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 26.
Claiming activity in the mid-Atlantic region remained steady during the past week, and the composition of our Midlantic Claiming 7 list followed suit, with only one newcomer to the list.
John Locke, second on the list a week ago, wrested the top spot from Michael Pino after a week in which Locke claimed four horses. He has claimed a total of 13 in the last 30 days, though the value of those horses — $100,500 — was just the fourth highest on the list. Michael Pino, tops a week ago, fell to third, with nine horses claimed in the last 30 days, but the value of his claims, $119,000, tops the list.
The only new name on the list is that of Ernest Haynes. The Charles Town-based conditioner checks in with six claims, seventh on the list, for a combined value of $58,750.
For the fourth straight week, Jamie Ness led all trainers in having horses claimed from him during the period. He’s lost 10 in the last 30 days — five more than any other trainer, with a combined value of $108,500, also by far the highest. Michael Pino, Scott Lake, and Patricia Farro all had six horses claimed away from them. Meanwhile, Locke is also atop the list in terms of net gain; he’s claimed 13 and lost just three in the last 30 days, a net gain of 10 horses (and $81,000 in value).
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 essentially held steady this week.
Overall, 62 horses were claimed at the region’s tracks with a combined value of over $544,000 That marked the fourth consecutive week with between 60 and 63 horses claimed, but their average value, of less than $8,800, was the lowest it’s been in months. As a result, the total value of those horses declined by more than 12 percent.
Those numbers continue to be robust given circumstances. The equine herpesvirus outbreak at Parx has continued to be a drag on the number of races and entries there. The track also lost a day to inclement weather, as did both Charles Town and Penn National. Laurel and Penn National proved to be the busiest tracks in the region, with the former seeing 22 horses claimed and the latter, 20. The value of horses claimed at Laurel — $194,750 — was the region’s top.
