The Racing Biz has been tracking claiming activity in the mid-Atlantic region and reporting on it weekly for the last several months. We continue that, along with our Midlantic Claiming 7 — the trainers who have been busiest over the prior 30 days, ending in this case on November 5.
Claiming trainers in the mid-Atlantic region were more active this past week than they had been recently, with the number of horses claimed rising nearly 25 percent. But that didn’t translate to any real change in the Midlantic Claiming 7 busiest claiming trainers in the last 30 days, according to our Claimbox report. 
Patricia Farro retained the top spot for the second consecutive week. She has claimed a dozen horses in the last 30 days with a combined value of over $180,000 and an average of more than $15,000. John Locke retained the second spot in the number of horses claimed, with 9, one more than Michael Pino. But the combined value of Pino’s claims — $106,000 — easily outpaced Locke’s.
The only newcomer to the list is David Wells. Best known for having conditioned Rapid Redux during that horse’s long winning streak, Wells holds down the seventh spot on the list, having claimed six horses with a combined value of $39,000 in the last 30 days.
Jamie Ness led all trainers in having horses claimed from him during the period, having lost 10. Pino and Farro ran second and third, respectively, on that side of the ledger. The value of those Farro lost — $99,500 ($12,437 average) — was the highest of any trainer.
The list tracks horses claimed in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and at Parx Racing and Penn National in Pennsylvania and at West Virginia’s Charles Town Races.
For the week…
Claiming activity rose significantly during the week, with the number of horses claimed rising by nearly 25 percent and their value ticking up by 19 percent.
Overall, 61 horses were claimed at the region’s tracks with a combined value of over $613,000. Both numbers were the highest in the last three weeks, though slightly below average. Looking forward, the closure of The Meadowlands — its last day of racing was Saturday — may have a minor impact on the numbers.
Parx Racing and Laurel Park were the busiest tracks. At Laurel, 21 horses changed hands via the claimbox with a combined value of $238,000. The numbers at Parx — 18 and $217,500 — were slightly lower overall, though the value of the average claim was a bit higher ($12,083 versus $11,333). Four of the region’s five tracks — The Meadowlands being the sole exception — saw at least 10 horses claimed during the week.
