The Racing Biz has been tracking claiming activity in the mid-Atlantic region and reporting on it weekly for the last several months, in our Claimbox report. 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 19.
Claiming activity in the mid-Atlantic region dipped last week after three straight increases, and there was minor shuffling among the Midlantic Claiming 7 list.
Michael Pino remained atop the list for the second consecutive week, leading all regional trainers in both the number and value of horses claimed. He’s taken 10 in the last 30 days, with a combined value of $126,500. John Locke has also taken 10, but at a lower total value.
For the second straight week, two new names appear on the list: Kieron Magee and Jamie Ness. Magee claimed six horses in the last week — for five different owners — to jump from unranked to third on the list, with nine claims in the last 30 days. Jamie Ness, who’d been on the list for several prior weeks before falling off last week, returned after a week in which he claimed six horses. Keith LeBarron and Juan Vazquez both fell off the list.
For the third straight week, Jamie Ness led all trainers in having horses claimed from him during the period. He’s lost 13 in the last 30 days — six more than any other trainer, with a combined value of $134,750, also by far the highest. Locke, who has lost three horses in the last 30 days via the claimbox, showed the highest net gain of any trainer, adding a net of seven horses and $74,000 in value. On the flip side, Ness lost five more than he claimed.
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 dipped this last week after three consecutive weeks of gains.
Overall, 60 horses were claimed at the region’s tracks with a combined value of over $621,000. Those numbers were off from last week by 4.76 percent and 14.29 percent, respectively, and both were down a bit from the averages of recent months (62, and $677,500). The average and median prices of claimed horses also declined this week.
Those numbers were, however, surprisingly robust. One obvious drag on them was the situation at Parx Racing, often the busiest track in the region; an outbreak of equine herpesvirus there has led to the quarantine of two barns and the prohibition of horses shipping in to race. That in turn has created short fields and, on at least one day, a shortened card. As a result, Parx saw just 13 claims in the last week, for a combined $160,000. Laurel Park led all tracks during the last week; 26 horses were claimed there for a combined $296,000.
