Claiming Crown adds turf sprint for fillies and mares

This year’s Claiming Crown event will be contested on Dec. 5 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla., and include nine races instead of eight, the organizers of the event have announced.

The new race will be a five-furlong turf race for fillies and mares offering a purse of $110,000. The richest race on the program remains the $200,000 Jewel for older horses.

This will be the fourth year in a row that the Claiming Crown will be held at Gulfstream. The event, which is a joint venture between the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, includes a series of starter handicaps with total purses of $1.1 million that are open to horses that have started for a variety of claiming prices over the preceding 12 months.