Chasing the Crown went to the sidelines in January on a high note. He returned Sunday from a long break still singing the same song.
A closing third in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf on Jan. 25, a career-best showing, Chasing the Crown won the $500,000 Tight Spot Overnight Handicap at Kentucky Downs by a diminishing half-length over Lambeth.
The performance was more impressive than the bare margin of victory. Racing for the first time in seven months, Chasing the Crown figured to get at least a little tired, and Lambeth’s gain came more than a quarter-mile after Chasing the Crown had made a very sharp move to go from fifth to first in less than a furlong.
Seventh of 12 in the early stages of this one-mile contest, Chasing the Crown rated kindly for jockey Tyler Gaffalione while holding his position around the expansive Kentucky Downs far turn. Past the five-sixteenths, Gaffalione gave Chasing the Crown his cue and got an immediate response, his mount jumping on the leaders and hitting the front before the stretch call. Lambeth had followed Chasing the Crown into the homestretch and was outfooted when the winner made his move, but stayed on and closed with interest finishing a full four lengths clear of third-place Mountain Bear, narrowly favored over Chasing the Crown.
Chasing the Crown carried top weight of 121 pounds, giving four pounds to the runner-up. He paid $8.28 to win and clocked 1:32.20 on a timing system that has been shaky this meet.
Mike Maker trains Chasing the Crown for Paradise Farms Corp and David Staudacher. Chasing the Crown, by Skipshot out of La Belle Marquet, by Marquetry, was bred in Kentucky by Mikhail Yanakov. He became a solid stakes performer during summer 2024, finishing second in the Grade 2 Wise Dan to the talented Ottoman Fleet.
Maker brought him back from a layoff approaching three months in the Pegasus and Chasing the Crown ran lights out at odds of 67-1. It took more than half a year to get Chasing the Crown back to the races. He looked as good as ever Sunday at Kentucky Downs.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.