Leitone, Muggsamatic cap big day at Claiming Crown for Servis

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Six months after being haltered for $12,500 out of a winning effort at Belmont Park, Leitone won the grand prize on Saturday’s rich Claiming Crown program at Gulfstream Park after drawing away to an easy and popular victory in the afternoon’s main event, the $200,000 Jewel. The win was the second of three Claiming Crown victories on the day for trainer Jason Servis.

Servis and owner Ara Aprahamian had to win a seven-way shake to acquire Leitone following the Chilean-bred’s 13 3/4-length victory on June 16 at Belmont Park. Leitone, a two-time Group 1 winner in Chile prior to being purchased privately and sent to the U.S. during the summer of 2018, had won a pair of $50,000 claiming races in wire-to-wire fashion for his new connections leading up to the Jewel.

With regular rider Jose Lezcano aboard, Leitone broke alertly before easing off the early pace of Create Again. Leitone moved readily to overtake the leader on the final turn, edged clear, then increased his advantage under steady urging. Noble Thought rallied mildly to be second-best while never menacing the winner. Holiday Bonus finished third.

Leitone ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.54 and paid $3.80.

“He’s the kind of horse who keeps surprising me every race,” said Lezcano. “You keep asking and he keeps running. He has that long stride. He can go 12, 12, 12, and keep going.”

Lezcano said it was no problem sitting off the pace in the Jewel after Leitone had registered each of his three earlier victories this season in front-running fashion.

“[Create Again] sent a little hard, so I gave him at least a half a mile and when I asked, my horse went on with it, no problem,” said Lezcano.

Muggsamatic completed Servis’ Claiming Crown hat trick and gave jockey Paco Lopez his fourth Claiming Crown winner after rallying to victory in the $125,000 Emerald. Muggsamatic had been idle since claimed by Servis for $25,000 out of a winning effort at Monmouth Park on Aug. 11 with the Emerald in mind.

Apreciado rallied to finish second over an unlucky Tusk, who steadied several times lacking clearance during the final half-mile before ultimately finishing third in the Emerald, decided at 1 1/16 miles on turf. Muggsamatic paid $5.80.

One week after turning in a blistering half-mile work in company, Yes I See and Sensational Ride duplicated that performance in the afternoon finishing one-two, respectively, in the $110,000 Claiming Crown Iron Horse. Both the winner and runner-up are owned by Ron Paolucci and trained by Peter Walder, who also won the Claiming Crown Glass Slipper with Liza Star earlier in the day.

Yes I See rallied from well off the pace under jockey Rajiv Maragh before running down Sensational Ride in the closing strides to register a neck victory. Sensational Ride set the pace and opened a seemingly commanding advantage at midstretch but could not withstand the winner. It was another 5 1/2 lengths farther back to third-place finisher Salsa’s Return.

Yes I See paid $135.20 and combined with his stablemate for a $1,357.60 exacta payoff. Both Yes I See and Sensational Ride shipped in to Walder’s barn last month to prepare for the Claiming Crown.

Lucky Long rallied from midpack under the red-hot Lopez to best Una Luna by three-parts of a length to capture the $125,000 Claiming Crown Tiara. Bareeqa finished a troubled third.

Lucky Long, a 5-year-old daughter of Lookin At Lucky trained by Rohan Crichton, returned $9.40 as the tepid favorite in a full field of 12 older fillies and mares.