Shaft of Light back in blinkers for Claiming Crown Rapid Transit
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Jorge Navarro has shown an affinity for fast horses, having guided the fortunes of such notable sprinters as Private Zone, Sharp Azteca, and X Y Jet over the past several years. So it should come as no surprise that Navarro will have major contenders in the two sprint stakes on Saturday’s Claiming Crown program, the seven-furlong Rapid Transit and six-furlong Express, both of which feature full fields of 14 horses vying for a purse of $110,000.
Navarro will not be on hand for the card. He’ll be at Aqueduct Saturday where he sends out Sharp Azteca as the favorite in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile.
“I can’t believe I’m missing the Claiming Crown because that’s the way I started out, with claiming horses,” said Navarro. “It’s one of my favorite days of the year.”
Shaft of Light ran off the screen to a 6 3/4-length decision in the 2016 Rapid Transit, and he’ll likely be favored to successfully defend the title on Saturday in a field that includes his stablemate Aztec Sense and a trio of Kentucky invaders, Dark Arden, Manhattan Mischief, and Whyruawesome.
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Shaft of Light has lost all three starts since having blinkers removed this summer at Saratoga, prompting Navarro to put the shades back on the speedy son of Smart Strike for the Rapid Transit. Shaft of Light has responded by shading 1:00 in three consecutive five-furlong works at Gulfstream Park West.
“When he came back from his race at Woodbine, he was a disaster – he wasn’t training like he had been – so I took the blinkers off trying to mess with his head a little, but he only got worse,” said Navarro. “So he’s been back working with blinkers again and you can see from the times that he’s definitely back to his old self. I think he’s as good as he was coming into this race last year, and I really believe he should be able to repeat that same type of performance again Saturday.”
Aztec Sense is a new addition to the Navarro barn, having been haltered for $12,500 out of a conditioned-claiming victory during the summer at Parx. And as many of Navarro’s new acquisitions are prone to do, he returned quick dividends while posting a career-best Beyer Speed Figure, exploding to 8 3/4-length entry-level allowance win stretching out around two turns on Oct. 17.
Paco Lopez rides Aztec Sense on Saturday.
“I was actually going to run him back in a never won four for $25,000 at Parx after I took him, but he was training so good, I took a chance in the one other than, and he ran super,” Navarro said. “He’s continued to train great, Paco loves him, but he’s going to have to come in with his top game to beat Shaft of Light.”
Great Lou will represent Navarro in the Express which lured a full and very competitive field that also includes Blings Express, Harryhee, and the Ohio-based First Growth.
Great Lou posted three consecutive victories after being claimed by Navarro here last winter for $16,000. He’s been idle since finishing a tiring third under second-level optional claiming conditions at Parx on Oct. 10.
“He’s a fast horse who doesn’t show much in the morning, which is why I ran him first out for $10,000 off the claim,” said Navarro. “But we’ve kept him happy, built up his confidence, and you see what he’s done since. I told the rider to take back and let the speed go last time, and that’s just not him. So I’m just going to let him get out there on the lead and do his thing on Saturday.”
Blings Express has flourished at the age of 8, winning four of his last five starts. He won a pair of allowance races taken off the turf as the heavy favorite during the recently concluded Gulfstream Park West meet. Blings Express finished fifth after breaking slowly and then rushing up the rail to prompt the rapid pace in the 2016 Express.
Harryhee returns to his home track to avenge his setback behind Blings Express across town on Oct. 29. He won a pair of starter races in the slop during the spring-summer meeting here.
