Saturday is Claiming Crown Day at Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park will be headlining some of the top claimers in the country on Saturday as the track will play host to the Claiming Crown. Claiming Crown is a gathering of the top claimers in North America who will compete in a series of starter allowance events with the feature being the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel. Bernie The Maestro will go for Ken and Sarah Ramsey who always have a lot of horses in the Claiming Crown. Bernie The Maestro has won two straight including a nice score in the Schaefer Memorial at Indiana Downs last time out. His biggest challenger on Saturday in the Crown Jewel could be right to his outside in the form of Voodoo Storm. Voodoo Storm really woke up since being claimed for $25,000 by trainer Tim Glyshaw three starts back. He dominated an allowance event at Mountaineer two starts back and won the $100,000 Mountaineer Mile by almost eight lengths in his last start.
The Claiming Crown Emerald is the premier grass event on the card and featues Modern Marvel, a horse who comes into the race with six straight wins. Like many of the top horses on Claiming Crown day, Modern Marvel has done a ton of his best work in starter allowance races throughout the year. But he did step up and try the $100,000 Unbridled Stakes at Louisiana Downs two starts back where he won by a neck. He’s 2 for 4 at Gulfstream on the grass to so he definitely likes the course. Plainview looks like the speed of the speed and he’s coming off a pair of second place finishes in stakes events in New York, including the Grade 3 Knickerbocker Stakes.
The Claiming Crown Express is for the sprinters at six furlongs and features some stakes quality runners. Ribo Bibo drew the inside and was most recently second behind the great Ben’s Cat in the Fabulous Strike Handicap at Penn National. Before that he won the Maryland Millions Sprint. JB’s Unc could be an interesting up and comer and drew the far outside in the Express. He’s won four straight against mostly starter allowance company, but the last one was against open allowance runners.
The Claiming Crown also includes the Iron Lady for older fillies and mares routing and the Glass Slipper for fillies and mare sprinters. The Rapid Transit is for seven furlong runners while the Tiara is for the older fillies and mares on the grass.
BetPTC.com Selections for the Claiming Crown Jewel
- Voodoo Storm
- Bernie The Maestro
- Flatter This
Longshot: Isutalkintome
BetPTC.com Selections for the Claiming Crown Emerald
- Plainview
- Major Marvel
- Best Actor
Longshot: Grip Hands
BetPTC.com Selections for the Claiming Crown Iron Horse
- Deputiformer
- Whatthecatdrugin
- Francois
Longshot: Red Hills
BetPTC.com Selections for the Claiming Crown Tiara
- Deanaallen’skitten
- Brandy’s Secret
- Marataya’s Tune
Longshot: Raro
BetPTC.com Selections for the Claiming Crown Rapid Transit
- Mel Beach
- Loveyouallthetime
- Kingsford Drive
Longshot: Grande Shores
BetPTC.com Selections for the Claiming Crown Express
- Ribo Bobo
- JB’s Unc
- Never Stop Looking
Longshot: Chelsea Brook
BetPTC.com Selections for the Claiming Crown Glass Slipper
- Admitit
- Centrique
- One Last Frog
Longshot: First Acquittal
BetPTC.com Selections for the Claiming Crown Iron Lady Stakes
- Winiliscious
- Action Lady
- Daddy’s Jewel
Longshot: Princess Malia
Tampa Bay Downs winter/spring meet is underway
Tampa Bay Downs is always a favorite among horseplayers, with the big fields, big pools, and competitive racing. The Florida track opened up on Wednesday and will race all winter and deep into the spring. First post each day will be at 12:25pm EST and racing will be run primarily on a Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday schedule, with Thursdays added in the mix for the month of February. Headlining the season of course will again be the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday March 8th.
The opening weekend will feature a stakes double on Saturday, with the $100,000 Inaugural Stakes and the $100,000 Sandpiper stakes being conducted for the two year olds. The Sandpiper Stakes is race 6 for the two year old fillies and features multiple stakes winner Secret Kitten. Secret Kitten breezed through her first three races before suffering a loss last time out in the Juvenile Filly Sprint. She’ll be tested by Enquete who has won two huge wins to start her career. The Inaugural Stakes is for two year olds and features lots of lightly raced and talented juveniles. Cool Cowboy has two huge wins so far in his four race career and the last one was his first try on dirt. Callmeoldfashion just has one career start, but it was a big win at Woodbine, which is a very tough circuit.
BetPTC.com Selections for the Sandpiper
- Enquete
- Secret Kitten
- My Sweet Dove
Longshot: Golden Friendship
BetPTC.com Selections for the Inaugural
- Callmeoldfashion
- Cool Cowboy
- Exquisite Monarch
Longshot: Early Entry
Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet headlines stakes double at Betfair Hollywood Park
Rosalind is coming off a great third place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last time out and will look to get that Grade 1 win on Saturday, this time in the Hollywood Starlet. Rosalind came roaring from far back and just missed catching She’s A Tiger and Ria Antonia in the Breeders’ Cup and she’ll try to bring her deep closing game to Hollywood Park. Usually speed isn’t difficult to find in two year old races, however there isn’t a ton of early gas in this event. Taste Like Candy might show speed as she’s just a maiden winner but that was at five and one half furlongs. She’ll have to stretch out in just her second start which is never easy. Bajan has turned in a couple stakes wins in a row, both at seven furlongs. She’ll be making her first start at two turns, however with five races under her belt, she has plenty of seasoning. Untapable is the big question mark as she was bet very hard in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and had a brutal trip, falling far back and then having to check to avoid a fallen rival. If she runs back to her Grade 2 Pocahontas Stakes win from two starts back, she’ll be tough.
The Bayakoa Stakes is a Grade 2 event that features Grade 2 winner Fiftyshadesofhay. Fiftyshadesofhay won the Black-Eyed Susan earlier this year as well as the Iowa Oaks. She’s been taking on some of the top fillies in recent starts so she should appreciate what looks like a little bit of class relief. Warren’s Veneda is a perfect 2 for 2 at Hollywood Park and just won the Cats in the Cradle Stakes last time out.
BetPTC.com Selections for the Hollywood Starlet
- Untapable
- Bajan
- Rosalind
Longshot: Arethusa
BetPTC.com Selections for the Bayakoa
- Fiftyshadesofhay
- Warren’s Veneda
- Curvy Cat
Longshot: Charm the Maker
Saturday Stakes Action at BetPTC.com
Betfair Hollywood Park
Race 6 Hollywood Starlet Stakes 6:04pm EST
Race 8 Bayakoa Handicap 7:05pm EST
Calder
Race 6 Tropical Turf Handicap 3:00pm EST
Race 7 Fred Hooper Handicap 3:30pm EST
Race 8 My Charmer Handicap 4:00pm EST
Fair Grounds
Race 1 Kudzu Juvenile Stakes 2:00pm EST
Race 3 Magic City Classic Stakes 2:57pm EST
Golden Gate Fields
Race 3 Gold Rush Stakes 4:45pm EST
Gulfstream Park
Race 3 Iron Lady Stakes 1:38pm EST
Race 4 Claiming Crown Glass Slipper 2:07pm EST
Race 5 Claiming Crown Express 2:36pm EST
Race 6 Rapid Transit Stakes 3:05pm EST
Race 7 Tiara Stakes 3:34pm EST
Race 8 Claiming Crown Iron Horse 4:02pm EST
Race 9 Claiming Crown Emerald 4:33pm EST
Race 10 Claiming Crown Jewel 5:03pm EST
Hawthorne
Race 7 Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante 5:14pm EST
Laurel Park
Race 4 Gin Talking Stakes 1:59pm EST
Race 7 Broad Brush Stakes 3:25pm EST
Race 8 Marylander Stakes 3:55pm EST
Sunland Park
Race 6 Jess Burner Handicap 4:20pm EST
Race 10 KLAQ Handicap 6:03pm EST
Tampa Bay
Race 6 Sandpiper Stakes 2:53pm EST
Race 8 Inaugural Stakes 3:51pm EST
Turf Paradise
Race 4 Caballo Del Sol 4:25pm EST
Woodbine
Race 8 Kingarvie Stakes 4:25pm EST