Even at age 9, Backsideofthemoon worth the money at the claim box

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Owner Charles Hallas seems to have an affinity for Backsideofthemoon. So much so, that he has spent $162,500 on the gelding in the last 15 months.

On Monday, Hallas and trainer Bob Klesaris took Backsideofthemoon, now 9 years old, for $62,500 off owner Mike Repole and trainer Rudy Rodriguez. In November 2019, Hallas and Klesaris took Backsideofthemoon for $100,000, also from Rodriguez, who has claimed the gelding twice for two different owners for a total of $125,000.

“The owner just likes him – he’s a cool old horse,” Klesaris said. “For a 9-year-old, he’s still got it. For a claiming price you got to beat him.”

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Three starts back, for Rodriguez, Backsideofthemoon won the $100,000 Queens County Stakes, earning a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure. He was unable to duplicate that effort in the Jazil Stakes, finishing a well-beaten fourth in a five-horse field.

Monday, Backsideofthemoon ran a respectable third behind Limonite in a race that came back fast.

Backsideofthemoon went winless in six races over 10 months when Klesaris and Hallas had him the first time. He did place in a couple of stakes and earned $68,388.

“He should have won the first time we ran him and the last time,” Klesaris said. “The first time a horse stumbled and got loose and he was 18 out of it and got beat two lengths. The last time, Empty Tom came on him and he had to steady sharply. If that hadn’t have happened, he might have won.”

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Klesaris said he plans to keep Backsideofthemoon at that $62,500 claiming level.

Backsideofthemoon is part of Klesaris’s 15-horse stable, which has been going well of late. From Jan. 24-30, Klesaris won three races at Aqueduct, including a second-level New York-bred allowance with Seven Lilies, whom he claimed for $25,000 on Dec. 19.

For the meet, Klesaris is 4 for 20.