BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-breds Ashima, Our Liberty Belle and Seat At the Table are included in an overflow field set for Saturday’s Claiming Crown Tiara, a $150,000 test scheduled for a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf at Churchill Downs. Ashima and Our Liberty Belle are among the dozen fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older, in the body of the race, while Seat at the Table is the first of four on the also-eligible list.
First run in 1999, the Claiming Crown is made up of eight starter allowance races with $1.1 million in purses and deemed the claiming horse owners’ Breeders’ Cup. It was created from a partnership between the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders’ Association and this year has 121 entries, of which 11 are Florida-breds, from the stables of 110 trainers with 54 jockeys.
Trainer Sal Santoro claimed Ashima for $8,000 out of a four-and-a-half-length victory at Gulfstream Park in November of 2024 then won the $75,000 Sunshine Fillies and Mare Turf for Florida-breds going a mile at Gulfstream on Jan. 11. The victory was the third in a string of six consecutive wins for Ashima, a span that continued through May 17 with a three-quarters of a length score in a first level, $25,000 optional claiming going a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Gulfstream.
In four starts since, she has a win, two seconds and a third at Gulfstream. She produced a six-and-a-quarter-length victory in a $12,000 starter allowance, $20,000 optional claiming on July 18 and was second to Starship Implusive in the $70,000 Frolic’s Revenge overnight handicap on Aug. 16. In her last out, she was third in an upper level, $62,500 optional claiming going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the grass on Oct. 18.
Ashima is owned by Wallace R. Moore Jr. and overall, has nine wins, three seconds and three thirds in 19 races with earnings of $259,170. She is out of the Colonel John mare Nurse John and was bred in Florida by Cat Racing Stable.
Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Ashima from post seven and they are the 3-1 morning line favorites.
Our Liberty Belle makes her turf debut in her third start for trainer Joe Sharp, who conditions the 5-year-old mare for TEC Racing. In both races for Sharp, she was beaten three-and-three-quarters lengths in $20,000 starter allowances, first finishing fifth going six-and-a-half furlongs at Churchill on Sept. 17 then fourth last out going a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Keeneland on Oct. 25.
She won a $20,000 starter allowance three races back going a mile-and-an-eighth in slop at Saratoga on July 27 when trained by Wayne Potts. Potts also won a $4,000 claiming with Our Liberty Belle during the Belmont at Big A meet in May after claiming her for $32,000 at Aqueduct in April.
Our Liberty Belle is by American Pharoah out of Successful Song, by Successful Appeal and was bred in Florida by Live Oak Stud. She has earned $290,264 from eight wins, three seconds and two thirds from 19 lifetime races.
Emmanuel Esquivel has the call on Our Liberty Belle from post two. They are 10-1 on the morning line.
Seat At the Table was claimed two starts back by trainer Philip Antonacci for $75,000 out of a second level, optional claiming going a mile-and-three-eighths on the turf during the Belmont at Big A meet on May 26. In one start for Antonacci, she was third in a $25,000 starter allowance going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the grass at Colonial Downs on Aug. 21.
Bred in Florida by Haras Buen Borincano Inc., Seat At the Table is by The Factor out of the Mizzen Mast mare Table for Six.
She is owned by Sanford J. Goldfarb and Junior Alvarado is named to ride.
Also entered are Settling Storm with jockey Mario Gutierrez, Getaway Palace has Franciso Martinez taking the riding assignment, Story Hour will have Keith Asmussen in the irons, Fernando De La Cruz is named on Vinos Angel, Nerazurri will be guided by Jose Ortiz, Lady Outofline Blue has Frankie Pennington named to ride, Morning Miracle will carry Jaime A. Torres, Windy Walk with Luis Saez up, Goats On a Tree has Tyler Gaffalione named in the program and jockey Forest Boyce will ride Cairo Street. Show Off, Differently and Ask Amanda join Seat At the Table on the also-eligible list.
Return to the November 13 issue of Wire to Wire
