Top Claims in 2001

[Que]

I just realized last month that I had introduced an error into my computer program regarding claims which required me hand enter a month’s worth of claiming data. To keep the work from getting too tedious, I started looking at how effective or ineffective each claim was. Below are my rankings of this year’s top nine claims (through 11/22/01). Note. To qualify for consideration, the horse must have won two consecutive races following the claim, and raced for a higher purse value in each of those races. Thus far in 2001, 173 horses qualified for consideration.

#1. MISS VERMONT JET; claimed by Henry Collazo, from Douglas G. Potter, for $5,000 on 3/17/2001 at Hia. Won its next race by a 1 1/4 lengths on 4/9/2001 at Hia in a $25,000 Claimer. Followed that race up with a 1 length win in an $35,000 Claimer at Hia on 4/21/2001. Record since being claimed: 8 4-0-2, $61,061.

#2. KNIGHT IN WHITE; claimed by Keith L. Bourgeois, from Richard R. Scherer, for $5,000 on 2/16/2001 at FG. Won its next race by a 5 lengths in a state bred starter Allowance on 3/2/2001 at FG. Followed that race up with a 1/2 length win in another state bred starter Allowance on 3/15/2001 at FG. Record since being claimed: 8 4-1-0, $55,430.

#3. U. S. GOLD; claimed by Gary C. Contessa, from Richard Vega, for $16,000 on 2/1/2001 at Aqu. Won its next race by a ½ length on 2/23/2001 at Aqu in a starters Allowance. Followed that race up with a 5 length win in an NW1 Allowance at Aqu on 3/9/2001. Record since being claimed: 14 6-2-2, $146,310. Claimed in its last race, 11/21/2001, for $18,000 by Michael Lerman.

#4. WATKINDADEALISTHIS; claimed by Bobby Larue, from Angel O. Montano, for $5,000 on 4/5/2001 at TP. Won its next race by a 10 3/4 lengths on 4/21/2001 at Kee in a starter Allowance. Followed that race up with a 3 1/2 length win in another starter Allowance at CD on 5/3/2001. Record since being claimed: 7 5-0-1, $43,835.

#5. CHIEF SWAN; claimed by Brian J. Koriner, from Dennis Ward, for $12,500 on 5/27/2001 at BM. Won its next race by a 2 1/2 lengths on 7/7/2001 at Pln in a $25,000 (NW2L) Claimer. Followed that race up with a 1 ½ length win in an NW1X Allowance at the BM's Fair on 8/10/2001. Record since being claimed: 5 3-0-0, $37,330.

#6. CLOONEY; claimed by Cole Norman, from William Bret Calhoun, for $10,000 on 6/8/2001 at LS. Won its next race by a 3 1/2 lengths on 6/22/2001 at LS in a $25,000 Claimer. Followed that race up with a 1 ¾ length win in a $25,000 Claimer at LS on 7/5/2001—was claimed in that race by Kari Craddock for $25,000. Record since being claimed (before being claimed again): 2 2-0-0, $28,200.

#7. BELLWETHER; claimed by Scott A. Lake, from Luigi Gino, for $18,500 on 2/8/2001 at Lrl. Won its next race by a 3 1/2 lengths on 3/14/2001 at Lrl in a $18,500 Claimer. Followed that race up with a 5 1/4 length win NW3X Allowance at Lrl on 3/22/2001. Record since being claimed: 12 7-3-0, $88,065.

#8. KAILIKI; claimed by Harry F. Thompson, from Bruce M. Kravets, for $10,000 in a Maiden Claimer at Penn on 4/14/2001. Won its next race by 11 ¾ lengths on 5/9/2001 in a $12,500 (NW2L) Claimer. Followed that race up by winning the state-bred Foxy J G Stakes by 2 ¼ lengths on 6/2/2001 at Pha. Record since being claimed: 5 2-0-0, $39,984.

#9. ACCOUNTED FOR; claimed by Wayne Bearden, from Kenneth G. McPeek, for $30,000 on 1/12/2001 at TP. Won its next race by a 7 ¾ lengths on 2/4/2001 at TP in an NW1X Allowance. Followed that race up with a 5 1/2 length win in an NW2x Allowance at TP on 2/11/2001. Record since being claimed (before being claimed again): 8 3-1-2, $68,200. Accounted For was claimed by Robert R. O'Connor for $50,000 on 6/8/2001.

I had a 10th, but I had to eliminate it since it was actually claimed last year.

Que.

[Figman]

TRACK BOSS, that was entered in the 10th race opening day at the Fair Grounds and was scratched, gets my nomination as the "luckiest" claim of the year. Louisiana must be one of the few states, if not the only one, where you can claim a horse that doesn't compete in the race. The following was taken from the race chart at TSN - the Equibase chart reports the same while the DRF chart does not report the claims.

Claimed: Heir Forbes by Shane Rabalais (Joe Duhon)
Trickey Crew by Joe Agular (Albert M. Stall, Jr.)
Track Boss by John Aertker, III (Kelly Broussard)

Scratched: Track Boss

[Que]

Figman,

I guess only time will tell how "lucky" that claim was. :)

[JimH]

You are leaving out the CLAIMER OF THE YEAR!!

ARROMANCHES, who has gone through the barns of Daniel J. Lopez, Gary C. Contessa, and Scott Lake and all the horse does is WIN!!! Eight in a row and counting!

[smf]

Que, great topic!

The best claim I've ever followed was Tom Amoss' True Concern. Not just that he claimed a major earner from a good trainer, but he showed w/ this claim that he (and his asst Bernis) is an all-around claim master who doesn't specialize in any particular type of claim. He took TC from Buddy Delp at FG and had him running competitively in the LA Derby a few weeks later.

Tom also claimed Robin de Nest whose earned some decent cash since being claimed from Speckert.

Figman,

La racing rules only require that a horse leave the paddock in order for the claim slip to be officially "done". Track Boss m/ have injured himself in the gate where he was a scratch....c/be a bad claim afterall.

It's a shame (for me) b/c I was live in a whole bunch of pick4 tix w/ Track Boss as a "single" in the last leg. Pino droppers do very well.

[JimH]

In most states, if a horse is scratched or declared a non-starter for ANY reason (including failure of the starting gate to open) or if the race is declared "no contest", all claim slips dropped on that horse (or race, in the event of the latter event) are declared null and void. This rule is actually meant to protect the ORIGINAL owner, by guaranteeing that the horse has a legitimate opportunity to earn a piece of the purse while being exposed for a tag. I guess Louisiana doesn't see it that way.

[smf]

Yep, Jim H, La doesn't see it that way. Actually, since the Brunetti fiasco at HIA last year maybe La has it right. Once the runner hits the track, no one can get wind of the claim and then, uh, get a vet to scratch him.

I've heard that TX has the same rule as LA, but I've never looked it up.

[Dave Schwartz]

smf,

What was the Hia fiasco you spoke of?

Regards,
Dave Schwartz

[JimH]

Well, anytime the words Brunetti and Hialeah and fiasco are used in the same sentence, he could be talking about almost anything.

[Figman]

From the DRF on May 19th, 1999

Probe of Hialeah scratch asked
By Mike Welsch
HIALEAH, Fla. - Trainer Dan Hurtak and owner Francis W. Ballou are seeking a state investigation into the circumstances surrounding the scratch of the horse Sweet Dreams just before the running of the seventh race at Hialeah on May 9.
State steward Walter Blum said he will discuss the case and the testimony given at Saturday's hearing with John Johnson, Bureau Chief of Operations for the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, to see if the state has any interest or legal right to investigate the issue.

"From past experience the state cannot investigate when a house rule is in question," said Blum. "Although due to the circumstances surrounding this particular case, they may well want to investigate the possibility of a conflict of interest."

Hurtak alleged that both track officials and the horse's trainer and jockey conspired to have Sweet Dreams scratched at the gate to void a claim he had dropped for the gelding in the interests of Ballou. Horseman's bookkeeper Betsy Tillman was fined $500 by the track stewards for giving out information regarding the claim to Hialeah's general manager Rick Sacco before the running of the race.

Sweet Dreams is trained by Sacco's brother Greg Sacco and owned by Hialeah's chairman of the board, John J. Brunetti Sr.

"We were completely dissatisfied with the results of Saturday's hearing," Hurtak said Monday.

[smf]

Thanks Figman. That's the HIA "scratch" I was referring to. Hard to believe it was 3 yrs ago! I recall there was more back & forth on it last spring.

Or, maybe I'm just getting old <g>.

[JimH]

Sounds EXACTLY like something Brunetti would do.

To restate, "Brunetti" and "fiasco" go hand in hand. That's why Hialeah doesn't have any racing dates anymore. This is the first track I've ever known to be forced out of business SOLELY due to questionable management practices. The guy made a lot of enemies, so nobody supported him in the 2002 dates request. So, Gulfstream runs later and Calder starts earlier and Hialeah gets the squeeze. Oh, they WERE given the opportunity to run unopposed for one day. But they declined. Then they offered to open their backstretch this winter, at exorbitant stall rental rates.......to which the horsemen as one replied NO THANKS!!