The seventh annual Claiming Crown was held Saturday at Canterbury Park, and
DESERT BOOM (Boomerang) led from gate-to-wire to take the $138,000 Claiming
Crown Jewel S. by 2 3/4 lengths over Lord of the Game (Saint Ballado). The dark bay five-year-old broke on top from the rail and set a quick
pace of :23 2/5, :46 4/5, 1:10 1/5 and 1:34 3/5 before stopping the clock in
1:47 1/5 for nine furlongs on the fast dirt under jockey Roberto Gonzalez. Sent off the
6-5 favorite, the Robert Bone trainee was worth $4.60, $2.40 and $2.20 while keying the $3.90 exacta ($1)
and $8 trifecta ($1).
Lord of the Game trailed in second throughout, never quite able to
get to his rival but easily the best of the rest of the field, finishing six
lengths ahead of third-place runner Habaneros (Tabasco Cat). Also showing up at
odds of 6-5 but as the second choice, the runner-up paid $2.40 and $2.20 while
show returned $2.40 at 4-1.
Extra Fit (Fit to Fight), Superman Can (Memo [Chi]) and Morine’s Victory
(Victory Gallop) finished out the order under the wire.
Desert Boom captured the Berkeley H. (G3) prior to this win and has now
won nine of his last 12 starts. His overall record has now improved
to 33-14-2-5 with $474,420 in earnings.
The Claiming Crown events started in the 3RD race with the $49,000 Claiming
Crown Iron Horse S., which was captured by Robert Asaro & Steve Asmussen’s MY
EXTOLLED HONOR (My Mike). With Heberto Castillo Jr. in the irons, the dark bay
seven-year-old posted a half-length win in the 8 1/2-furlong test, stopping the
teletimer in 1:43 4/5. Trained by Asmussen, My Extolled Honor moved his line to
40-15-5-2, $279,640 and earned his first black-type credit in this one.
Deborah Isaacs & Merrill Scherer’s ONLYNURIMAGINATION (Marfa) had taken over
the lead by the half-mile point in the $46,500 Claiming Crown Express S. and
went on to record a 3 1/2-length victory. The Scherer-conditioned six-year-old
got six furlongs in 1:08 under Bobby Walker Jr. and earned his first stakes
victory while increasing his earnings to $237,514 and line to 46-11-9-7.
Doris and Stanley Holland’s ELLS EDITOR (Editor’s Note) set a new track
record at Canterbury on June 2, getting 5 1/2-furlongs in 1:02 3/5, and on
Saturday the four-year-old miss made her stakes debut in the $72,000 Claiming
Crown Glass Slipper S. a winning one. Sticking her neck in front at the wire,
the Percy Scherbenske trainee completed 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16 1/5 and now shows
a 27-7-2-4 line and $109,425 in earnings.
In the $93,000 Claiming Crown Tiara S., INHONOROFJOHNNIE (Double Honor)
opened up a clear lead in the stretch and held on for a two-length score in 1:43
2/5 for 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf. With Michael Ziegler in the irons, the
four-year-old lass, owned and trained by Owen McQaude, nearly doubled her earnings to
$122,689 and moved her record to 22-4-3-2.
Thomas McClay and Harry Nye’s PROCREATE (Mt. Livermore) took the lead soon
after the start of the $93,000 Claiming Crowd Rapid Transit S. and went on to 1
1/2-length score under Castillo. Getting 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14 2/5 on the dirt,
the seven-year-old gray gelding earned his second stakes win this year after
taking the Yankee Affair S. in April. Now owning a 47-12-6-6 career mark, the John
Charles Zimmerman-trained Procreate has earned $266,850 from five seasons of
competition.
William Stiritz’s MR. MABEE (Storm Cat) challenged round the turn of the
$122,500 Claiming Crown Emerald S., eventually pulling away for a 5 1/4-length
win under Derek Bell while stopping the clock in 1:41 3/5 for 8 1/2 furlongs on
the green. Trained by Jimmy Zook, the four-year-old colt increased his earnings
to $139,095 and his lifetime record to 9-4-2-0 while making his stakes debut in
this event.