The 2011 edition of the Claiming Crown, a partnership between the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeder's Association, will be held at the Fair Grounds, or more accurately these days, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, in Louisiana, leaving Canterbury Park for the only the third time in its thirteen year history. Past editions have also been contested at Ellis Park and Philadelphia Park.
If the Breeder's Cup was set up for the rarefied gentry of thoroughbred racing, then the Crown was set up to honor the heroes that make up the meat of every day race cards in North America, the claiming horse and connections. I know for my humble band of enthusiasts it was a goal for us last season until Tabby Lane faltered after moving north. It's an exciting event to be a part of and for the work-a-day owners and trainers it could very well be the culmination of their season with the ability to race for more money than they ever have before.
While the event is tremendous, I can't say that I'm sad to see it go. Without "alternative gaming" as slots are euphemistically called, Canterbury has had to cut dates and purses (albeit to a lesser extent than many places). Because the Crown isn't self sufficient, Canterbury has also had to fund the balance of purses and I can't imagine that the day is particularly profitable given the outlay. Having TVG on site is great and it really is hard to put a price tag on being the center of the North American racing world for a day - especially when we really would not be otherwise. But with the economy only slowly rebounding and still no slots at the track, I am a bit selfishly glad that this money will go back into local racing.
At least for this season.
Showing posts with label Claiming Crown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Claiming Crown. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Welcome Back Claiming Crown 2010
It was announced on Wednesday that the 2010 Claiming Crown will be back at Canterbury Park for it's 12th renewal. This will mark the 10th time that the Claiming Crown will be held at Canterbury and the conditions and purse levels will remain the same as last year.
The races are loosely based upon the Breeder's Cup format but are specifically geared toward our everyday heroes on the racetrack: the claiming horses. Don't think that these are just a bunch of knockabout platers running for some extra dough, though. Last year Breeder's Cup winner Furthest Land was two races removed from the Claiming Crown when he captured the "Dirt" Mile at Santa Anita last fall. Jockeys from all over the country come to Minnesota for each renewal such as Eclipse Award winner Julian Leparoux, Jamie Theriot, Robby Albarado and the legendary Russell Baze which speaks to the draw of the Claiming Crown card.
There may be some rumbling given the host track puts out the purse money that this dough could be better used in supplementing the day to day card at Canterbury. $600,000 is a lot of money in our corner of heaven and constitutes almost a week's worth of racing. In a second year where we've cut back to starting on Preakness Day rather than Derby Day and finishing a week before Labor Day rather than Labor Day itself, it may rankle some that this money is being spent on 'outsiders' rather than 'our own'. After all, if the event is so great, why didn't Philadelphia or Ellis Park ever want it back? While I can sympathize with that feeling, I think the long term good of racing in general benefits greatly from an event like the Claiming Crown. I'd like to see it rotated around maybe three tracks to help mitigate the costs a bit, but the exposure and prestige this brings to Canterbury is something that can't necessarily be measured in dollars and cents.
Best of luck to all the claiming horses all year round and remember, if yours start to break out a bit during the season, start pointing to Shakopee in July - I know that we will be! Hope to see you there!
The races are loosely based upon the Breeder's Cup format but are specifically geared toward our everyday heroes on the racetrack: the claiming horses. Don't think that these are just a bunch of knockabout platers running for some extra dough, though. Last year Breeder's Cup winner Furthest Land was two races removed from the Claiming Crown when he captured the "Dirt" Mile at Santa Anita last fall. Jockeys from all over the country come to Minnesota for each renewal such as Eclipse Award winner Julian Leparoux, Jamie Theriot, Robby Albarado and the legendary Russell Baze which speaks to the draw of the Claiming Crown card.
There may be some rumbling given the host track puts out the purse money that this dough could be better used in supplementing the day to day card at Canterbury. $600,000 is a lot of money in our corner of heaven and constitutes almost a week's worth of racing. In a second year where we've cut back to starting on Preakness Day rather than Derby Day and finishing a week before Labor Day rather than Labor Day itself, it may rankle some that this money is being spent on 'outsiders' rather than 'our own'. After all, if the event is so great, why didn't Philadelphia or Ellis Park ever want it back? While I can sympathize with that feeling, I think the long term good of racing in general benefits greatly from an event like the Claiming Crown. I'd like to see it rotated around maybe three tracks to help mitigate the costs a bit, but the exposure and prestige this brings to Canterbury is something that can't necessarily be measured in dollars and cents.
Best of luck to all the claiming horses all year round and remember, if yours start to break out a bit during the season, start pointing to Shakopee in July - I know that we will be! Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Claiming Crown Picks - Results
One thing that always bugs me a bit is when - and you see this a lot on message boards - someone gives you their can't miss selections and never posts their results. So here is the rundown of Saturdays Claiming Crown picks and how my top three ended up finishing.
Iron Horse:
1. Calm and Collected - 2
2. Bright Hall - 1
3. Roboponi - 4
Express
1. Chasing the Prize - 1
2. Ready's Rocket - 7
3. Norjac - 2
Rapid Transit
1. Grand Traverse - 2
2. Max Ahead - 4
3. All Joking Aside - 5
Glass Slipper
1. Met A Miner - 6
2. Miranda Diane - 9
3. Thunder and Belle - 2
Tiara
1. Mizzcan'tbewrong - 1
2. Love to Tell - 2
3. R Vicarious Girl - 4
Emerald
1. Drivingmaxandmitzi - 4
2. T Harry - 9
3. Gran Estreno -1
Jewel
1. Furthest Land - 4
2. Antrim County - 1
3. Repenting - 5
The Lady Canterbury Stakes
1. Euphony - 2
2. Happiness Is -1
3. Lady Carlock - 3
Of my top 3 choices I had 6 winners, 5 places and 1 show for 12 spots out of a possible 24. Fifty percent. Not great. But I did have two exacta boxes and a tri box which wasn't too bad in only 8 races. Betting win and place on the top choice (and changing my wager after their respective post parades to Antrim County and Happiness Is) , plus and exacta and dollar tri boxes, a very mild profit was eeked out. Thank you, Canterbury, for the free admission - it made all the difference Saturday!
Iron Horse:
1. Calm and Collected - 2
2. Bright Hall - 1
3. Roboponi - 4
Express
1. Chasing the Prize - 1
2. Ready's Rocket - 7
3. Norjac - 2
Rapid Transit
1. Grand Traverse - 2
2. Max Ahead - 4
3. All Joking Aside - 5
Glass Slipper
1. Met A Miner - 6
2. Miranda Diane - 9
3. Thunder and Belle - 2
Tiara
1. Mizzcan'tbewrong - 1
2. Love to Tell - 2
3. R Vicarious Girl - 4
Emerald
1. Drivingmaxandmitzi - 4
2. T Harry - 9
3. Gran Estreno -1
Jewel
1. Furthest Land - 4
2. Antrim County - 1
3. Repenting - 5
The Lady Canterbury Stakes
1. Euphony - 2
2. Happiness Is -1
3. Lady Carlock - 3
Of my top 3 choices I had 6 winners, 5 places and 1 show for 12 spots out of a possible 24. Fifty percent. Not great. But I did have two exacta boxes and a tri box which wasn't too bad in only 8 races. Betting win and place on the top choice (and changing my wager after their respective post parades to Antrim County and Happiness Is) , plus and exacta and dollar tri boxes, a very mild profit was eeked out. Thank you, Canterbury, for the free admission - it made all the difference Saturday!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Some Random Claiming Crown Thoughts
It was unquestionably an outstanding day of racing at Canterbury Park. The races were competitive, the crowd was large and enthusiastic and Minnesota hospitality was well showcased. Some of my own musings from the big day:
- First of all, a HUGE thank you to Jeff Maday, media relations chief at Canterbury Park who got me credentialed and allowed me a spot in the press box to blog live all day from the event. We had a great deli lunch, a super set up and were very well hosted by Jeff and his staff - Bonnie and Justin were both fabulous.
- The pre-racing banter in the press box from the likes of Steve Davidowitz, Marty McGee, Steve Fierro and others made my day. Listening to the angles and reasoning for picks as they floated selections on the upcoming card was worth the price of admission. Well, it WOULD have been worth the price of admission if there were an admission charge. Davidowitz's book, "Betting Thoroughbreds" was one of the first books I ever read on racing. Unfortunately I reverted back to my high school football mentality: being the new guy I was to be seen and not heard. Instead of 'acting like I'd been there', I should have embraced my newness and not been uncomfortable approaching the legends. I especially lamented not taking this course of action when my stable mate at the end of the row, Steve Fierro, ended up being a tremendously personable and approachable guy.
- While maybe not a Steve Davidowitz as far as fame goes, it was an absolute highlight to my day meeting the lovely and engaging Quinella Queen as well as her equally charming King, Kevin. A lot of great horse and life discussions prior to racing. I'm glad that they made the trip out to our little corner of heaven and I hope to reciprocate next time I'm through Iowa.
- The access to information in the press box is really invaluable. Handle stats, attendance numbers, how the day is moving along as it is viewed by track management was all great information to have. It's not that this information is proprietary, it's just getting it earlier than normal was great to relay to folks tuning in.
- The quality of the racing stock was stellar and this reflects directly on the trainers and their teams in the Crown races. Most of the men and women whose names appear on the training line of the program are not household names. They don't spend their days gearing up for yet another graded stakes race or dealing with the media. They train average racehorses and try and make a living in the toughest racing ranks out there: the every day claimers. And these horses looked fabulous! Many remarks were uttered throughout the racing plant on how good the horses looked and how well behaved they were in front of a large and loud crowd. Again this all speaks toward the high level of training prowess among the folks that work with these every day heroes and may never see the quality of racing stock of an Asmussen, Dutrow or Pletcher.
- Though our local jocks may not have won any of the Crown races, they did pretty well holding their own against the big boys. Within a few of the races there were moves from Derek Bell, Ry Eikelberry and others that had had a direct bearing on the outcome of the race and improved their own chances of finishing in the money. Still, watching Russell Baze, Julien Leparoux, Jamie Theriot and Robby Albarado was a privilege. Theriot's ride and his work down the stretch aboard Antrim County was a particular joy to behold and a racing highlight of the day.
- I was able to do far less color than I originally had hoped. While I was able to get some crowd reactions and a feel for the day early on, once the Crown races began it was tough to get downstairs and get some mingling done. I wish I could have done more of this with some photos as it was a great crowd and a little more color from them would have improved the look and feel of the notes on the day.
So was the day for yours truly a success? I guess there are a couple of ways I can measure what success is. I'll be tackling the picking winners part of success tomorrow when I review all the picks for the races I made, what bets I may have changed near post time and how that worked out.
I was a bit disappointed that Bernell Rhone couldn't get a winner with Couple Whiles, that Emerald Bay Stables (and friend Jack Holstrom) couldn't get a win with Pursue A Dream or Spider Power, that Ready's Rocket (and friend Gary Porter) couldn't cross the line first or that one of our local jockeys couldn't boot home a winner in the Crown. While these weren't necessarily unexpected events, I was still rooting for them.
As far as the live blogging went, my hope was that average traffic would increase by a multiple of four for the day. It ended up being six. Twenty five states were represented in the traffic numbers as well as literally a geographic spread sea to sea and border to border. Six countries were also represented. There were some nice e-mails from folks as well as some instant and continuous feedback via Twitter. Thanks goes out to fellow Internet denizens Green But Game, The Aspiring Horseplayer and Raceday360 for helping to get the word out. So while I consider the live blogging a success, I think I can do a bit better now that I have a feel for how to get around more and what I can add to jazz up the coverage.
Finally, my thanks to all of you that click in here from time to time and especially those of you that tried me out for the first time for the Claiming Crown. I hope you realized two things: this guy ain't half bad and; boy they really have a nice place there at Canterbury Park!
- First of all, a HUGE thank you to Jeff Maday, media relations chief at Canterbury Park who got me credentialed and allowed me a spot in the press box to blog live all day from the event. We had a great deli lunch, a super set up and were very well hosted by Jeff and his staff - Bonnie and Justin were both fabulous.
- The pre-racing banter in the press box from the likes of Steve Davidowitz, Marty McGee, Steve Fierro and others made my day. Listening to the angles and reasoning for picks as they floated selections on the upcoming card was worth the price of admission. Well, it WOULD have been worth the price of admission if there were an admission charge. Davidowitz's book, "Betting Thoroughbreds" was one of the first books I ever read on racing. Unfortunately I reverted back to my high school football mentality: being the new guy I was to be seen and not heard. Instead of 'acting like I'd been there', I should have embraced my newness and not been uncomfortable approaching the legends. I especially lamented not taking this course of action when my stable mate at the end of the row, Steve Fierro, ended up being a tremendously personable and approachable guy.
- While maybe not a Steve Davidowitz as far as fame goes, it was an absolute highlight to my day meeting the lovely and engaging Quinella Queen as well as her equally charming King, Kevin. A lot of great horse and life discussions prior to racing. I'm glad that they made the trip out to our little corner of heaven and I hope to reciprocate next time I'm through Iowa.
- The access to information in the press box is really invaluable. Handle stats, attendance numbers, how the day is moving along as it is viewed by track management was all great information to have. It's not that this information is proprietary, it's just getting it earlier than normal was great to relay to folks tuning in.
- The quality of the racing stock was stellar and this reflects directly on the trainers and their teams in the Crown races. Most of the men and women whose names appear on the training line of the program are not household names. They don't spend their days gearing up for yet another graded stakes race or dealing with the media. They train average racehorses and try and make a living in the toughest racing ranks out there: the every day claimers. And these horses looked fabulous! Many remarks were uttered throughout the racing plant on how good the horses looked and how well behaved they were in front of a large and loud crowd. Again this all speaks toward the high level of training prowess among the folks that work with these every day heroes and may never see the quality of racing stock of an Asmussen, Dutrow or Pletcher.
- Though our local jocks may not have won any of the Crown races, they did pretty well holding their own against the big boys. Within a few of the races there were moves from Derek Bell, Ry Eikelberry and others that had had a direct bearing on the outcome of the race and improved their own chances of finishing in the money. Still, watching Russell Baze, Julien Leparoux, Jamie Theriot and Robby Albarado was a privilege. Theriot's ride and his work down the stretch aboard Antrim County was a particular joy to behold and a racing highlight of the day.
- I was able to do far less color than I originally had hoped. While I was able to get some crowd reactions and a feel for the day early on, once the Crown races began it was tough to get downstairs and get some mingling done. I wish I could have done more of this with some photos as it was a great crowd and a little more color from them would have improved the look and feel of the notes on the day.
So was the day for yours truly a success? I guess there are a couple of ways I can measure what success is. I'll be tackling the picking winners part of success tomorrow when I review all the picks for the races I made, what bets I may have changed near post time and how that worked out.
I was a bit disappointed that Bernell Rhone couldn't get a winner with Couple Whiles, that Emerald Bay Stables (and friend Jack Holstrom) couldn't get a win with Pursue A Dream or Spider Power, that Ready's Rocket (and friend Gary Porter) couldn't cross the line first or that one of our local jockeys couldn't boot home a winner in the Crown. While these weren't necessarily unexpected events, I was still rooting for them.
As far as the live blogging went, my hope was that average traffic would increase by a multiple of four for the day. It ended up being six. Twenty five states were represented in the traffic numbers as well as literally a geographic spread sea to sea and border to border. Six countries were also represented. There were some nice e-mails from folks as well as some instant and continuous feedback via Twitter. Thanks goes out to fellow Internet denizens Green But Game, The Aspiring Horseplayer and Raceday360 for helping to get the word out. So while I consider the live blogging a success, I think I can do a bit better now that I have a feel for how to get around more and what I can add to jazz up the coverage.
Finally, my thanks to all of you that click in here from time to time and especially those of you that tried me out for the first time for the Claiming Crown. I hope you realized two things: this guy ain't half bad and; boy they really have a nice place there at Canterbury Park!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Claiming Crown 2009 - Wrap Up
The day dawned cloudy and there was the threat of rain early, but invading jockeys Russell Baze and Jamie Theriot brought quite a bit of sunshine to their connections by each capturing two races in the 11th edition of the Claiming Crown. Baze with prices that are unheard of when he is riding.
It’s fairly well known that early speed holds at Canterbury Park. That was certainly true in the $50,000 Iron Horse. The favorite, Calm and Collected, broke a bit slowly. While he moved into contention nicely, he trailed Bright Hall on the engine and that’s how they finished as Bright Hall pulled away in the stretch with Jamie Theriot taking full advantage of the speed going wire to wire. Calm and Collected held on for second while local horse Benson, beaten soundly by our own Fizzy Pop (in third) earlier in the meet, finished third.
Next up was the $100,000 Tiara. I can’t quite say that Mizzcan’tbewrong wired the field because she gave up the lead through the middle portion of the race, but she stormed back to take the race from favorite Love to Tell, prevailing by a neck under Robby Albarado over the turf course.
The first longer shot of the day finally prevailed in the Rapid Transit as You’re My Boy Blue closed steadily from the half mile point to rally past heavily favored Grand Traverse in the stretch. Hall of Fame jockey Russell Baze put his mark on this Claiming Crown by defying convention – the Canterbury early speed angle – and winning from off the pace. It appeared that during the card there was a bit too much emphasis put on early speed and folks tended to “overspeed” the races and the experience of guys like Baze, Theriot and Albarado took advantage by seemingly defying the “bias” to win.
In the Express, we had another closer under an out of town jockey claiming a victory. Julien Leparoux rated favorite Chasing the Prize well off the pace set by Stormin Sox, popped loose in mid stretch to win by ¾ of a length. Norjac, who put a head in front heading into the stretch, faltered but held on for second.
The tote board exploded in the Glass Slipper keyed from an unusual source, Thoroughbred racing’s all time winningest jockey Russell Baze. Margie Marie set suicidal fractions with a ludicrous :21.1 first quarter, probably reminiscent of her winning effort in a two furlong stake at Prairie Meadows last out. Closing steadily and then drawing off by three, Baze made it look easy at nearly 12-1. When was the last time you saw a Baze horse at 12-1?! Local rider Derek Bell had the best finish of any local based ride in the Crown with a second riding closer Thunder and Belle. Rounding out the trifecta was 70-1 Cassie D which triggered payoffs of $3,476 for the tri and $13,453 for the super. If someone told you that Russell Baze and Derek Bell would finish 1-2 in a race and key that kind of tri, would you have believed him?
The $100,000 Claiming Crown Emerald was billed as the most competitive race on the card and while it was a great race, it didn’t produce the boxcar payoffs that could have come with a 13 horse field. E.T. Baird rated tepid (7/2) favorite Gran Estreno in a perfect trip around the race course. He was never further back than third, keeping the speed in his sights and pulled away with confidence for the win. A couple of 6-1s in Hard Top and Stormy Surge rounded out the board with jockey’s Jeremy Rose and Baze continuing the dominance of shipping riders in the Crown races.
Sentimental choice Antrim County, who was named 2008 Claiming Horse of the Year earlier in the card, upset the field at 4-1 in the Claiming Crown Jewel under a stellar ride by Theriot, winning his second Crown race of the day. Theriot patiently stalked front runner Glamour Guy through fair fractions. As they hit the stretch, Antrim County opened up a 1 length lead but as the stretch wore on that was whittled away by Fancy Runner who appeared to actually take the lead for a brief moment before Antrim County prevailed by a neck. It was a very game performance by horse that, with that performance, became the first Claiming Crown horse to win two different events in the Crown after capturing the Iron Horse last year. He certainly earned his title and, quite possibly, earned himself the award for the second year in a row.
Though not a Claiming Crown race, the $100,000 Lady Canterbury Breeder’s Cup Stakes was also run today at Canterbury Park and featured stellar filly Euphony who was bet down as the even money favorite. While Fabulous Babe set solid fractions early, Happiness Is under Rosemary Homeister, Jr. tracked her up to the head of the stretch where she took the lead. Meanwhile, Euphony who was running toward the middle of the pack early, emerged with a strong challenge and closed steadily throughout but could not get close enough as Happiness Is won by a neck. Euphony still has not finished worst than 2nd in her career.
Attendance at Canterbury for the event was 11,324 (up 11% over last year's Crown attendance). After a brief shower early, the weather cooperated and improved steadily throughout the day. By the last race we were mostly sunny rather than mostly cloudy and the fans were treated to a great show, as usual, by Canterbury Park. All sources handle improved over last year’s event by 11% and in a time when flat is the new up; this was an excellent showing for a great event. The invaders dominated the Crown races with both Jamie Theriot and Russell Baze scoring two wins a piece and the others won by Baird, Leparoux and Albarado. Even the Lady Canterbury was won by outside Homeister Jr. Though the shippers may have dominated, Canterbury itself shined on America's "Blue Collar Breeder's Cup" day.
It’s fairly well known that early speed holds at Canterbury Park. That was certainly true in the $50,000 Iron Horse. The favorite, Calm and Collected, broke a bit slowly. While he moved into contention nicely, he trailed Bright Hall on the engine and that’s how they finished as Bright Hall pulled away in the stretch with Jamie Theriot taking full advantage of the speed going wire to wire. Calm and Collected held on for second while local horse Benson, beaten soundly by our own Fizzy Pop (in third) earlier in the meet, finished third.
Next up was the $100,000 Tiara. I can’t quite say that Mizzcan’tbewrong wired the field because she gave up the lead through the middle portion of the race, but she stormed back to take the race from favorite Love to Tell, prevailing by a neck under Robby Albarado over the turf course.
The first longer shot of the day finally prevailed in the Rapid Transit as You’re My Boy Blue closed steadily from the half mile point to rally past heavily favored Grand Traverse in the stretch. Hall of Fame jockey Russell Baze put his mark on this Claiming Crown by defying convention – the Canterbury early speed angle – and winning from off the pace. It appeared that during the card there was a bit too much emphasis put on early speed and folks tended to “overspeed” the races and the experience of guys like Baze, Theriot and Albarado took advantage by seemingly defying the “bias” to win.
In the Express, we had another closer under an out of town jockey claiming a victory. Julien Leparoux rated favorite Chasing the Prize well off the pace set by Stormin Sox, popped loose in mid stretch to win by ¾ of a length. Norjac, who put a head in front heading into the stretch, faltered but held on for second.
The tote board exploded in the Glass Slipper keyed from an unusual source, Thoroughbred racing’s all time winningest jockey Russell Baze. Margie Marie set suicidal fractions with a ludicrous :21.1 first quarter, probably reminiscent of her winning effort in a two furlong stake at Prairie Meadows last out. Closing steadily and then drawing off by three, Baze made it look easy at nearly 12-1. When was the last time you saw a Baze horse at 12-1?! Local rider Derek Bell had the best finish of any local based ride in the Crown with a second riding closer Thunder and Belle. Rounding out the trifecta was 70-1 Cassie D which triggered payoffs of $3,476 for the tri and $13,453 for the super. If someone told you that Russell Baze and Derek Bell would finish 1-2 in a race and key that kind of tri, would you have believed him?
The $100,000 Claiming Crown Emerald was billed as the most competitive race on the card and while it was a great race, it didn’t produce the boxcar payoffs that could have come with a 13 horse field. E.T. Baird rated tepid (7/2) favorite Gran Estreno in a perfect trip around the race course. He was never further back than third, keeping the speed in his sights and pulled away with confidence for the win. A couple of 6-1s in Hard Top and Stormy Surge rounded out the board with jockey’s Jeremy Rose and Baze continuing the dominance of shipping riders in the Crown races.
Sentimental choice Antrim County, who was named 2008 Claiming Horse of the Year earlier in the card, upset the field at 4-1 in the Claiming Crown Jewel under a stellar ride by Theriot, winning his second Crown race of the day. Theriot patiently stalked front runner Glamour Guy through fair fractions. As they hit the stretch, Antrim County opened up a 1 length lead but as the stretch wore on that was whittled away by Fancy Runner who appeared to actually take the lead for a brief moment before Antrim County prevailed by a neck. It was a very game performance by horse that, with that performance, became the first Claiming Crown horse to win two different events in the Crown after capturing the Iron Horse last year. He certainly earned his title and, quite possibly, earned himself the award for the second year in a row.
Though not a Claiming Crown race, the $100,000 Lady Canterbury Breeder’s Cup Stakes was also run today at Canterbury Park and featured stellar filly Euphony who was bet down as the even money favorite. While Fabulous Babe set solid fractions early, Happiness Is under Rosemary Homeister, Jr. tracked her up to the head of the stretch where she took the lead. Meanwhile, Euphony who was running toward the middle of the pack early, emerged with a strong challenge and closed steadily throughout but could not get close enough as Happiness Is won by a neck. Euphony still has not finished worst than 2nd in her career.
Attendance at Canterbury for the event was 11,324 (up 11% over last year's Crown attendance). After a brief shower early, the weather cooperated and improved steadily throughout the day. By the last race we were mostly sunny rather than mostly cloudy and the fans were treated to a great show, as usual, by Canterbury Park. All sources handle improved over last year’s event by 11% and in a time when flat is the new up; this was an excellent showing for a great event. The invaders dominated the Crown races with both Jamie Theriot and Russell Baze scoring two wins a piece and the others won by Baird, Leparoux and Albarado. Even the Lady Canterbury was won by outside Homeister Jr. Though the shippers may have dominated, Canterbury itself shined on America's "Blue Collar Breeder's Cup" day.
Antrim County Wins Emerald; First to Win Two Different Crown Races
Antrim County, the 2008 Claimer of the Year, became the first horse to win two different Claiming Crown races in the 11 year history of the Claiming Crown. Jamie Theriot urged Antrim County through the stretch holding off Jeremy Rose and Fancy Runner in a stirring stretch drive. Theriot joins Russell Baze nailing down his second Claiming Crown race of the day after capturing the Iron Horse earlier in the day with Bright Hall.
1. Antrim County
2. Fancy Runner
3. Glamour Guy
Official attendance figure: 11,324. Nice job and big congratulations to the folks at Canterbury Park.
1. Antrim County
2. Fancy Runner
3. Glamour Guy
Official attendance figure: 11,324. Nice job and big congratulations to the folks at Canterbury Park.
Jewel
Early action on the Jewel: heavy favorite early is Furthest Land with Antrim County the second choice. We're back to a really short field here and last year's Iron Horse champ Antrim County and stakes winner Furthest Land scaring the contenders away. It'll be interesting to see how Arce rides Repenting in this one. It's a long race (1 mile and 1/8), but he looks like he'll be the one on the engine when the gates open. Will he get seduced by "over speeding" the speed or give him an honest, but quick, pace?
Gran Estrano Takes Highly Competitive Emerald
In what may have been the most competitive race on the card, Gran Estrano under E.T. Baird takes the $100,000 Claiming Crown Emerald over Hard Top and Stormy Surge. Rated beautifully just behind frontrunners Divine Matter and Trying Brian, Gran Estrano picked them off in the stretch and surged off just ahead of Hard Top. A lukewarm favorite at 7/2 he ran like an even money winner to the wire.
1. Gran Estrano
2. Hard Top
3. Stormy Surge
1. Gran Estrano
2. Hard Top
3. Stormy Surge
Emerald
A huge field of 13 will take the turf in the Claiming Crown Emerald. Any number of horses can win this race and a lot of this is going to come down to racing luck with the size of this field. There is some early speed, there are confirmed closers and there could be some very good payoffs. I can see Pursue A Dream, Spider Power, Gran Estreno, T Harry and Drivingmaxandmitzi all winning this race.
Speed at Canterbury
It's been interesting to watch the races today. After the first few races showed early speed winning, it seems as if jocks have gone overboard in trying to get that early speed with the dramatic illustration in the last race when Perry Compton pushed Margie Marie through a :21.1 first quarter. Folks - early speed DOES hold up here. Crazy early speed does not.
Baze Wins Second Aboard Frisco Fox in Glass Slipper
Setting in motion boxcar payoffs, Russell Baze wins his second Claiming Crown race aboard 11-1 Frisco Fox. Margie Marie sprung the gate quickly and blistered fractions of :21.1 (yup, twenty one) and :44.2. She obviously couldn't keep those fractions up and Baze blew by here in early stretch and lengthened the lead all the way to the wire. Local closer Thunder and Belle was up for 2nd and 70-1 shot Cassie D keyed huge payoffs in the $1 trifecta and superfecta payoffs of $3,476 and $13,453, respectively. Baze has keyed some nice win payoffs today and it has been all the invaders all day today with the local jocks shut out of the winner's circle so far.
My choice and the favorite Met A Miner was slowed through the stretch and jogged across the finish. Obviously Josue Arce felt something underneath him he didn't like and erred on the side of caution.
My choice and the favorite Met A Miner was slowed through the stretch and jogged across the finish. Obviously Josue Arce felt something underneath him he didn't like and erred on the side of caution.
Glass Slipper
Heading into the Glass Slipper, the early money is split evenly between the 3 and 7: Gatorize and Met A Miner. Co-third choices early: Thunder and Belle and Miranda Diane. Lots of early speed could set this up well for Thunder and Belle if Met A Miner isn't as dominating as she appears.
Adjusted attendance guesses from the press box folks: right around 10,000. Still a very nice day. Hopefully this is translating into a nice handle on track and that folks around the country are betting into the pool.
Adjusted attendance guesses from the press box folks: right around 10,000. Still a very nice day. Hopefully this is translating into a nice handle on track and that folks around the country are betting into the pool.
Chasing the Prize Takes the $50,000 Claiming Crown Express
Julian Leparoux exhibiting exquisite timing rallies in deep stretch with favored Chasing the Prize to clip Norjac in the $50,000 Claiming Crown Express. As speed held up early, it's collapsing to a degree mid card here. Fractions in this one, however, were :21.4 and 45 flat set by Stormin Sox and really set up well for a closing horse. Chasing the Prize usually doesn't rally from that far back, but Leparoux, sensing the quick fractions, settled him back a bit further than usual and swept the tiring field late. Outstanding ride.
1. Chasing the Prize
2. Norjac
3. Who Let the Cat In
1. Chasing the Prize
2. Norjac
3. Who Let the Cat In
Express
Early money right now is on the 8 and 9: Ready's Rocket and Chasing the Prize, my top two choices. This is a pretty deep field though, and any one of several could win this one. This could be the race that we get a boxcars payoff. With ten going six, a lot can happen!
Attendance is oustanding with over 14,000 on hand here today. The weather is cooperating nicely as there is a preponderance of sun as opposed to earlier in the day when we had some dark overcast skies. Folks have seen a great show and are certainly treated to some oustanding performances included Albarado's ride on Mizzcan'tbewrong in the Tiara.
Attendance is oustanding with over 14,000 on hand here today. The weather is cooperating nicely as there is a preponderance of sun as opposed to earlier in the day when we had some dark overcast skies. Folks have seen a great show and are certainly treated to some oustanding performances included Albarado's ride on Mizzcan'tbewrong in the Tiara.
You're My Boy Blue Upsets Rapid Transit Field
Overtaking the speed, All Joking Aside, at the top of the stretch all time winningest jockey Russell Baze stirred You're My Boy Blue to an upset victory in the $75,000 Rapid Transit. Having an 0-fer 2009 meant absolutely nothing in the stretch as Blue rallied nicely on the outside and throws into question the possibility of a speed favoring track. Favored Grand Traverse (my choice) stalked the speed well, but could not hold off the charge of Blue late and had to settle for second. So far I have 2 seconds and a one win in the three CC races. Very chalky and while I'm doing OK in the press box pool, it's going to be tough to win with seconds.
1. You're My Boy Blue
2. Grand Traverse
3. Idaho Joe
1. You're My Boy Blue
2. Grand Traverse
3. Idaho Joe
Rapid Transit
The heavy favorite in this one is Grand Traverse. No real surprise here. He was a bit flat last out, but it was the first back after a brief layoff and looks to be the class of the field...if right. All Joking Aside will be on the engine in this one and given what speed has done over the main track so far today, the field could be in big trouble if Ferrer shakes loose with him.
What's been interesting is how well behaved all the horses thus far have been in the paddock. No one has been unruly yet and all have looked spectacular speaking well of the high quality of the trainers that can take their horses this far.
What's been interesting is how well behaved all the horses thus far have been in the paddock. No one has been unruly yet and all have looked spectacular speaking well of the high quality of the trainers that can take their horses this far.
Mizzcan'tbewrong Wins the Tiara in Record Time
Mizzcan'tbewrong takes the field wire to to wire to claim the Tiara. From entering the turn she was engaged heavily with Love to Tell and the two top choices battled it out down the wire with Mizzcan'tbewrong not yielding an inch. The race was run in 1:41.4 which sets a new Claiming Crown Tiara record.
The $75,000 Rapid Transit is on deck. The early money is on the 1 and 5: Grand Traverse and you're My Boy Blue.
Results:
1. Mizzacn'tbewrong
2. Love to Tell
3. Bartok's Bling
The $75,000 Rapid Transit is on deck. The early money is on the 1 and 5: Grand Traverse and you're My Boy Blue.
Results:
1. Mizzacn'tbewrong
2. Love to Tell
3. Bartok's Bling
Tiara
We're about 10 minutes to post for the Tiara. It looks like Ted is all about the chalk today as his choice Mizzcan'tbewrong looks to go postward as the favorite. Right now she's 8-5.
Bernell has a horse in this one, Couple Whiles. She doesn't appear to figure, but she's been training well and likes to come off the pace in a race with loads of early speed. We're on the grass, so closers figure to do pretty well. The four horse, Tour d'Aura, has received a lot of notice in the press box based upon her stellar looks coming into the race. She's calm, appears happy and confident and her coat absolutely glows.
Some late money is flowing into Love to Tell as she's been dropping steadily and is now within a couple hundred dollars of overtaking Mizzcan'tbewrong as the favorite.
Bernell has a horse in this one, Couple Whiles. She doesn't appear to figure, but she's been training well and likes to come off the pace in a race with loads of early speed. We're on the grass, so closers figure to do pretty well. The four horse, Tour d'Aura, has received a lot of notice in the press box based upon her stellar looks coming into the race. She's calm, appears happy and confident and her coat absolutely glows.
Some late money is flowing into Love to Tell as she's been dropping steadily and is now within a couple hundred dollars of overtaking Mizzcan'tbewrong as the favorite.
Bright Hall Wins the Iron Horse
Calm and Collected did not get to the front early as he broke a bit slowly. He did hustle into contention but tracked Bright Hall all the way - another indication that speed may just be holding up today. When they hit the stretch, Bright Hall had another gear and just pulled away to make it look easy.
The order of finish:
1. Bright Hall
2. Calm and Collected
3. Benson (a horse that Fizzy Pop beat by 5 1/4 earlier this summer)
A lot of speed in the Tiara - it'll be interesting to see who will hold.
The order of finish:
1. Bright Hall
2. Calm and Collected
3. Benson (a horse that Fizzy Pop beat by 5 1/4 earlier this summer)
A lot of speed in the Tiara - it'll be interesting to see who will hold.
The Iron Horse
We're gearing up for the Iron Horse in 5 minutes. The 9-5 favorite is Calm and Collected, my choice in this one followed very closely at 2-1 by Mr. Meso. So far everyone has behaved themselves.
The crowd has really swelled up nicely in the last hour with long lines at the windows and a large number of fans still streaming in as we get closer to the start of race 3. The crowd is a great mix of young and old and the playground is full with kids. Things are heating up a bit weather wise as the clouds are starting to show some weakness, but it is still a gorgeous day here in Shakopee.
One minute to post and only a few dollars - literally - seperate C&C and Mr. Meso. It'll be interesting to see what happens with the speed in here.
The crowd has really swelled up nicely in the last hour with long lines at the windows and a large number of fans still streaming in as we get closer to the start of race 3. The crowd is a great mix of young and old and the playground is full with kids. Things are heating up a bit weather wise as the clouds are starting to show some weakness, but it is still a gorgeous day here in Shakopee.
One minute to post and only a few dollars - literally - seperate C&C and Mr. Meso. It'll be interesting to see what happens with the speed in here.
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