Desert Boom lords over Claiming Crown

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.