BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Notable Exchange looks for her second win of the year and first in her fourth start for trainer Michael Maker and owner David Staudacher in Saturday’s $150,000 Tiara, one of nine Claiming Crown races worth a total of $1.2 million at Churchill Downs. Nine fillies and mares, 3-year-old and older, who have started for a claiming price of $25,000 or less in 2025-26 are scheduled for a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the grass as part of the 28th running of the Claiming Crown.
The Claiming Crown puts the spotlight on claiming horses—and their owners and trainers—and is staged annually by the National Horsemen’s Benevolence & Protective Association and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association in conjunction with the host track and its HBPA affiliate, in this case the Kentucky HBPA.
A 4-year-old daughter of Pleasant Acres Stallions’ Neolithic, Notable Exchange was a dominant winner of a first condition allowance race taken off the turf at Tampa Bay Downs in March, winning by six-and-a-half lengths for then owner and trainer Michael Dini. She next tried Florida-bred stakes horses in the $100,000 Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf at Tampa Bay on March 29, but finished sixth, but only four lengths off winner Souper Zonda. She then chased home Souper Zonda again in a Florida-bred stakes at Gulfstream Park on April 25, finishing just two-and-a-half lengths back in fifth in the $100,000 FHBPA Filly and Mare Turf.
A $50,000 claiming going a mile on the Aqueduct inner turn during the Belmont at Big A meet on May 22 was next, resulting in a third-place finish and a claim by Maker and Staudacher.
They gave her a three-month break, bringing her back for a $74,850 overnight handicap on the grass at Colonial Downs on August 22 when she finished fourth. Maker then sent her to Kentucky Downs on September 5 for a second level, $80,000 optional claiming where she came in third. In her last race, Notable Exchange was a tiring sixth in a $55,000 starter allowance going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the new synthetic course at Belmont Park on October 17.
Notable Exchange is out of Exchangeable, by Exchange Rate and was bred in Florida by Helen and Joseph Barbazon of Morriston. Notable Exchange has three wins, six seconds and two thirds in 22 career races with earnings of $175,280.
Junior Alvarado has the call on Notable Exchange from post three and they are 6-1 on the morning line.
Nerazurri, winner of the $250,000 Lady Jacqueline (Listed) at Thistledown in June, is the 4-5 morning line favorite.
Trained by Mark Casse for Michael H. Eiserman, the 4-year-old Nerazurri has raced on grass only once in 21 career races, finishing fourth behind winning Florida-bred Ashima in last year’s Tiara at Churchill Downs on November 15.
In nine starts this year, she has three wins, both in restricted stakes going eight-and-a-half furlongs at Oaklawn Park in the $135,000 Oakawn Sprint on January 1 and in the $135,000 Trivista on February 27.
Nerazurri is by Protonico out of Beautiful Liar, by Candy Ride (Arg) and has won six with three seconds and three thirds with earnings of $741,738.
Casse will give a leg up on Nerazurri to Jose Ortiz and they have post five.
Rounding out the field for the Tiara are Smiling Ellie with Luis Saez up, Fernando De La Cruz has the call on Polka Polenta, Bijou Baby and jockey Emmanuel Esquivel, Lady Iona will have Cristian Torres in the saddle, Jaime Torres has the assignment on Wandering Kirby, Goats On a Tree teams with jockey Tyler Gaffalione and Santo Sanjur has the engagement on Asteria.
Return to the November 13 issue of Wire to Wire
