Where Would You Like to See the Claiming Crown?

Last Saturday marked the 12th running of the Claiming Crown (www.claimingcrown.com), a fantastic and lucrative day of racing during which the hardworking claiming horses, owners and trainers take center stage for some much deserved recognition. For every prominent owner or trainer who has a number of stakes horses and wins a Claiming Crown race, there are many more less famous horsemen who have the experience of a lifetime with the horses they enter in the Claiming Crown. They get the red carpet rolled out for them by the host track and host organizations, and they get a chance to compete against and beat some of the best horse people in the business.

Put on every year by the National HBPA and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders' Association, this $500,000 day of racing has been hosted ten times by Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, one time by Philadelphia Park in Pennsylvania, and one time by Ellis Park in Kentucky. All three tracks have proven excellent hosts, and a return to any of them would always be a welcome one.

That said, the original intent behind the Claiming Crown was to move it around to different tracks periodically. While any track has the potential to host a Claiming Crown if the track and its horsemen are willing to contribute the necessary funds towards the event's purses, other factors that are important are:

• Whether or not it is easy to ship to the track
  
• Whether the track's simulcast signal is widely distributed and readily available to potential bettors
  
• Whether the track is racing and the climate is suitable for such an event on a Saturday afternoon in mid-to-late July
  

Keeping in mind those factors, where do you think would be a good host track in the future for a renewal of the Claiming Crown? Let us know.