Maryland connections have good day in Claiming Crown Preview at Colonial

The connections of several horses that are based in or have regularly raced in Maryland earned automatic berths in the lucrative Claiming Crown scheduled for November 14 at Churchill Downs.

They performed well in their respective races during the Claiming Crown Showcase Day program at Colonial Downs on Saturday, August 22. The first two finishers in the nine Preview races automatically qualified for the primary event in which races frequently overfill. All of the races carry lifetime starter allowance conditions based on claiming price.

Laurel Park-based trainer Joanne Shankle pulled off a double in the $62,500 Rapid Transit for 3-year-olds and up who have started for a claiming price of $16,000 or less lifetime. Shankle, who owns both horses, saddled Zero Blitz (Jockey Jorge Ruiz) and Bold Diversion (Samuel Marin) to a one-two finish in the seven-furlong event.

The pair earned a combined $50,000 in purse money, and Shankle indicated that if all goes well, both would ship to Kentucky for the $125,000 Rapid Transit at Churchill.

Freedom Road, trained by Richard Sillaman for Panda Stable, LBR Racing Stable and Rashid's Thoroughbred Racing, finished second in 2024 and 2025 in the Claiming Crown finals at Churchill. At Colonial, he captured $50,000 Iron Horse for horses that have started for a tag of $8,000 or less at 1 1/16 miles to earn a spot in the $100,000 Kent Stirling Memorial Iron Horse at Churchill.

Sillaman said he points Freedom Road (ridden by Andrew Wolfsont) to the race every year, and is looking forward to a third shot in Kentucky. He said the gelding could race one or two more times leading up the November 14 event depending on how the Mid-Atlantic region condition books fall.

Shankle saddled Bill of Rights (Jose Vargas) to a second-place finish behind Freedom Road. Bill of Rights also earned a spot in the Iron Horse.

In the opening race of the Saturday card at Colonial, Kerness K (Martin Chuan) won his ninth consecutive race in the six-furlong Ready's Rocket for 3-year-olds and up that have started for a claiming price of $8,000 less. He qualified for a start in the $100,000 Ready's Rocket Express in Kentucky in November.

Owned by Morris Kernan and Jagger Inc. (trainer Jamie Ness), Kerness K has been stabled at Laurel and Parx Racing. Ness orginally had the gelding but he was claimed by trainer Brittany Russell for Gary Aisquith. On March 13 of this year, Ness claimed back Kerness K for $7,500 frin a winning effort, and he has since won eight straight races for his connections.

Ness regularly participates in the Claiming Crown and did so when the event was inaugurated in 1999 at Canterbury Park in Minnesota. Three more of his trainees (Tiz Purple, Normandy Hero and Antonnaci Girl) finished second in their respective Showcase Day races at Colonial and automatically qualified for the Churchill companion races.

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