Lone Star Park's GIII Steve Sexton Mile S.

Three other Diodoro-trained horses will make their first start for the barn Saturday, having been claimed specifically for the Claiming Crown. One, Pens Street in the Glass Slipper, has been claimed in three of her last four races.

The $75,000 Iron Horse Kent Stirling Memorial will be the second start for Diodoro with $40,000 claim On a Spree, who changed hands six times in his prior seven starts, including spending one race apiece for Hartman and Sharp.

“The claiming game gives everyone a chance,” said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HBPA. “There's often not a lot that separates blue blood from blue collar. Horses every day outrun their pedigrees. High price tags bring high expectations, but sometimes those horses simply aren't good enough for top-level company. That doesn't mean they aren't still good, productive horses. And sometimes horses' form goes off to where they're put in a claiming race to get them back on track. Like Emerald favorite Therapist.”

That New York-bred gelding, an eight-time stakes-winner at the time, was claimed for $25,000 and then for $50,000 in his next start by Maker in January. Therapist now has won three races for new owner Michael Dubb, including the GI United Nations S.

Hamelback noted that Glass Slipper favorite Samarita was a $1,000 yearling who has won her past six races and that Claiming Crown Jewel favorite Money Supply cost $400,000 as a yearling but clearly didn't fit into his original owner's program geared toward the classic races.

“The same mare, Tokyo Time, produced $3-million earner Olympiad a year after she foaled Iron Horse contender Mau Mau,” Hamelback said. “He lost his first six starts, was put in a $30,000 claiming race, won that day and was claimed and has since raced successfully at his level for several different trainers. There are a lot more Mau Maus than Olympiads. They are good racehorses at their level and bring a lot of joy to their owners and barns. We celebrate them all with the Claiming Crown.”

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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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According to two rulings issued by the Arkansas Racing Commission on Monday, May 15, Aristocracy is disqualified from purse winnings, and Diodoro will have 15 days of his suspension stayed “on the condition that no Class A or Class B medication violations occur in any racing jurisdiction within 365 days from the date of this ruling.”

Aristocracy's sample revealed a TCO2 blood reading of 42.3 mmol/L, a penalty category B violation in Arkansas.

The suspension is to be served Dec. 8, 2023, through December 22, 2023, which coincides with the expected start of the next Oaklawn meet. The current season ended May 6, and Diodoro was the leading trainer in victories and third in earnings.

The rulings stated Diodoro waived his rights to both a stewards' hearing and the appeal of both rulings.

TCO2 testing is designed to deter the practice of “milkshaking,” which involves administering a liquid solution of baking soda via nasogastric tube in an effort to prevent lactic acid buildup and stave off muscular fatigue.

The Paulick Report first reported the penalties, quoting Diodoro as denying Aristocracy was milkshaked. The trainer also said he had no idea how the colt's TCO2 level registered beyond the permitted limit of 37 mmol/L.

Some amount of TCO2 occurs naturally in the blood of horses.

The Bath House Row S. was the 3-year-old's first start for Diodoro and owner Gordon Christoff.

Aristocracy had previously raced for his breeders, Gary and Mary West, under the care of trainer Brad Cox.

His previous race for those connections was a ninth-place try in the John Battaglia Memorial S. at Turfway Park Mar. 4.

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“It's our first time upgrading our mares,” Gullo said. “This is the first time we are actually putting them through the sale and running it as a breeding business. We have one in the Select Sale and two in the [Fasig-Tipton] New York-Bred Sale.”

The horseman continued, “Anthony is a great guy, great to work for. He has the same vision as I have, just trying to be first class with everything. It takes time to do. It is a process. It's not going to happen overnight. We are trying to buy top quality mares in foals to nice stallions. We have them at WinStar Farm. Now we are looking to sell some of the babies to offset some cost and keep it running like a business. We might start to keep a few down the road, but our goal is to breed top-quality horses.”

The GMP team will offer Hip 151, a Curlin filly out of MGISP Cassies Dreamer (Flatter), during the second session of Fasig's Select Sale Tuesday. Consigned by Taylor Made, the bay is the first foal out of Cassies Dreamer, who completed the trifecta in both the GI Frizette S. and GI Spinaway S. GMP Stable purchased the now 6-year-old mare for $435,000 with this filly in utero at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

“It is exciting,” Melfi said of selling a horse in the Saratoga Select Sale. “We can't wait to see how it goes and what she brings. She is a beautiful filly by Curlin. We just love her.”

Just six days later, GMP Stable has a pair of More Than Ready yearlings bred in partnership with Dutchess Views Farm and Robert Valeri set to sell during the second session of Fasig's New York-Bred Sale Aug. 15.

The first to go through the ring will be Hip 523, a filly out of Cinderella Time (Stephen Got Even). A $245,000 acquisition at the 2019 KEENOV sale in foal to Twirling Candy, the 11-year-old mare is already the dam of MGSW & MGISP Horologist (Gemologist).

Their other NY-bred offering is Hip 574, a More Than Ready colt out of Giant Blossom (Giant's Causeway). Picked up for $100,000 in foal to Frosted at the same KEENOV renewal, Giant Blossom is a half-sister to GISW Cotton Blossom (Broken Vow).

“We feel good about our New York-breds as well,” Gullo said. “We are getting our feet wet. We are relying on Fasig-Tipton, WinStar and Taylor Made. We are with the right people.”

Breeding and selling is just one area that GMP Stable dabbles in. They also have 25 horses in training across the country with conditioners such as Todd Pletcher, Linda Rice, Gary Sciacca, Robertino Diodoro and Doug O'Neill. The racing stable is a mix of homebreds, 2-year-old purchases and horses claimed at Churchill with an eye on the Del Mar meet.

“We would like to expand eventually,” Gullo said. “We bought some 2-year-olds and will buy more next year. We will also buy another three of four mares in November. Right now we are claiming horses for some action for us, but we are focusing on the higher quality over quantity.”

Gullo and Melfi's main focus at the moment is their farm, which is geared towards racehorse rehabilitation. Previously the Stone Bridge Farm training center, the Schuylerville, New York facility is an equine oasis with a training track, saltwater spas, Theraplates, magnawave and much more.

“We have a beautiful farm that is set up like a rehab, like Fair Hill,” Gullo said. “We are bringing in a hyperbaric chamber. We have saltwater spas, the vibrating plates, lasers, magnawave, thermal imaging. We have a seven-eighths Tapeta track. We redid the base and put a new cushion on it. We had the guy from Keeneland come and redo it all. We are going to have 50 stalls. We have horses here for Linda [Rice], [Todd] Pletcher and Bill Mott. Wesley Ward came out and loved it.”

The GMP farm also houses a spa for humans, offering a wide variety of services. Additionally, Melfi owns two bed and breakfasts on Union Ave. in Saratoga and plans to tie all of the facilities together.

“The spa is called Sacred Spa and Wellness,” said Melfi, who operated an environmental contracting company, which he sold in 2019. “We offer massage, facials, infrared saunas, chiropractic, acupuncture, body sculpting and basically anything you'd find at a high-end spa or wellness center.”

He added, “I also own Union Gables and the Brunswick. We are in the process of incorporating all the properties together to make it more of a destination.”

Between what they already have in the works and their future plans, Gullo and Melfi have a lot to look forward to with their new operation.

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Although the DQ ruling itself did not impose a fine upon Diodoro, a separate stewards' ruling fined him $1,000 under the “absolute insurer” clause.

By issuing a separate fine, the Oaklawn stewards handled Diodoro's Class 4 positive similar to how they did in 2020 when Diodoro had two winners and a fifth-place horse disqualified for the prohibited use of two different Class 4 substances detected in post-race testing.
The DQ'd horse from the Mar. 7 ruling was Storm Advisory (Weigelia), who now gets demoted to sixth and last in the first race from Dec. 10, 2021. Split-sample testing confirmed the result, and Diodoro waived his right to a hearing. It was not immediately clear if any appeal would be lodged.

Dexamethasone is an anti-inflammatory listed as a Class 4/Penalty Category C prohibited substance on the Association of Racing Commissioners International's uniform classification guidelines for foreign substances.

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“I don't know if we have to win [the Razorback],” Diodoro said. “We are shortening up to a mile and a sixteenth in the Razorback. As long as he shows up again and runs like he's been running, then we're going to give it [Dubai World Cup] some serious consideration, for sure.”

Lone Rock closed out his 2021 campaign, which also included wins in Belmont's GII Brooklyn S. and Saratoga's Birdstone S., with a Dec. 18 score in Oaklawn's 1 1/8 mile Tinsel S. He won seven of nine last year after being claimed by Diodoro for $40,000 in his last 2020 start, a Churchill win at one mile. It was the second time in four months–and four starts–that Diodoro had claimed the bay. The conditioner began stretching Lone Rock out and the gelding responded with five wins at 1 1/2 miles or more.

The Razorback, held at 1 1/16 miles, would be Lone Rock's first start at less than 1 1/8 miles since an allowance victory at the Razorback distance in his 2021 debut last February at Oaklawn. The Dubai World Cup is contested at about 1 1/4 miles. Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) won the 2017 Razorback before finishing second in Dubai in what ultimately culminated with a Horse of the Year title. Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) won last year's Razorback prior to a Dubai World Cup win.

“After talking with the owner and stuff, I think [the Razorback] lines up good,” said Diodoro. “Got lots of space between the Tinsel and the Razorback… I keep saying as soon as this horse is telling us he needs a break, we're going to go give him a break. But right now, he keeps telling us he's ready to go and take one step at a time.”

Lone Rock worked Friday morning at Oaklawn, breezing a half-mile in :49.60 under regular rider Ramon Vazquez.

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Snapper Sinclair leads the field in career earnings at $1.8 million. He has run poorly in his last two races but one was his first ever try on an all-weather surface and the other was in the G1 Breeders' Cup Mile. Two races prior to that Snapper Sinclair won the TVG Stakes on the grass at Kentucky Downs. Rated R Superstar, who returns from four months off, is another who has had a fine career to date, earning $1.1 million, with his most recent win coming in the Governor's Cup Stakes in August.

Mucho enters the Fifth Season Stakes in superb form with six straight in-the-money finishes including a win in the Challedon Stakes last summer. However, Mucho is running in a two-turn race for the very first time after 29 races around one turn. Necker Island is another horse stretching out to two turns. He won the Bet On Sunshine Stakes in November as one of five wins in his career.

Thomas Shelby really likes to win races, with 10 victories in 24 career races. His most recent effort was a second place finish in the Tinsel Stakes at Oaklawn last month. Silver Prospector is approaching the $1 million mark in career earnings. After winning the G3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn in the winter of 2020, he has won just one of eight races. Atoka rounds out the field, entering the race off a runner-up effort in an allowance race over the track from which he was moved up to first after the winner was disqualified.

Top Contenders

Thomas Shelby draws the rail for this mile trip and that means jockey David Cohen will have the ability to put him on the lead, which has resulted in three wins in his last four starts, or settle him just off the pace, which has resulted in another three wins before that. Thomas Shelby joined the barn of trainer Robertino Diodoro in November of 2020 and after finishing fourth, third and seventh in his initial three starts for the barn, has turned into an “alpha” horse, winning seven of 10. Last October Thomas Shelby ran the best race of his career winning a classified allowance race with a personal-best 112 Equibase Speed Figure. He won again in November, then after two months off led until deep stretch before coming up three-quarters of a length short in the Tinsel Stakes. That race was at Oaklawn and was run at a mile and one-eighth, with Thomas Shelby leading at the point this mile race ends so repeating that effort could be good enough to win the Fifth Season Stakes.

Silver Prospector has four career wins, one of which came at Oaklawn. That was when victorious in the 2020 Southwest Stakes with a then career-best 107 figure. After a poor sixth place effort in the Rebel Stakes followed by a poorer seventh place finish in the Arkansas Derby, Silver Prospector was given nearly six months off. Returning in the fall off a lengthy layoff, Silver Prospector raced in top form to win and earned a very strong 106 figure considering the time off. Although winless in five races since, Silver Prospector ran just as well as he had in the comeback when second in the Razorback Stakes last February at Oaklawn, earning a 108 figure. Now rested since last May the same way he was in the spring of 2020 until his strong win in the fall of that year, Silver Prospector has put in a pair of very strong workouts which were the best of 52 and the fourth best of 44 on the day. These signal he could be as fit and ready to run just like he did off a similar layoff, and if he does that he could certainly compete for top honors in this race.

Concert Tour is another returning off a layoff since last May, and he too is working in the morning like he will not need a race before showing his best. Concert Tour won the first three races of his career last year, including the San Vicente Stakes and the Rebel, in which he earned a career-best 104 figure drawing off easily to win by four and one-quarter lengths in geared down fashion. After a third place finish in the Arkansas Derby¸ Concert Tour skipped the Kentucky Derby then showed up in the Preakness, running the worst race of his career when ninth of 10 and beaten more than 30 lengths. Returning to training last October, Concert Tour has been placed in the care of trainer Brad Cox, who has an exceptional record of nine wins from 25 starts with horses coming back from six months off or more in dirt routes. As such, Concert Tour appears to fit with the best of the contenders in this year's Fifth Season.

The rest of the field, with their best Equibase Speed Figures, is Atoka (100), Long Range Toddy (102), Mucho (108 in sprint races), Necker Island (108 in sprint races), Rated R Superstar (105) and Snapper Sinclair (115 on turf).

Win contenders, in preference/probability order:
Thomas Shelby
Silver Prospector
Concert Tour

Fifth Season Stakes
Race 8 at Oaklawn
Saturday, January 15, 2022 – Post Time 4:46 PM E.T.
One Mile
Four Year Olds and Upward
Purse: $150,000

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But still, back on Jan. 13, Rosette had a brain spark he thought might generate some enjoyment.

Although probably not, as he now recalls, anything even remotely resembling an equine windfall.

“My barn had dwindled down due to lack of racing opportunities, and Turf Paradise was just reopening after COVID,” Rosette told TDN via phone Saturday. “I called my trainer, Robertino Diodoro, and told him I wanted to do something really degenerate. I said, 'You're going to think I'm crazy, but I want to claim a $3,500 non-winners-of-three horse. He's very well bred, and if he wins, we might be getting a horse that we can really have fun with.'”

That low-end claimer was Shinny (Square Eddie), a 4-year-old gelding who was 2-for-8 lifetime. He had been bred in California by Reddam Racing, won his second career start, against open MSW company, on Dec. 15, 2019, at Golden Gate Fields, then backslid in class while migrating to SoCal and later scraping bottom in New Mexico.

After eyeballing Shinny's pedigree, Diodoro told Rosette he had heard crazier ideas, so he agreed to drop a claim slip on his client's behalf.

Shinny won that day, meaning the gelding was fresh out of lifetime conditions for his new connections. But the low claiming price he ran for would make Shinny eligible for almost any starter-allowance spot in the country, which had been part of the appeal.

Ambitiously, Rosette and Diodoro next entered Shinny for an $8,500 tag, more than double his just-claimed value. The bay pressed the pace in a 6 1/2 -furlong sprint and ended up second, beaten only a neck.

Rosette recalled thinking, “He's a little bit better than we thought.”

Flipping through the Turf Paradise condition book, Rosette suggested to his trainer that , “They've got this race where you can enter a starter-allowance if they haven't won on turf. And with that breeding, let's give it a try.”

Diodoro agreed, and the gelding went off favored at even money going 7 1/2 furlongs on the lawn.

“And man, he crushed them by 6 1/2 lengths,” Rosette said. “From there, I was like, let's keep him in these conditions and have fun.”

Shinny next ran sixth in an Apr. 7 optional claiming/1x allowance spot. But he won his subsequent start Apr. 16 for win number three on the year.

The determined gelding hasn't lost since. Shinny has now hit the winner's circle in 10 straight outings after summering at Canterbury Park in Minnesota then returning to Arizona.

When he rallied into a slow pace to win with an explosive burst up the rail Dec. 17 at Turf Paradise, the victory vaulted him to the top of the winningest horse list in North America for 2021. Among the 46,064 Thoroughbreds to have made at least one start this year, the diminutive Shinny towers above them all with 12 wins.

“Along the way, something went right with Shinny,” Rosette explained, the sense of respect for the gelding evident in his tone. “Something just clicked in his head. He's such a tiny little thing, and it looks like he's going to lose every race. But three, four jumps before the wire, something happens with him where he just accelerates and he takes off.

“He can run long, he can run short, he can run on the dirt, he can run on the turf. He's eligible for this condition for the next couple of years,” Rosette said.

He told Diodoro midway through the season, “Let's don't get too ambitious with him, and just see if we can keep having a little fun.”

Rosette is no stranger to a rags-to-riches metamorphosis. A Chippewa-Cree tribal member who grew up in a single-wide trailer just outside the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation in the Bear Paw Mountains of northern Montana, Rosette struggled to make ends meet for his wife and children while putting himself through law school at Arizona State University in the early 1990s. He now devotes his professional life as an attorney to helping tribal entities, and the Phoenix law firm he founded in 2005 has grown to offices in four states and in Washington, D.C.

“I give Shinny's credit to three things,” Rosette said. “I think the horse has figured out what he's doing. He has fun and takes care of himself. I think Robertino and his team are having fun, and they take care of the horse, with the right entries and staying where he should be. And then Lindey Wade, the jockey–I talk to him a lot and we've drawn a little bit closer–and man, does he love Shinny. And he told me the same thing, 'This horse has grown on me, where I take care of him, and he just kind of takes care of himself, and we're all having a blast.'”

There is technically one other Thoroughbred in North America who has hit the winner's circle 12 times this year: Six Ninety One (Congrats), a 9-year-old starter-allowance stalwart who, like Shinny, is also based in Arizona.

The speed-on-the-lead sprint specialist has won 10 races from 19 starts strictly against Thoroughbreds. But trainer Alfredo Asprino, who owns the gelding in partnership with Jesus Vielma, also saddled Six Ninety One to a 2-for-2 record in Quarter Horse dashes. That brings his record to 12-for-21 this year, but it only counts for bragging rights, because Equibase doesn't mix victory and earnings totals between the two breeds.

Greely and Ben (Greeley's Conquest), currently at 11 wins, is the only other Thoroughbred with a realistic chance to match Shinny's total as 2021 draws to a close. The 7-year-old is owned and trained by Karl Broberg (End Zone Athletics), and although this gelding, too, took advantage of ripe pickings at starter-allowance levels throughout the year, Broberg has entered Greeley and Ben against tougher stakes company the last two starts (a win and a second).

When TDN called Broberg Saturday, he said he was leaning toward entering Greeley and Ben next in the five-furlong $75,000 Sam's Town S. at Delta Downs Jan. 8. But when informed that Shinny just won No. 12 the day before, Broberg deadpanned, “Now you're going to make me squeeze in a starter-allowance before the end of the year.”

But he's not kidding.

“I'm undecided. If the right race hits us somewhere, I'm all about it,” Broberg later added.

Broberg, the nation's winningest trainer by overall victories between 2014-19, has only once had an individual horse in contention for most-win honors despite the large scale of his stable, which operates at numerous tracks throughout the South and Midwest.

“It's always on my radar,” Broberg said. “It's kind of interesting to see what horse has knocked out the most wins in a year. I think it's cool and I always look at it, regardless of whether or not I have a horse up there. But at no point has it ever been a goal or something that was a concerted effort, like, 'I need to do this.' It's one of those things that just has to happen for you.

“I've been watching [Shinny]. I thought I had [winningest horse honors] put away safe, and then that Diodoro horse just kept winning,” Broberg said. “I don't even understand how they're even able to fill that race he keeps winning.”

Shinny and Greeley and Ben are on opposite ends of the spectrum physically–Broberg's gelding is a brawny 1,200-pounder, while Rosette's runner can be kindly described as small but scrappy. They're also worlds apart as far as their racing histories are concerned–Shinny was barely earning his keep at Zia Park, while Greeley and Ben shared early-career company lines with horses who ran in the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup. Yet both Rosette and Broberg chose the word “blessed” when describing their feelings about their respective standings-toppers.

“It's really been a blessing for me as an owner,” Rosette said. “I used to be just happy winning three or four races a year. And to have a horse win 12 races for me, it's been remarkable. Every time out, I keep thinking it has to end. He can't win forever. But as Lindey says, 'He just finds another gear and he's gone.' He's such a great horse. We're going to keep him as a pet forever.”

Rosette's appreciation for Shinny extends beyond the win streak. He detailed how the gelding has changed his life as an owner of other racehorses, primarily because of the roughly $100,000 in purse earnings Shinny has pulled in since being claimed.

“This is what's funny about Shinny, and it's the God-honest truth,” Rosette said. “Before, the most I had ever spent on a horse was $7,500 or maybe $10,000. But with all of these winnings, I sent $50,000 to Del Mar and claimed Tiger Dad (Smiling Tiger) on Nov. 12. Then we entered him in the Luke Kruytbosch S. here at Turf Paradise two weeks later for 60 grand–and he crushed it,” winning by 1 1/2 lengths.

“So now I became a stakes owner. After the win, I'm sitting in the stall with this trophy and this gigantic, massive horse and everyone's admiring Tiger Dad. But I said, 'See that skinny, little horse Shinny down there? He's the one who made this possible. He's the one who paid the bills to make this happen.'

“And then the other thing we did is we bought a 2-year-old at auction. I would have never spent money like that,” Rosette said. “That 2-year-old is now at Oaklawn with Robertino, because he said she was good enough to go there. So now, Shinny has built on his back–I wouldn't say a legitimate stable–but we've got two starters now that are legitimate horses that I never dreamed of having.

“I tell you, I really owe it all to this little 4-year-old gelding,” Rosette said. “I sometimes think of changing my stable name from Rosette Racing to Shinny Stables.”

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