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Kantarmaci on Top Again in NYRA Claiming Challenge

Trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci won his fourth straight title in the New York Racing Association's “Under 20s Claiming Challenge” at the recently concluded winter/spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Launched in 2018, the challenge is open to local trainers with 20 or fewer horses nationwide. Kantarmaci topped the standings, racking up 133 points in the unique contest that highlighted horses' performances in winners' claiming races on the main track. Randi Persaud was second with 83 points, with Edward Barker [68] and A.C. Avila [65] rounding out the quartet who cracked the 60-point threshold.

The top eight trainers in the contest shared a prize pool of $80,000, with Kantarmaci earning the first-place prize of $16,000.

“It's a great feeling and to get a title like this racing in New York, I'm really delighted with that,” Kantarmaci said. “It shows we can have consistent success with the claiming horses, and most of them have improved from when they were claimed, and some of them have gone on to allowance races. I couldn't get points with those, but of course, I made money with them by moving them up.”

When the winter and spring meets are factored in, Kantarmaci compiled a 10-12-9 record with 74 starters, finishing in the money 41.89% of the time and winning at a 13.51% clip, with his horses earning $600,617.

“I think I'm one of the best claiming trainers in New York right now,” Kantarmaci said. “I've won a few at Aqueduct and one at Belmont. So, it shows we can do well at Belmont and at Aqueduct, which has a long winter meet. There aren't many young trainers in New York; just a few. It's hard to win that much with just claiming horses. But it's gotten people's attention and some owners have asked us if we're available to train their horses, so a claiming title like this in New York has been really helpful.”

The Under 20's Claiming Challenge continues into the current spring/summer meet at Belmont Park, which started Apr. 22 and runs through July 11. This contest encompasses both main track and turf contests.

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May 2 Insights

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PRICEY DISTORTED HUMOR COLT DEBUTS

3rd-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6fT, 2:02p.m.

Jeremiah Englehart unveils $500,000 KEESEP buy ASKIN FOR A BASKIN (Distorted Humor). His second is MSW Our Fantene (Touch Gold), who is the dam of GSW Javerre (Outflanker.) The gelding has been working well for this debut, including a best-of-35 five panels in 1:01 1/5 over the Belmont training track two back Apr. 10. TJCIS PPs

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Got Stormy Favored in Distaff Turf Mile

Fan favorite Got Stormy (Get Stormy) is the 8-5 morning-line favorite while facing six rivals in the GII Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. at Churchill Downs Saturday. The chestnut mare concluded her 2020 campaign with a fifth-place effort in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland last November, just a day before selling for $2.75 million to Spendthrift at the Fasig-Tipton November sale. Now co-owned with Myracehorse.com, the 6-year-old returned to just get her nose on top of the reopposing Zofelle (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in the one-mile GIII Honey Fox S. at Gulfstream Feb. 27 last time out.

Owned by Heider Family Stables, Zofelle was third over the Churchill turf in the GIII Mint Julep S. last May and won her first graded race when scoring a two-length victory in the Jan. 23 GIII Marshua's River S.

Peter Brant's Blowout (GB) (Dansili {GB}) has proved herself gritty in defeat following narrow runner-up efforts behind stablemate Viadera (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) after setting rapid splits in the Sept. 26 GIII Noble Damsel S. at Belmont and the Nov. 29 GI Matriarch S. at Del Mar last time out.

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Derby Diary: A Pre-Derby Day Of Distraction

The NFL Draft is one of my favorite non-sporting events of the year. Since I was a little kid, I pored over NCAA guides, NFL magazines and mock drafts. It is probably one of the primary reasons why I wanted to be a sportscaster/writer when I was growing up. I always marveled at professionals who could consistently and accurately predict if a college player was going to be a professional athlete.

So, one day before the Kentucky Derby, I took a page out of that book and went to Lexington to look at our mares, foals and yearlings. My primary goals were to take conformation notes on our horses, discuss which ones would be entered into the upcoming yearling sales and get an idea of how our current group of mares were doing physically.

It also provided the perfect distraction for me. A day out in the sun and fresh air would keep my mind away from the excitement and anxiety that will surely befall me this evening.

My wife Michelle and I met with our equine manager, Jeff Hayslett of Taylor Made Farm. Jeff has been working with us for almost 25 years and has been extremely influential with our breeding program. I consider him our most valuable advisor when it comes to our mares and matings; rarely do we make a major decision on that front without seeking his advice.

We looked at newborn foals by Bernardini, Hard Spun, Distorted Humor, More Than Ready, Medaglia d'Oro, and Kitten's Joy and mares carrying Street Sense, Uncle Mo, Constitution, Nyquist, War of Will and Medaglia d'Oro foals. I was reminded of how much our breeding program has developed over the years. We used to own mares in-foal to O.K. By You, Rare Performer, Young Bob, Big Burn, Cannonade, Rare Brick, etc. Not that we are pedigree snobs by any means. In fact, we have been very lucky buying prospects by less-proven stallions (our Champion filly Jaywalk is a daughter of Cross Traffic, Helium is by Ironicus, and Do It With Style was by Pancho Villa). But now we focus on mating to more commercial stallions in our breeding program and buying athletes with less popular pedigrees for our racing operation.

This weekend I will review my notes and Jeff's insight with my parents and sketch out a game plan for the upcoming yearling sales. The majority of our foal crop will be entered into one of the upcoming sales and we handicap which sale will be the best venue for each. Some foals will require extra time due to a late foaling date. They will be pointed to the October Sale, as are some of the less commercially pedigreed ones. We will also discuss which of our top prospects will be entered into the Fasig-Tipton select sales and which ones will be pointed for the Keeneland September Sale. But all the yearlings are discussed and graded with our full intention on trying to maximize their sales price.

So just like the NFL scouts, we too are attempting to project and pre-determine which of our athletes have the best attributes for future success.

On our drive back to Louisville my phone started to explode with the report that King Fury was scratched out of tomorrow's Kentucky Derby. That news shook me to the core and reminded me that although we are one day away from running, we are still a long way from watching our horse compete in the Derby. The racing gods are a cruel and fickle crew.

Jon Green is the General Manager for DJ Stable, and is chronicling his Kentucky Derby experience with Helium in the 2021 Derby.

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