Indian Gulch going back to trainer Tom Van Berg’s barn at Churchill Downs. Photo by Gwen Davis/Davis Innovation
The 119 horses in the entries for Saturday’s eight Claiming Crown races at Churchill Downs might have been inexpensive at some stage of their career. But that doesn’t mean they’re not valuable.
“This day of racing has become a remarkable event in the horse-racing industry as it celebrates the hardworking and often unsung heroes of the sport,” said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association (NHBPA) which created the Claiming Crown in 1999 with the Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders’ Association (TOBA). “Claiming-level horses and their connections represent the heart and resilience of the horse-racing industry and are exactly what our industry demands. These amazing horses consistently fill race cards, bring energy and excitement to the sport year-round, are sound and race on a regular schedule for their owners.”
The Claiming Crown is at Churchill Downs for the second time in three years. The series has eight races for various divisions, all under starter-allowance conditions, meaning horses must have competed for a certain claiming level or cheaper within a given range of time.
Saturday’s card — which starts off with three races before the Claiming Crown is staged on races 4-11 — will be one of the fall’s best betting days. Seven races drew overflow fields beyond the capacity 12 horses that can start; the exception has 11 entries. A total of 24 horses are on “also-eligible” lists, awaiting scratches to run. An additional 16 horses were entered but didn’t even make the also-eligible list.
“The Claiming Crown is proud to be back at one of the most iconic venues in sports,” Hamelback said. “This prestigious setting brings national attention to the horses and horsemen who often go underappreciated by allowing them to compete on one of the industry’s biggest stages. Participation in the Claiming Crown and boosting visibility of claiming races validates the depth of talent we see in horse racing.
“Every horse, regardless of its racing level, plays a vital role in our industry.”
Staged with the support of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky HBPA, the 2024 Claiming Crown purses range from $100,000 to $200,000 for the Jewel at 1 1/8 miles. Additional money is available for Kentucky-breds from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.
“It’s kind of neat that the blue-collar horses get a shot to shine on their day,” said Carl O’Callaghan, who brought Island View Farm’s East Coast Girl from Penn National for the $100,000 Ready’s Rocket Express at six furlongs for horses who at some point ran for a claiming price of $8,000 or less. “This weekend we get to showcase them. They all got heart and they all try, and he’s certainly one of them. If you look at the racing form, all these $5,000, $8,000 horses, they all got good — real good… There are some monsters in there.”
You want durability? The Parx-based Mike Pino-trained 6-year-old mare Ambitiously Placed will make her 56th career start while going for her fifth straight win in the $100,000 Glass Slipper, a starter $12,500 at a mile for fillies and mares. If there are two scratches, Gins and Tins will make his 64th start in the $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial (a starter $25,000) at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf.
“Honestly, these horses exude the soundness that many assert is no longer found in the breed,” Hamelback said. “What other card will you find six horses on the program with 50-plus starts, and likely double that number with 40-plus starts? The horses embody the hard work and dedication that horseplayers and racing fans appreciate.”
Locally-based Tom Van Berg, who won his first and second Claiming Crown races in 2022 when the event was in Louisville for the first time, has one of them. Among the four horses he entered is Grit to Glory Racing’s 9-year-old Indian Gulch, who is seeking his 18th career win in his 57th start. Indian Gulch sold for $11,000 as a 3-year-old but since has earned the vast majority of his lifetime bankroll of $358,539.
“It’s going to be great wagering, a lot of people coming through the gates. Horses are coming from all over the country for it,” Van Berg said of Saturday. “It’s never going to be the volume of Breeders’ Cup, but it’s like a full day of Breeders’ Cup undercard races that everybody around the country is going to watch, is going to wager on. And everybody in the country can participate in some regard.”
Van Berg said the beauty of the Claiming Crown is that it is a realistic goal for your average owner and trainer.
“The Breeders’ Cup, to me, is inaccessible to a lot of stables,” he said. “We just don’t have the financial backing, the bloodstock. You’re dealing with a lot of barns that have 100, 150, 200 horses. Claiming Crown makes it accessible to the mid-level barns, the smaller stables. It gives smaller owners a big chance on a big day, to have the Breeders’ Cup experience but for the working class, blue collars, so to speak.”
Joe Sharp, whose four Claiming Crown entrants include Jordan Wycoff’s 2023 Jewel winner Money Supply, said it’s not just the horses that should be heralded Saturday.
“A lot of these owners are on the smaller side of things,” he said. “It’s a big day for them and they should be celebrated for their commitment year-in and year-out. They’re spending the same amount, maybe not in the purchase price but in the daily care of your ‘Saturday’ horses. It’s really nice to be able to make what basically is a stakes day for these claiming horses and reward everybody for their support.”
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