Racing Roundtable: Claiming Crown takeaways from Churchill Downs

This week, the Racing Roundtable explores the results of the 26th Claiming Crown at Churchill Downs as well as what else caught their eye from the weekend. Kentucky Racing Communications representative Kevin Kerstein fills in for Vance Hanson in our on-camera portion of the Roundtable.

What were your main takeaways from the Claiming Crown?

James Scully: Concrete Glory won the Ready’s Rocket Express convincingly and Voodoo Zip rallied to upset the Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial going away, but the remaining six Claiming Crown events featured close finishes.

Along with the excitement factor, the eight-race series proved challenging for handicappers. King of Hollywood held at 14-1 by a neck over 8-5 favorite Freedom Road in the first Claiming Crown race, the Kent Stirling Memorial. The biggest favorite on the day, odds-on Dana’s Beauty, missed by a head to Ghostly Gal in the following race, the Tiara. 

Like a Saltshaker won the Rapid Transit at 13-1, Echo Lane held off odds-on Sugoi at 12-1 in the Emerald, and Laughing Boy captured the Jewel via disqualification at 10-1. And Voodoo’s Zip 33-1 shocker helped guarantee carryovers for the Derby City 6 and Late Pick 5 at Churchill Downs.

Ashley Anderson: Luis Saez continued his domination at Churchill Downs with four wins on Saturday's card, including the finale on Claiming Crown day. The two-time Belmont S. (G1) winner, who got his second Belmont victory aboard Dornoch in June, is currently the leading rider at Churchill Downs for the fall meet, with 25 wins, nine more than Tyler Gaffalione in second. Saez owned just a one-win lead at Churchill heading into the weekend, but he recorded four victories on Saturday and another four on Sunday. He's named to ride on #1 Imonra in the Chilukki (G3) and #3 Dashman in the Commonwealth Turf (G3) on Saturday. He also had the mount on the two most recent starts for Godolphin homebred Good Cheer, who is nominated to the Golden Rod (G2), a Kentucky Oaks (G1) prep, and already earned points toward the Oaks leaderboard with her win in the Rags to Riches last out.

Which Claiming Crown upset was the most or least surprising to you?

JS: Laughing Boy generated the top winning Brisnet Speed rating in the Claiming Crown, netting a 98 figure after finishing a half-length behind Surface to Air. He was elevated to first when Surface to Air lugged in deep stretch, cutting off Welaka, who was forced to steady and eventually finished fourth.

Welaka chased pacesetting Laughing Boy in second from the break and didn’t appear to be making headway when forced to steady; an argument can be made that he would have finished fourth regardless. But he was in position to challenge for a minor placing and the trouble eliminated any chance. It was a tough beat for Surface to Air, who wins if he runs straight and wound up being placed fourth, and Laughing Boy was the lucky beneficiary. 

AA: Only one post-time favorite crossed the wire first during the Late Pick 5 sequence at Churchill on Saturday. Jubilant Joanie, who was sent off at odds of 1.87-1, was a logical choice after some of her top contenders scratched in Race 7, but the remaining four races led to some big payouts with longer shots prevailing in the Claiming Crown. Juan Cano trainee Voodoo Zip was the biggest surprise for me. The City Zip gelding rode a six-loss streak ahead of the Claiming Crown and was stretching out slightly in distance after rallying to finish third in a five-furlong allowance optional claimer. The 33-1 longshot succeeded by 1 1/4 lengths over 10 rivals and paid $69.52 on a $2 win bet. 

One winner who did not shock me was Like a Saltshaker, but I was surprised by his post-time odds. The six-year-old gelding extended his win streak to two after beating eight rivals two starts back in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance at Keeneland. The Brittany Vanden Berg runner was listed at 4-1 on the morning line but with also-eligible Critical Threat drawing in, the public preferred the Robert Falcone Jr. trainee, sending the price up on Like a Saltshaker. Vanden Berg's husband Chris Emigh had the mount on Like a Saltshaker for the second straight start and guided him to a head victory over 16-1 longshot Keen Cat. Like a Saltshaker improved his season record to 10-5-1-0 and earned his fourth win at Churchill.

What else caught your eye from the weekend?

JS: Gun Runner was responsible for a pair of nice two-year-old winners over the weekend, Guns Loaded and Bullard.

Runner-up after a stumbling start in his debut, Guns Loaded impressively graduated the second time out on Saturday, sprinting to a clear early lead from the gate and rolling to a 2 3/4-length decision over six furlongs at Churchill. The Jose Delgado-trained colt registered an excellent 98 Brisnet Speed rating after stopping the teletimer in 1:09.90, and Guns Loaded is bred to relish longer distances.

Bullard utilized opposite tactics in the seven-furlong Bob Hope (G3) at Del Mar Sunday, rallying last to first to win by nearly five widening lengths over a short but salty group of four rivals. A fast-closing debut winner in early September, Bullard improved to 2-for-2 for Michael McCarthy. The dark bay colt is a half-brother to multiple sprint stakes winner Mundaye Call and his dam is a sibling to a pair of sprint stakes winners, but Bullard counts Blush With Pride as his third maternal dam. Her daughter Better Than Honour produced Belmont (G1) winners Rags to Riches and Jazil.

Both will get the opportunity to stretch out to two-turn distances. Gun Runner is the sire of Sierra Leone, this year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner, and 2022 Preakness (G1) hero Early Voting hails from his first crop, but don’t underestimate his versatility as a sprint influence. From his first three crops, the 10-year-old stallion has produced Grade 1-winning sprinters Echo Zulu, Gunite, Gun Pilot, Society, and Vahva.

AA: The upset winner of the 2023 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1), Nobals returned to the winner's circle on Saturday with a win in the Kennedy Road (G2) on Woodbine's all-weather track. The Noble Mission gelding was previously winless this season after finishing fourth in his first start of 2024 in an allowance optional claimer on Saratoga's turf in July. He then came home fourth again in the Turf Sprint (G2) at Kentucky Downs and fifth in the Woodford (G2) at Keeneland. For his fourth start of the year, trainer Larry Rivelli opted to send Nobals back to the Tapeta, a surface on which he began his career and earned his first stakes win. 

On Saturday, Nobals recorded a season-best 100 Brisnet Speed figure and beat this year's potential Canadian champion sprinter Patches O'Houlihan by three-quarters of a length.