Claimbox: Busier week leads to significant changes in top 7 * The Racing Biz

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 21, 2014.

With claiming activity ticking back upward, there was significant shuffling in the Midlantic Claiming 7: a new name at the top and three new names on the list.

Scott Lake, fourth a week ago, claimed three horses last week and has claimed nine in the last 30 days, tops in the region. The value of those claims, $126,500 (average: $14,056) also led all trainers.

Ferris Allen and Patricia Farro finished in a virtual dead heat for second. Each claimed six horses during the week, with Allen’s claims worth just $750 more in total.

John Locke, first a week ago for the sixth time in seven weeks, dropped off the 30-day list altogether. He did not claim a horse during the most recent week and has claimed three in the last 30 days.

Three trainers not in the top 7 last week joined it this week. These included Farro, in third, Alejandro Maymo (5 claims for $35,000) in fourth, and Ronney Brown in seventh (4 claims for $43,750). Hugh McMahon, seventh a week ago, dropped off the list.

Lake also led all trainers in horses claimed from him. He’s lost six via the claimbox in the last 30 days, with a combined value of $48,750 (average: $8,125). Michael Pino, Michael Trombetta, and Hugh McMahon lost five each in the last 30 days.

Those numbers nevertheless left Lake with a net gain of three horses (and $77,750 in value) for the month, tops among all trainers. Patricia Farro (net gain of three horses, $30,000 in value) and Amy Albright (also a net gain of three horses, $30,000 in value) took the next two spots on the list.

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For the week…

Despite continuing weather-related cancellations, claiming activity ticked upward during the week.

Overall, 43 horses were claimed in the region with a combined value of $480,250 (average: $11,169). The number rose by five, from 38, an increase of 11.6 percent; and the average also rose, by 5.8 percent. As a result, the gross value of claimed horses was up by nearly 17 percent from $399,750 a week ago.

Laurel Park was the busiest track, with 17 horses claimed with a total value of $216,000 (average: $12,706). Both were tops in the region; Penn National was second with 12 claims, though the combined value of those was just $88,000. The eight horses claimed at Parx, for a total $135,500, averaged $16,938, the region’s highest figure.

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