Claiming Crown Jewel Goes to Long Shot Twice Elevated to Wins by DQ in Big Races

[Wandering Eyes]

Laughing Boy (Distorted Humor) got the last laugh-again-in the featured race on the 26th annual Claiming Crown program Saturday at Churchill Downs.

The 6-year-old, who hadn't raced since April, led Saturday's $225,000 Jewel at nine furlongs for most of the trip and then again inside the sixteenth pole. But the no-quit grinder required a stewards' disqualification of the rival who had passed him at both the quarter pole and at the wire to elevate his second-across-the-wire finish to a by-decision victory.

That's the second time in three races that Laughing Boy has been the beneficiary of a DQ in a big race.

It also happened Mar. 24 in the $150,000 Excelsior S. at Aqueduct when Laughing Boy ran second at 54-1 but got promoted to the win by the stewards..

On Saturday, with three horses stacked across the track at the furlong pole, the 10-1 Laughing Boy, closest to the inside, wasn't much bothered by the veering-in Surface to Air (Midshipman), who had forward momentum on the lead but shifted inward, tightening up on Welaka (Malibu Moon) in the middle and forcing that rival to check out of contention.

If anything, Laughing Boy seemed emboldened by the roughhousing. He fought back to regain the lead before losing it again in the final few jumps.

Surface to Air crossed the wire a half-length ahead of Laughing Boy in 1:50.47. Hurry Hurry (Accelerate) was third and Welaka ended up fourth. Surface to Air was placed fourth via DQ, behind the runner he fouled.

Laughing Boy was ridden by Samuel Camacho Jr. and is trained by David Jacobson, who also owns in partnership with Lawrence Roman.

Laughing Boy had been competing in stakes races his last three tries, but was eligible for the condition because he had started for a $35,000 claiming tag within the past two years.

“This race wasn't originally on our plans but I saw he was eligible for it,” Jacobson said. “I wasn't quite sure if I'd have him ready to go a mile and an eighth. He ran a great race. It's been the second time in three races he's been placed first. Sometimes in racing it's good to have some luck on your side.”

The Claiming Crown, which began in 1999 as a way to showcase and reward horses who compete in the types of races that form the backbone of day-to-day American racing, is a partnership between the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

Voodoo Zip | Coady Media

Its annual programs are conducted under starter-allowance conditions pegged to previous-race claiming prices. Conditions were fast and firm at Louisville for this year's edition, the first since 2021 that the grass races weren't snowed or rained out.

In the $175,000 Emerald at 1/16 miles on the turf, Echo Lane (Treasure Beach {GB}) conceded an early lead, then applied gradual torque to crack the frontrunner and win by a diminishing half-length ahead of the onrushing favorite in 1:41.09.

Anthony Rogers owns the 3-year-old colt, who was most recently fourth at 24-1 odds in the GIII Virginia Derby, but had previously met the $25,000 claiming requirement. Rohan Crichton trains, with jockey Luis Saez up.

In the $150,000 Tiara for distaffers at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, Ghostly Gal (Ghostzapper) stalked from midpack and uncorked a gradual grind-down to prevail by a head at 4-1 odds in 1:41.73.

The 6-year-old hasn't spent much of her 6-for-15 career in claiming races. She's 2-for-3 in her only three starts for a tag, including a win at the $25,000 level two starts back at Colonial Downs to attain eligibility for the Tiara. The winning owner/trainer/jockey connections are Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, Wayne Catalano and Vincent Cheminaud.

In the $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial on the grass at 5 1/2 furlongs, Francisco Arrieta deftly sliced Voodoo Zip (City Zip) through top-of-stretch traffic to pop home at 33-1 odds, winning by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:03.24.

Owned and trained by Juan Cano, the 7-year-old gelding now has a 6-7-7 mark from 34 starts.

Horses at double-digit odds rounded out the top three in the $125,000 Rapid Transit at seven furlongs. The stretch run featured multiple waves of closers and four horses still in it to win it at the sixteenth pole.

Chris Emigh stormed home first with Like a Saltshaker (Peace and Justice), who won by a head in 1:23.52. Emigh got a leg up on the 13-1 shot from his wife, the trainer Brittany Vanden Berg. The 6-year-old gelding now boasts a commanding 17-8-0 record from 38 lifetime starts, with nine of those wins since Vanden Berg dropped the $10,000 claim slip on behalf of current owner Marisco Brothers back on May 14, 2023.

The $100,000 Iron Horse Kent Sterling Memorial at 1 1/16 miles was wired by King of Hollywood (Palace Malice), a 5-year-old who once started against Grade I company (Haskell S.) at age three but has subsequently changed hands via the claim box six times, including most recently for $5,000 on June 1.

With the gelding riding a two-race winning streak at Delaware Park into the Claiming Crown, jockey Jorge Gonzalez put King of Hollywood's big white blaze in front shortly after the start from post one. Leading under constant pressure, he swatted back several stout challenges on the far turn and in deep stretch before being saved by the wire for the neck victory at 14-1 odds in 1:44.29 for owner Estlae Garcia and trainer Daniel Siculietano.

In the $100,000 Glass Slipper for fillies and mares at one mile, 2024's winningest Thoroughbred  in terms of victories (11), Tennessee Moon (Ransom the Moon), had the lead at the top of the lane but got swallowed up by two challengers before 1.87-1 favorite Jubilant Joanie (Unified) barreled by them all to win by a well-timed neck under Reylu Gutierrez in 1:37.94.

Already having achieved sub-$12,500 claiming eligibility for the Claiming Crown earlier in her career, the 4-year-old filly was claimed out of a win for $20,000 two starts back by trainer Jeff Mullins, who shares ownership with partners Darren Carraway and Denise De Quevedo.

In the $100,000 Ready's Rocket Express at six furlongs, 1.23-1 favorite Concrete Glory (Bodemeister) was hustled to the inside position in a three-way duel. Despite that expenditure of early energy, jockey Saez peeled off from the pack under a hand ride at the top of the lane and ran up the score late, winning by 7 1/2 lengths in 1:09.30 for owner Big Frank Stable and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

Concrete Glory had only once raced below the $8,000 lifetime claiming eligibility cutoff for the Ready's Rocket, and he had been cuffing around starter-allowance and optional-claiming company at Gulfstream this year, with a 3-1-1 record from five starts.

Saez was subbing for Tyler Gaffalione, who was unseated from a 2-year-old shortly after the start of Saturday's (non-Claiming Crown) third race. Churchill's media team reported he had been transported the University of Louisville Hospital to evaluate hip and back pain.

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