On a day of close finishes and upsets, the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel, the richest race on Saturday’s program at Churchill Downs, offered up its fair share of the drama. Laughing Boy emerged with the victory by disqualification, as Surface to Air, who edged him by a half-length at the wire, was demoted to fourth for interference.
Laughing Boy is one of eight blue-collar horses getting their names in the record book for this year’s Claiming Crown as Churchill Downs hosted the showcase for the second time in three years, along with Concrete Glory, Echo Lane, Ghostly Gal, Jubilant Joanie, King of Hollywood, Like a Saltshaker, and Voodoo Zip.
The Claiming Crown, which was created in 1999 by the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association along with the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, offered $1.1 million across those eight races with starter-allowance conditions, meaning horses must have competed for a certain claiming level or cheaper within a given range of time.
In the Jewel, for 3-year-olds and up who had started for a claiming price of $35,000 or less in 2023 or 2024, Laughing Boy set the pace under Samuel Camacho Jr., but was confronted at the top of the stretch by Surface to Air, who had closed from fifth on the turn. Surface to Air was edging his way by Laughing Boy, with Welaka another half-length back in third, when he lugged in at the eighth pole; Welaka got the worst of it as he steadied.
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At the line, Surface to Air was ahead of Laughing Boy by a half-length. Hurry Hurry, last of nine on the turn, rallied to be third, just a neck behind Laughing Boy; it was another 1 1/2 lengths to Welaka in third. Following a stewards’ inquiry and an objection, Surface to Air was demoted to behind Welaka.
The time for the 1 1/16 miles on the fast main track was 1:50.47.
Laughing Boy ($23.02), who has been trained by David Jacobson since summer 2023 and is co-owned by the trainer with Lawrence Roman, is a 6-year-old son of Distorted Humor. He pushed his career earnings past half a million, to $500,738, with Saturday’s effort. His career record now stands at 33-5-4-5 with his second big win of 2024 via disqualification; he was promoted to the win in the Excelsior in New York earlier this year, on the demotion of Messier.
“Sometimes in racing, it’s good to have some luck on your side,” Jacobson said.
After the Excelsior, Laughing Boy was eighth in the Grade 3 Ben Ali at Keeneland, and got class relief in this first start since April.
“This race wasn’t originally on our plans, but I saw he was eligible for it,” Jacobson said. “I wasn’t quite sure if I’d have him ready to go a mile and an eighth. He ran a great race.”
Earlier on the card, Ghostly Gal ($10.30) ran down multiple stakes winner Dana’s Beauty, one of the heaviest favorites of the day, to win the $150,000 Claiming Crown Tiara, for fillies and mares on the turf.
Dana’s Beauty led by 1 1/2 lengths in midstretch, but third choice Ghostly Gal, who had been making up ground behind her on the turn under Vincent Cheminaud, was up by a head at the wire. They finished the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.73.
Ghostly Gal, a 6-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper, has now won three straight races, in three different states – Virginia, Indiana, and her home Kentucky – for Wayne Catalano, since he moved her to middle distances on the turf for Tommy Town Thoroughbreds. The mare sports a career mark of 15-6-2-3 and earnings of $230,470.
“I’m very blessed to train nice mares like this one,” Catalano said. “She was impressive winning last time and thought she’d be very live today and ran to our expectations.”
In other races on the program:
King of Hollywood ($30.14) set the pace after breaking from the rail under Jorge Gonzalez, and lasted by a neck in the $100,000 Claiming Crown Kent Stirling Memorial. He finished 1 1/16 miles on dirt in 1:44.29
King of Hollywood is a Kentucky-bred 5-year-old Palace Malice gelding, trained by Daniel Siculietano for Estela Garcia. He has now won three straight races – two at Delaware Park before coming to Churchill – and now owns a career mark of 39-12-3-5 with earnings of $302,353.
Concrete Glory ($4.46) was one of just two favorites to prevail, leading throughout the $100,000 Claiming Crown Ready’s Rocket Express. The gelding drew off by 7 1/2 lengths under Luis Saez, finishing the six furlongs on dirt in 1:09.30.
Concrete Glory, a 5-year-old Pennsylvania-bred by Bodemeister, has been in the barn of Saffie Joseph Jr. for Big Frank Stable since they claimed him for $6,250 nearly two years ago. He has blossomed in 2024, with four wins, a second, and a third from six starts. Overall, his mark stands at 33-14-5-2 with a bankroll of $317,524.
Jubilant Joanie ($5.74) made it back-to-back wins for favorites as she rallied for a neck win in the $100,000 Claiming Crown Glass Slipper, for fillies and mares going a mile on dirt. Under Reylu Gutierrez, she finished in 1:37.94.
Jubilant Joanie shipped to Kentucky, the state of her birth, from California after changing hands multiple times this year. She went to Steve Sherman for $8,000 out of a win in August at Del Mar, then in her next start, was claimed by $20,000 by Jeff Mullins out of a win; the trainer now co-owns the 4-year-old Unified filly with Darren Carraway and Denise De Quevedo. After finishing second in an allowance-optional claiming race at Santa Anita in her first outing for the barn, her win on Saturday made her career mark 13-6-2-1 for earnings of $177,555.
Voodoo Zip ($69.52) pulled off the biggest upset of the day, driving to a 1 1/4-length victory in the $150,000 Claiming Crown Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial, a turf sprint. He ran the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.24 with Francisco Arrieta in the irons for owner-trainer Juan Cano.
Voodoo Zip, a 7-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by City Zip, was second in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes in fall 2022. Although he has not competed at that level recently, he was still essentially dropping in class, as he most recently was third in a stakes-quality allowance-level event at Indiana. He is inching closer to the half-million mark, with $492,200 in earnings after Saturday’s race; he has a career record of 34-6-7-7.
The $125,000 Claiming Crown Rapid Transit Starter went to Like a Saltshaker ($28.64) by a head. Brittany Vanden Berg trains the 6-year-old gelding for Marsico Brothers Racing, and Christopher Emigh was aboard as they finished the seven furlongs in 1:23.52.
Like a Saltshaker, a Pennsylvania-bred by Peace and Justice, was a stakes winner in his home state as a juvenile, winning the 2020 Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial Juvenile Stakes. The hard-knocking gelding has a mark of 38-17-8-0 and earnings of $561,336.
Echo Lane ($27.04) edged favored Sugoi by a half-length in the $150,000 Claiming Crown Emerald, giving Saez his second win. This time, he rode for trainer Rohan Critchton and owner Anthony Rogers. The team finished 1 1/16 miles on turf in 1:41.09.
Echo Lane, a 3-year-old Florida-bred by Treasure Beach, was a $25,000 claim last year, and has made a number of starts in stakes company this year, interspersed with three allowance-level wins. Most recently before the Claiming Crown the colt was a creditable fourth in the Grade 3 Virginia Derby. He now owns a career record of 16-4-2-3 with earnings of $177,767.
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