Victory Rally (inside) held off Another Broad to win the Geisha Stakes at Laurel Park. Photo by Laurie Asseo.
by Frank Vespe
Claiming activity in the mid-Atlantic region rose in 2018 versus 2017, with more than $25 million in horses changing hands via the claimbox in the region.
In all, the number of horses claimed rose by 4.4 percent from 2017, reaching a total of 2,403 during 2018. The average value of claims also rose slightly — by 1.3 percent — and as a result, the total value of claimed horses was up 5.77 percent. That figure reached more than $25.5 million in 2018 versus a bit less than $24.2 million last year.
In all, 393 trainers claimed at least one horse in 2018, led by Jamie Ness, who grabbed 90 during the year, accounting, by himself, for more than $1.1 million in claiming activity. He claimed more horses than any other trainer during the Delaware Park meet — 20 — and also was in the top five for the year at Laurel Park (18 claims, good for fourth) and Parx Racing (50 claims, the third most).
On the other side of the ledger, Ness also had more horses claimed away from him than did any other trainer. He lost 79 horses via the claimbox, 17 more than Mike Pino, who was second, with 62.
What about the horses themselves? The horse most often claimed during 2018 was Chelios; the now-eight-year-old gelding was claimed eight times during 2018. That was one more time than five other runners.
The claimbox report covers Charles Town Races, Delaware Park, Laurel Park, the Meadowlands Thoroughbred meet, Monmouth Park, Penn National, Parx Racing, Pimlico, and Timonium. All data derived from Equibase figures.
CLAIMS BY TRACK
| TRACK | CLAIMS | TOTAL VALUE | AVERAGE VALUE |
| CT | 142 | $ 981,250.00 | $ 6,910.21 |
| DEL | 159 | $ 1,596,500.00 | $ 10,040.88 |
| LRL | 548 | $ 7,186,750.00 | $ 13,114.51 |
| MED | 3 | $ 26,000.00 | $ 8,666.67 |
| MTH | 146 | $ 1,849,000.00 | $ 12,664.38 |
| PEN | 328 | $ 2,847,500.00 | $ 8,681.40 |
| PIM | 22 | $ 275,250.00 | $ 12,511.36 |
| PRX | 1027 | $ 10,532,500.00 | $ 10,255.60 |
| TIM | 28 | $ 272,000.00 | $ 9,714.29 |
CLAIMS BY TRAINER
