The Racing Biz has been tracking claiming activity in the mid-Atlantic region and reporting on it weekly for the last three months.  Two weeks ago, we began reporting on the Midlantic Claiming 7 — the trainers who have been busiest over the prior 30 days, ending in this case on October 1.

Mid-Atlantic claiming activity returned to a more or less normal level — 76 horses with a combined value of $775,000 changing hands this week — and the result was a significant shuffling in our Midlantic Claiming 7, according to our newest Claimbox report.

Trainer Jamie Ness claimed seven horses in the last seven days with a combined value of $80,000.  That vaulted him from not on the list to the top of it, as over the last 30 days, he has claimed 11 horses with a combined value of $172,000 — both tops in the region.  Patricia Farro, third on the list a week ago, has also claimed 11 horses in the last 30 days — four last week — though their combined value of $112,500 lags well behind that of Ness.

Scott Lake, the region’s leading claimer of horses in the first two lists, slipped to third, with eight claims (value: $152,500), after a week in which he made only one claim.  John Locke, another newcomer to the list, claimed five last week to bring his monthly total to eight, the same as Lake, with a combined value $82,250.

The final three trainers — Ramon Moya, Philip Aristone, and Keith LeBarron — all appeared on the list last week.

Locke’s eight claims over the last month were essentially net zero for the month, as he had eight claimed away, with almost the exact same value.  Patricia Farro lost seven in the last 30 days, while the six claimed from Jorge Navarro made him the only trainer to have six figures worth of horses claimed from him; they were worth over $129,000.

The report tracks claims made tracks in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania (excluding Presque Isle), and at Charles Town.

For the week…

After one of its more sluggish weeks in recent months, the mid-Atlantic’s tracks saw claiming activity bounce back to more normal levels this past week.

Overall, 76 horses with a combined value of $775,000 changed hands at the region’s tracks.  That represented a 65 percent increase in the number of horses (from 46) and a 37 percent increase in their value (from $565,000).  The average, however, declined from more than $12,200 to less than $10,200.  The median ticked up slightly, to $8,000.

Parx led the region in claims, with 21 horses taken for a combined value of $201,000.  The 14 horses claimed at Delaware had the highest average value, of more than $12,200.  Every track in the region saw at least seven horses claimed, with all but Charles Town seeing 10 or more.

 

Weekly Dollar Value of Horses Changing Hands