HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Jordan Wycoff’s Tusk, unraced since becoming a graded-stakes winner 10 months ago, and defending champion Muggsamatic, wheeling back just two weeks off his previous start, top an overflow field of 12 for Saturday’s $95,000 Claiming Crown Emerald at Gulfstream Park.
The Emerald for 3-year-olds and up and $95,000 Tiara for fillies and mares 3 and older, both at 1 1/16 miles on the turf for horses that have started for a claiming price of $25,000 or less the past two years, are among four grass stakes that help comprise the nine-race, $835,000 Claiming Crown.
They are joined by a pair of five-furlong turf sprints, the $90,000 Canterbury for 3-year-olds and up and $90,000 Distaff Dash for fillies and mares 3 and older, both restricted to horses that have run for a tag of $25,000 or less in 2019-20.
This marks the ninth straight year in South Florida and 22nd overall for the Claiming Crown, created in 1999 to honor the blue-collar horses that are the foundation of the racing industry nationwide. Total handle for the Claiming Crown has surpassed $10 million each of the past five years, topped by a record $13.846 million in 2019.
First post for Saturday’s 11-race program is noon.
Tusk, a gelded 7-year-old son of perennial leading sire Tapit, finished third under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. in the 2019 Emerald, beaten two lengths by Muggsamatic in his first start off a $32,000 claim by trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
“He didn’t get the best trip that day. We kind of thought that if he had gotten out a little bit earlier he would have gotten closer,” Joseph said. “When Ricardo told us that, that gave us the confidence to try the Grade 3. He got a perfect trip in the Grade 3 and ran a huge race.”
Joseph brought Tusk back in the one-mile Tropical Turf (G3) Jan. 11, and he responded to the step up in class with a two-length victory. He was on the also-eligible list for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), run two weeks later, but he was sidelined with a hind leg injury suffered in training.
“He had surgery and he seems to have come back well,” Joseph said. “Obviously he’s coming off a layoff but his last race was his best race and that was a Grade 3 that he won quite well. Coming off a layoff so you always wonder if you have them fit enough, but since we got him, he’s been in like 2 ½ months, three months, he’s had a strong series of works. I feel like we’re going in there with a chance.”
Tusk will be joined by stablemate High Noon Rider and Rijeka in the Emerald. GenStar Thoroughbreds’ High Noon Rider owns five one second and one third in five career tries at Gulfstream. The 8-year-old gelding is winless in his last three, all out of town, the last two in starter events at Kentucky Downs.
“He was in really good form at Gulfstream. He loves Gulfstream. Then they had a starter series at Monmouth so we shipped up there for the first one and it rained off the turf. After that we took him to Kentucky and in hindsight, if we could have done it over, we probably should have just stayed home,” Joseph said. “But if you never take a chance you never know. He lost his form a little bit but we brought him back and got him freshened up since Kentucky Downs, and we’re hoping that Gulfstream gets him back to his form.”
Slam Dunk Racing and Michael Nentwig’s Rijeka is a long-distance specialist that will be cutting back for the Emerald. The 4-year-old won an optional claiming allowance late in last winter’s Championship Meet at Gulfstream, and was second in the Richard Henry Lee Stakes during the summer stand.
“He’s a horse that he’s going to need pace to run at. He ran in Kentucky Downs in one of the Claiming Crown preps and he ran fourth. I think if he gets the right kind of pace and tempo, it could set up for him,” Joseph said. “Ideally his best distance is probably a mile and a quarter, but we ran him in a one-turn mile and 70[-yard race] at Kentucky Downs and he seemed to run well so we’re going to take a chance in this race with him. And he’s won over the course.”
Mike Maker, the all-time leader with 17 career Claiming Crown wins, entered six horses in the Emerald led by Muggsamatic, who captured last year’s Emerald by 1 ¼ lengths and placed in two more stakes during the 2019-20 Championship Meet before joining the Maker barn.
Muggsamatic won the Soldier’s Dancer in his first start for Maker June 6 at Gulfstream against fellow Florida-breds, ran fifth in the United Nations (G1) and third at Kentucky Downs before returning to South Florida for the Millions Turf Preview Nov. 21 at Gulfstream Park West, where he ran fourth.
Also representing Maker are Apreciado, third in the W.L. McKnight (G3) Jan. 25 at Gulfstream; Artie’s Rumor, a winner first off the claim Oct. 22 at Keeneland going 1 1/16 miles; Heiroglyphics, a winner of two straight in New York; 2019 Gio Ponti winner Temple and Sniper Kitten, owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, the Claiming Crown career leaders with 16 wins.
Over the Channel, first or second in six of seven starts this year; Speed Franco, on a two-race win streak;, King of Spades and Zippy round out the field. Richard Henry Lee winner Morning Stride, Sniper Kitten and Joyful Heart are on the also-eligible list.
Edited Press Release
