HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Aztec Sense entered Saturday’s $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel with seven straight relatively easy victories on his résumé. But the former $12,500 claimer had to reach down deep before extending the streak to eight with a hard-fought neck decision over the rail-skimming Rich Daddy in the richest of the nine Claiming Crown races decided on opening day of the 2018-19 Gulfstream Park Championship meet. Aztec Sense’s well-deserved victory in the 1 1/8-mile Jewel gave trainer Jorge Navarro his third Claiming Crown winner on the card and second in a row in the Jewel.  Navarro won the race a year ago with Flowers for Lisa.  Earlier in the day, Navarro sent out longshots Misschief Maas ($30.20) to win the Claiming Crown Glass Slipper and Salsa’s Return ($35.60) to upset the Iron Horse. In the Jewel, Aztec Sense raced forwardly placed but appeared in big trouble when he was sharply roused by jockey Emisael Jaramillo and failed to respond readily on the final turn.  But the 5-year-old son of Street Sense got a second wind once settling into the stretch, rallying down the center of the track to outfinish Rich Daddy.  The latter, outrun early, advanced steadily along the inside to join for command inside the furlong marker although he could not quite match strides with the favorite near the end.  It was another 5 3/4 lengths farther back to Aztec Sense’s stablemate Zulu, who rallied belatedly to be third. “It’s always in the back of your mind, when a horse is on a winning streak like [Aztec Sense] was, that the day is finally going to come when he’s going to lose a race,” said Navarro. “And at the quarter pole, I thought he was all in, that he was in trouble. But he just dug in and got it done. I told my wife before the races if we could win three today it would be an amazing day. And it was.” Owned by Joseph Besecker, Aztec Sense completed the distance in 1:52.75 over a fast but cuppy tracetrack and paid $5. Jockey Chris Landeros was the star of the opening day undercard, winning three races including the Glass Slipper for Navarro with Misschief Maas and the Claiming Crown Canterbury aboard Rocket Heat ($14).  Landeros, who rode here last winter with minimal success, also took the first race on the card with the stretch-running maiden breaker Polar Kitten for trainer Ian Wilkes. “It’s special because it’s so tough here,” said Landeros. “You’ve got to come here prepared mentally and be ready. To get three wins right off the bat, especially Claiming Crown day, means a little more. I’m looking forward to the meet and I’m very excited.” Uno Mas Modelo ($3.80) turned in the most courageous performance in the first of the nine Claiming Crown races on the afternoon, winning the Rapid Transit despite walking out of the gate far behind the field and racing very wide into the stretch. Uno Mas Modelo closed resolutely down the center of the course to catch the pace-setting Magnifier to register a neck decision under jockey Albin Jimenz for trainer Anthony Quartarolo and Loooch Racing. Uno Mas Modelo was one of two winners on the afternoon for Jimenez, who also guided Salsa’s Return ($35.60) to his three-quarter-length triumph over fellow longshot Donji in the Iron Horse   Other Claiming Crown winners included Appealing Future (7.80) in the Express; Oxford Comma ($4.80) in the Distaff Dash; Peru ($7.60), from far back in the Tiara; and longshot Uncle B ($74.60) in the Emerald. Peru is owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trained by Mike Maker, giving the team their record-setting 16th and 17th victories, respectively, in the  history of the Claiming Crown. Saturday’s handle of more than $13.6 million was a 14 percent increase over the $11.9 million wagered over the same 11 races on opening day last year.