Gaudet hoping Churchill Claiming Crown feels like home * The Racing Biz

Gaudet hoping Churchill Claiming Crown feels like home

Trainer has pair of live runners

The Biz
November 14, 2026

Saturday’s Claiming Crown at Churchill Downs will have a Midlantic flavor, with horses like Kerness K, Zero Blitz, Bold Diversion, and Brie’s in Town among the runners.

For Maryland trainer Lacey Gaudet, the event represents both a familiar destination and a chance to cash in on two very different approaches to arriving at the big races.

Gaudet will saddle Initialize, the 7-2 morning line favorite in the $150,000 Claiming Crown Canterbury Stakes, and Indy Charges On, the 7-2 second choice in the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel.

This article contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a commission at no extra charge to you.

Get tickets now!

Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!

Both race for Alex Thiele’s Thiele Thoroughbreds, and both arrive in good form. But their paths to Louisville could hardly have been more different.

Initialize, who contests the turf sprint in race nine, joined Gaudet’s barn just two weeks ago, on Oct. 28, after Thiele reached in to claim the five-year-old gelding for $80,000. Indy Charges On, meanwhile, has been a longer-term project, a $55,000 claim May 30 taken with the Claiming Crown the target almost from the beginning.

“Alex Thiele, he loves the claiming ranks,” Gaudet said on Midlantic Racing Today. “He loves the starter horses. He loves to be able to wheel back.”

Initialize’s quick turnaround was possible because the horse arrived in excellent condition, Gaudet said. Though acquired for $80,000, he remains eligible for the Canterbury under its $25,000 starter conditions.

“He came into us in great condition, so we’re just trying to maintain that,” Gaudet said. “Running back is pretty much a lateral move, and [we] hope to have some success there.”

After Saturday, Initialize may head west. Thiele already has horses in California and is considering sending more there for the winter, particularly turf runners whose opportunities become limited farther east.

Indy Charges On, who contests the 1 1/8-mile Jewel in race 11, has followed a more deliberate path.

Thiele originally approached Gaudet about claiming a horse in Maryland on the recommendation of trainer John Ortiz. Gaudet persuaded him to leave the horse in her care, and the two developed a plan aimed at Saturday’s rich prize.

A layoff complicated matters, prompting Gaudet to bring Indy Charges On back at seven furlongs rather than immediately stretching him around two turns. The preparation paid off when he subsequently won a two-turn starter race at Keeneland.

“That definitely helped him get into the race in great form at Keeneland,” she said, “and hopefully that sets him up for a great day on Saturday.”

Jose Ortiz has the mount.

Gaudet said both horses trained well Thursday morning after arriving at Churchill Wednesday evening. Initialize likely will walk Saturday morning, while the somewhat nervous Indy Charges On may jog early to take the edge off before his evening assignment.

The Claiming Crown holds particular appeal for Gaudet, whose family has long made its living developing claiming horses.

Gaudet’s first Claiming Crown experience came in 2016, when she brought three runners to the event at Gulfstream Park, winning with Marabea while stable star John Jones finished third and Music Critik finished eighth — but beaten just two lengths.

“We love it,” she said. “Especially coming from Maryland and my background with my father, we always claimed horses.”

Gaudet takes particular satisfaction in improving claimed horses, often through small adjustments and individual attention.

“To see claiming horses flourish in your barn and really move up, that’s a great accomplishment for any trainer,” she said.

Saturday, she’ll have two chances to do just that on one of the claiming game’s biggest stages.