Maker has eye on records as he loads up final two cards

FRANKLIN, Ky. – Mike Maker will resume his assault on the record books Wednesday at Kentucky Downs when his specialties dovetail into what the trainer hopes is yet another productive afternoon.

Maker is the all-time leading trainer for both Kentucky Downs and the Claiming Crown, and he’ll be looking to further that position in both. Aside from sending out a combined five starters in the co-featured Dueling Grounds Oaks and Dueling Grounds Derby, Maker will be represented in all but one of the other eight races on the rescheduled Wednesday card, including four (races 3-6) that serve as Claiming Crown previews at this turf-only track.

Maker started the five-day meet with a very hot hand by winning with seven of his first 14 starters. His last eight runners Saturday, the most recent day of action here, all were defeated, but there’s context to be had: his four runners in the Kentucky Turf Cup finished second through fifth, helping to lift his stable earnings through the first three cards to a meet-high $1,030,514.

Sadly, Bronson, who was fourth in the Kentucky Cup at 77-1, took a bad step on the gallop-out and eventually had to be euthanized because of the severity of his injury. “Tough, tough deal,” Maker said.

Soldiering on, Maker sure seems to have ample ammunition to break the Kentucky Downs mark for most winners (10) in a single meet, set by Wayne Catalano in 2013. Aside from his Wednesday armada, Maker has horses entered in eight of the 10 races on the closing-day card Thursday.

As for the Claiming Crown previews, each offers a purse of $100,000, along with guaranteed berths and traveling expenses toward the nine-race series that will be renewed Dec. 1 at Gulfstream Park in Florida. All four Wednesday races are restricted to horses that have raced for a claiming price of $25,000 or less since Jan. 1, 2017.

Here is a look at each of those races (and its corresponding Claiming Crown event):

Race 3 (Canterbury): Maker has a formidable stable coupling in Maniacal and Belgian, either of whom appears entirely capable of winning this 6 1/2-furlong race. Chicago shipper Bushrod looks like the only rival capable of foiling Maker.

Race 4 (Emerald): Maker will saddle Swagger Jagger as the second morning-line choice behind New York shipper Aquaphobia in a competitive field of 10 in this one-mile and 70-yard race.

Race 5 (Tiara): Peru, entered off a sharp allowance win in late June for Maker, appears to bring a major class edge into this mile and 70-yard race and could be odds-on against nine other fillies and mares.

Race 6 (Distaff Dash): This 6 1/2-furlong race for fillies and mares is the deepest of the previews, with the Maker-trained Dreamin being a fringe contender in a 13-horse field that should have Kirby’s Penny, Honey Bunny, and The Craic among its favorites.

The Claiming Crown will celebrate its 20th running this year. The popular series originated at Canterbury Park in Minnesota in 1999 and moved around several times before being held annually at Gulfstream since 2013. Claiming Crown officials announced last week that the series will continue to be run at Gulfstream at least through 2021.