Double Your Money, Kurtis Coady Photo
Churchill Downs Press
Louisville, Ky – Parx invader Double Your Money, runner-up in the $200,000 Greenwood Cup (Grade III) in September, emerged as 1 ¼-length winner over Cadet Corps in a wild and competitive stretch run for Saturday’s $224,943 Claiming Crown Jewel at Churchill Downs – the most lucrative of eight starter allowance races on the day for the nation’s top claiming-level horses.
The Jewel, a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up that raced for a claiming price of $35,000 or less in 2024-25, headlined Saturday’s 27th annual Claiming Crown, which was staged at Churchill Downs for the third time in four years. Inaugurated in 1999 at Canterbury Park in Minnesota, the Claiming Crown showcases eight races with starter allowance conditions and a super-charged total of $1.1 million in prize money for some of the most competitive blue-collar horses in the country.
Double Your Money, a 4-year-old gelded son of 2019 Pennine Ridge (Grade III) winner Demarcheiler (GB), clocked 1 1/8 miles on a “fast” track in 1:50.89. Melvis Gonzalez rode the winner for 25-year-old trainer Ben Dunn, who co-owns the horse with Chris Mancusi.
“I got so excited and nervous after the race that I got sick,” Dunn said. “It means the world to me to run a horse here. This horse doesn’t stop running.”
Breaking from post No. 7, Double Your Money relaxed in eighth place along the inside rail in a pocket position down the backstretch as Gilden Cracken dictated the pace in the field of 14 through early splits of :23.31 and :47.07. As Gilden Cracken gave way around the turn forcing American Law to check, Happy Strike briefly poked his head in front after six furlongs in 1:11.82.
Double Your Money, who had raced between 1 3/16 and 1 ½ miles in his last two starts, began to hit his best stride and avoided severe traffic with a four-wide move at the top of the stretch. He found a seam between a tiring Bernin Hot to his inside and a challenging Point Dume on his right hip with a furlong to run and turned back four rivals who were in contention with a sixteenth of a mile to the finish. Cadet Corps ended up second, a neck ahead of Welaka in third. Dr. Storm was another 1 ¼ lengths back in fourth and Point Dume was another half-length back in fifth.
The first prize was $127,840 and hiked Double Your Money’s bankroll to $473,536 with a record of 6-8-3 from 25 starts. This year, he’s won 5 of 12 starts with six seconds, a third and earnings of $326,150.
“Hopefully I’ll be back here before the Isaac Murphy Marathon in the spring,” Dunn said. “This horse’s running style I was hoping for a good trip with his draw. I think I got the opposite but somehow we won.”
Double Your Money paid $21.46, $10.56 and $7 as the 9-1 fifth betting choice. Cadet Corps, ridden by Junior Alvarado, paid $7.30 and $5.68. Welaka, under Adam Beschizza, paid $6.96 to show at odds of 15-1.
After Dr. Storm and Point Dume, there was a dead-heat for sixth between Alternate Reality and Dance Some Mo, who were followed by even-money favorite Navajo Warrior, Brilliant Man, American Law, Bernin Hot, Happy Strike, Overstatement and Gilded Cracken. Carolo Rapido and Le Gris were scratched.
Double Your Money, out of the Horse Chestnut (SAF) mare Aesculus, was bred in Kentucky by BHMFR LLC.
Also on the Claiming Crown card:
Florida-based 6-year-old gelding Concrete Glory ($3.76), the odds-on 4-5 favorite owned by Big Frank Stable (Nikki Rupolo), went gate-to-wire and just held off Wound Up by a head to defend his title in the $102,000 Ready’s Rocket Express under Irad Ortiz Jr. “He broke so well and really traveled nicely on the lead,” Ortiz Jr. said. “I just let him do his thing and he finished up for me. (Trainer) Saffie Joseph (Jr.) and his team had him ready to go.” Overall, the Pennsylvania-bred, who made his first start off a 126-day layoff, has a lifetime record of 39-17-6-2—$519,874.
Wallace R. Moore Jr.’s Ashima ($6.78), the Florida-based 2-1 favorite, closed late under Irad Ortiz Jr. to defeat Settling Storm by three-quarters of a length in the $157,286 Tiara for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf. The 4-year-old Florida-bred filly trained by Sal Santoro won for the fifth time in eight starts this year and boasts a record of 20-10-3-3—$345,660 overall. “This is my second trip to Churchill Downs,” Santoro said. “I came here in 2013 to the Kentucky Oaks (with eighth-place finisher Rose to Gold). It’s just a great experience.”
Jeanine M. Cumiskey’s 6-year-old gelding Curlin’s Malibu ($8.82) raced just behind the early leaders and then wore down 8-5 favorite Freedom Road in deep stretch to win the $109,914 Iron Horse / Kent Stirling Memorial by a neck under jockey Luis Saez for trainer Joe Sharp. This marked the second straight year that Freedom Road fell short as the betting choice in the 1 1/16-mile test for 3-year-olds and up that started for an $8,000 claiming price or less in 2024-25. In four starts under Sharp’s care since August, Curlin’s Malibu has won twice with a second and a third with earnings of $116,460. “It’s so rewarding for Jeanine to get this win,” Sharp said. “I’m so happy for her and thankful she trusts us with her horses.”
After a thrilling stretch-long battle, Maryland’s born and based 4-year-old filly Next Girl ($8.24) denied Ohio-raced pacesetter Sadie the Goat a seventh straight win with a head-bob photo finish triumph in the $103,967 Glass Slipper to prevail by a nose. Jose Ortiz rode Next Girl for trainer W. Robert Bailes and owner Wade Meadows’ WWCD LLC. “It’s a great day today for so many of these horses to compete on a big stage,” Ortiz said. “I’m very thankful for the connections of this horse. She ran a huge race.”
Locally based Shape Note ($19), claimed in July for $25,000 by Paradise Farms Corp. (Peter Prosica) and David Staudacher, closed late along the rail under Jose Ortiz in the $150,000 Canterbury / Tom Metzen Memorial to edge Final Verdict by a neck and give trainer Mike Maker his record-extending 23rd victory in a Claiming Crown race. Shape Note, a 4-year-old gelding, won the seventh time in 12 starts this year. “We were really looking forward to this spot when we claimed him back,” Maker said.
Nation ($15.64) roared past pacesetter Soze leaving the turn for home and extended his advantage in the stretch for a runaway 6 ¼-length win over My Noble Knight in the $136,925 Rapid Transit. The 5-year-old gelding, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., was claimed for $20,000 in August at Del Mar by trainer Bob Hess Jr. and owner Kevin Koentopp. This was Nation’s second win in three starts since the claim – the other at Keeneland on Oct. 17 – for a nice return of $116,043 thus far. “Last time at Keeneland he had a really tough trip and still got the job done,” Ortiz Jr. said. “That’s how much he fights to win. Luckily today I had a much easier trip.”
Anthony Rogers’ 4-year-old Florida-bred Echo Lane ($6.90) won the $175,000 Emerald for the second year in a row under Luis Saez for trainer Rohan Crichton. He defeated Gewurztraminer by one length. “He’s a very honest horse,” Crichton said. “He does everything you ask him to do. After running in the Claiming Crown Preview Day (on Aug. 21 at Colonial) we decided to give him some time off before this race. He really responded well to that.”
READY’S ROCKET EXPRESS QUOTES
Irad Ortiz Jr., Jockey, Concrete Glory (winner): “He broke so well and really traveled nicely on the lead. I just let him do his thing and he finished up for me. Saffie Joseph and his team had him ready to go.”
TIARA QUOTES
Sal Santoro, Trainer, Ashima (winner): “I had a big stable once, I don’t want to do it anymore. I get to look at all of my horses each morning and it’s a great thing to do. This is my second trip to Churchill Downs. I came here in 2013 to the Kentucky Oaks (with eighth-place finisher Rose to Gold). It’s just a great experience.”
IRON HORSE / KENT STERLING MEMORIAL QUOTES
Joe Sharp, Trainer, Curlin’s Malibu (winner): “It’s so rewarding for (owner) Jeanine (Cumiskey) to get this win. I’m so happy for her and thankful she trusts us with her horses.”
GLASS SLIPPER QUOTES
Jose Ortiz, Jockey, Next Girl (winner): “It’s a great day today for so many of these horses to compete on a big stage. I’m very thankful for the connections of this horse. She ran a huge race.”
CANTERBURY / TOM METZEN MEMORIAL QUOTES
Mike Maker, Trainer, Shape Note (winner): “He really took well to the turf again today. We were really looking forward to this spot when we claimed him back.”
RAPID TRANSIT QUOTES
Irad Ortiz Jr., Jockey, Nation (winner): “I sat a really good trip and when I asked him to run in the stretch he just took off. Last time at Keeneland he had a really tough trip and still got the job done. That’s how much he fights to win. Luckily today I had a much easier trip.”
JEWEL QUOTES
Ben Dunn, Trainer, Double Your Money (winner): “I got so excited and nervous after the race that I got sick. It means the world to me to run a horse here. This horse doesn’t stop running. I wish I can run him as long as possible. I was talking about the Greenwood Cup (at Parx) before this race. Hopefully I’ll be back here before the Isaac Murphy Marathon in the spring. This horse’s running style I was hoping for a good trip with his draw. I think I got the opposite but somehow we won.”
EMERALD QUOTES
Luis Saez, Jockey, Echo Lane (winner): “I sat a really good trip today and you could tell how much he loved this track. I’ve been working him every week and could tell he was set up for a big effort today. He’s a very special horse.”
Rohan Crichton, Trainer, Echo Lane (winner): “He’s a very honest horse. He does everything you ask him to do. After running in the Claiming Crown Preview Day (on Aug. 21 at Colonial) we decided to give him some time off before this race. He really responded well to that.”
