There were 64 horses pre-entered for the 12th annual Claiming Crown, which will be contested at Canterbury Park July 24.
The six-race series features $500,000 in purse money for Thoroughbred racing’s “blue collar” runners. First post is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CDT. This year marks the 10th time in 12 years that the Shakopee, Minn., oval will host some of the nations’ leading trainers and jockeys for this one-of-a-kind event.
Midwest Thoroughbreds, currently the nation’s leading owner with 157 wins, leads the way with six horses pre-entered for the 2010 Claiming Crown. Midwest Thoroughbreds pre-entered the following horses: Quite A Dude in the $50,000 Iron Horse at 1 1/6 miles; My Irish Girl in the $75,000 Glass Slipper for fillies and mares at six furlongs; Max Ahead and Sweeten With Gold in the $75,000 Rapid Transit at six furlongs; and For All Who Conga and My Friend Nev in the $150,000 Jewel at 1 1/8 miles.
The other races in the series are the $50,000 Express at six furlongs and the $100,000 Emerald at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Five of the six runners pre-entered by Midwest Thoroughbreds are trained by former Canterbury Park regular Jamie Ness. Ness, currently the nation’s third-leading trainer with 146 wins, was primarily stabled at the Shakopee track from 2000-2008 until he took a majority of his stable to Pennsylvania. Ness leads all trainers with five Claiming Crown pre-entries.
More information is available at www.claimingcrown.com.