Rodriguez, Jacobson barns loaded for New York Claiming Championship Day

The 71 horses entered in the 10 New York Claiming Championship Day races at Aqueduct on Saturday will be shooting for a slice of the $695,000 in purses up for grabs.

Like the Claiming Crown that was held at Gulfstream Park in December, the races will be run under starter-allowance conditions. They are written for horses who have started for a specified claiming price or less since Jan. 1, 2015.

It will not surprise anyone who follows this circuit that Rudy Rodriguez and David Jacobson have the most bullets to fire. Rodriguez has eight horses entered, and Jacobson has seven. Still, while there are a few standouts on the card, most of the races are competitive.

The top race on the Claiming Crown card at Gulfstream was the $200,000 Jewel, a 1 1/8-mile race for horses who had started for $35,000 or less. Five of the runners from that race, including the top four finishers, are entered Saturday.

Royal Posse and Indycott, the first- and fourth-place finishers, will meet in the $90,000 Mr. Sinatra, the day’s richest race, which is for horses who have run for $40,000 or less. African Fighter and Second City, the Jewel’s third- and 11th-place finishers, are in the $75,000 Stud Muffin, a $25,000 level race. Mr. Palmer, the Jewel runner-up, will run in the $60,000 More to Tell, for those who have run for $16,000 or less.

Saturday’s entrants have taken a variety of paths to these races. Some have improved drastically and are worth a lot more than the starter value of their race. Others appear to have been claimed specifically with Championship Day in mind.

C J’s Awesome, in the More to Tell, a $16,000 race, is in tough Saturday, but he took a time-tested path to starter-allowance eligibility. A past class horse who raced in the Pennsylvania and Indiana derbies in 2014, he was dropped into a claiming race for the first time in December.

Trainer Jason Servis claimed him out of that winning effort for $25,000. Eight weeks later, Servis ran C J’s Awesome back for $16,000. He won, wasn’t claimed, and became eligible for the More to Tell. Coincidence? Maybe, but probably not.

Here is a quick look at the six Claiming Championship races for males:

Mr. Sinatra (race 6): Rodriguez has the top two choices in this 1 1/8-mile race.

Jewel winner Royal Posse has not finished worse than second in seven starts since being claimed for $20,000 in May. He enters off a narrow defeat to stablemate Good Luck Gus in the $100,000 Haynesfield Stakes for New York-breds.

Dontbetwithbruno finished second, beaten a length, in the $125,000 Stymie last out. Rodriguez claimed him for $35,000 in December.

Stud Muffin (race 7): Toledo Eddie was claimed by trainer Robertino Diodoro for $20,000 out of a winning effort at Santa Anita in January. In his lone race since then, he won a $50,000 claimer at Santa Anita by 15 lengths and earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure. He makes his debut here for owner and trainer Jacobson while shortening up from 1 1/16 miles to a one-turn mile.

More to Tell (race 4): Bears Personality, trained by Ramon Preciado, Lucky Lotto (Edward Barker), and Easy Comparison (Oscar Barrera III) are all at the top of their game.

Bears Personality, a $10,000 claim three starts back in December, comes into this off a powerful third-level optional win at Parx and should like the cutback to a one-turn mile.

Lucky Lotto finished a close second in this race a year ago. Easy Comparison has won three in a row.

Peeping Tom (race 5): Draxhall Woods and Dad’z Laugh were each claimed out of their most recent start and now run for a $70,000 purse in this race, which is restricted to horses who have competed for $20,000 or less.

Draxhall Woods was claimed out of a winning $32,000 effort by Jeremiah Engelhart, and Dad’z Laugh was haltered for $40,000 by Bruce Levine out of a runner-up finish.

Beach Hut, whom Preciado claimed for $16,000 last May, has turned in some good stakes performances at Laurel when third to Always Sunshine in the Dave’s Friend and third to Sonny Inspired in the Fire Plug.

Caixa Eletronica (race 9): This 10-horse field of $40,000-or-less runners is seven furlongs. It is not an easy race.

Nubin Ridge, trained by Chris Engelhart, won a second-level optional race three starts back. He has since finished second in a third-level race and fifth in the Grade 3 Tom Fool.

Cerro will be making his first start for trainer Danny Gargan, who claimed him for $62,000 in February.

Eighty Three is coming off a second-level win for Jacobson.

Kelly Kip (race 2): Rockford, Tug of War, and Hectors Pride all come into this six-furlong sprint for $12,500 horses off victories.

Rockford has enough speed to keep Hectors Pride honest on the front end and is a more seasoned campaigner.