The Claiming Crown will return to Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., in 2003 for its fifth running on July 19.
Canterbury hosted the first three runnings of the Claiming Crown, a series of six races for claimers, worth a total of $550,000. The event was held at Philadelphia Park this year on Labor Day weekend. Canterbury has the option to host the Crown again in 2005 and 2007, with other tracks hosting it in alternate years through 2008.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Jockey Julie Krone may have been the most surprised person at Hollywood Park when Debonair Joe won Saturday's Vernon Underwood Stakes - and paid $107.60.
Throughout the six-furlong race, Krone's emotions went from just hoping that the ex-claimer would pick up a check to the euphoria of producing an upset.
MIAMI - When owner Joe Graffeo and trainer Steve DiMauro decided to run Stars Go Blue, a maiden, against the likes of Ivanavinalot in the My Dear Girl Division of the Florida Stallion Series, it was not with the hope of winning the race. The thought was Stars Go Blue might pick up a check and at the same time get some valuable two-turn and stakes experience.
But when Graffeo and DiMauro run Stars Go Blue on New Years Day in the $100,000 Tropical Park Oaks, they will have every intention of starting off their filly's 3-year-old campaign on a winning note.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Coyote Lakes is the Fourstardave of the inner track.
Sunday, Coyote Lakes won a starter allowance race over Aqueduct's inner track; it was the fifth consecutive December in which he has won over the inner oval. Coyote Lakes, who began his career in Arizona and did not see the inner track until 1998, is now 8 for 13 lifetime over the inner. Fourstardave, who recently died, won at least one race at Saratoga for eight consecutive years.
Completing a perfect four-for-four day, jockey Garrett Gomez guided Andre Hawkins, Glen Robertson and John Terry's Ciento to a popular win in the first running of the $125,000 Johnie L. Jamison Handicap. With a rare rainstorm falling on southern New Mexico during the race, Gomez allowed his mount to settle off the pace, then launched a six wide rally on the turn.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A perfect trip in Sunday's $73,210 Corona Handicap at Hollywood Park gave Madame Pietra her third stakes win of 2002.
Ridden by Patrick Valenzuela, Madame Pietra stalked pacesetter Wild Tickle on the backstretch, reached contention in early stretch and pulled clear under a handride. The 5-year-old Madame Pietra ($4.80) ran six furlongs in 1:09.17.
NEW ORLEANS - Rock Slide and Discreet Hero turned the corner into Fair Grounds long home stretch together in Sunday's Tenacious Handicap, and they stayed just that way all the way to the finish. Rock Slide's nose got there first, and the first stakes victory of his career was duly earned.
ALBANY, Calif. - El Dorado Shooter ($18.80) snapped a six-race losing streak with a powerful performance to win the six-furlong $72,200 Oakland Handicap by a length over favored Halo Cat at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The surprise win by Debonair Joe at 52-1 in Saturday's Vernon Underwood Stakes has created a pick six carryover of $155,872 for Sunday's program at Hollywood Park.
The pick six covers the fourth through ninth races of a nine-race program that begins at 12:30 p.m.
There are no late scratches in the pick six races, which includes two turf races and four sprints.
Slew the Red and Motto are the top contenders in the fourth race, an allowance race over 1 1-4 miles on turf. There are only five starters.
Sunland Park, N. M. - In Saturday's $50,000 Yuletide Derby William L. Clifton's heavily favored Premeditation benefited from an early speed duel that left front-running Lou's Expectation weary in deep stretch. Lou's Expectation set fractions of 21.80 and 44.13 under Daryl Montoya, racing along the rail while being pressured by longshot Mr. Crimson. Lou's Expectation and Montoya shook off that rival entering the stretch to be three in front at the eighth pole.