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 January 14, 2014.

Following the slowest week of claiming in more than six months, trainer John Locke reassumed the top spot in our Midlantic Claiming 7, narrowly edging Kieron Magee and Ferris Allen.

Locke has claimed eight horses, one more than those two trainers.  Oddly enough, though, the total value of his claims, $57,500 (average: $7,188) is less than any other member of the top 7.

At the bottom of the list, six trainers claimed five horses each, with Jamie Ness and newcomer Hugh McMahon making the top 7 by virtue of having higher dollar value of their claims.  Patricia Farro, Ronney Brown, Kevin Patterson, and Alejandro Maymo — who claimed five last week alone — were the others with five claims each.

McMahon was the list’s only newcomer.  He replaced Kevin Patterson in 7th position.

McMahon, Scott Lake, and David Jacobson led all trainers with seven horses claimed from them.  The value of McMahon’s seven, $100,000 (average: $14,286) far exceeded the other two.  Jacobson, meanwhile, has in recent months made a habit of plunging horses down the claiming ladder, with the lowest level runners often ending up at Laurel.  He’s had a dozen runners claimed at Laurel since the beginning of September, from just 28 starters.  The seven he’s lost in the last 30 days average a shade over $5,000, for a total value of $37,500.

On the flip side of the ledger, Allen lost just two via the claimbox, leaving him with a net gain of five horses (increase in value: $65,000).  Kieron Magee was next on that list with a net gain of four horses.

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For the week…

It was another sluggish week of claiming this week in the mid-Atlantic.  As a result of cancellations, Penn National ran just one day, and Laurel ran only two.  Moreover, two of Parx Racing’s days were abandoned mid-card, resulting in a loss of 13 races.

Overall, 38 horses were claimed in the region with a combined value of $325,500 (average: $8,566).  The number of claims exactly equaled that of the prior week, but the average, and thus the total, dropped by nearly 23 percent.

Despite the lost races, Parx was the region’s busiest track.  Fourteen horses were claimed in Bensalem, with a combined value of $122,500 (average: $8,750), both totals that easily outpaced the region’s other tracks.  Laurel’s nine claims were second most, while the value of claims at Charles Town, $74,000, was second highest.

The claimbox report covers claiming activity at Laurel Park, Parx Racing, Penn National, and Charles Town.

Weekly Dollar Value of Horses Changing Hands