by Steve Bailey

Dare to Dream Stable’s and Jason Desilet’s Mining for Silver was tabbed the 4-to-1 morning-line favorite for the $150,000 Claiming Crown Jewel Stakes on Saturday at Ellis Park.

The Claiming Crown Jewel is the feature among seven stakes that make up the Claiming Crown, a series of seven races with guaranteed purses of $600,000 open to qualifying horses from around the country that have started at least once since August 1, 2006, for a claiming price.

The seven Claiming Crown races drew an average of 10.3 starters per race with five races drawing ten contenders or more. The $100,000 Claiming Crown Emerald Stakes for three-year-olds which have started for a claiming price of $25,000 or less over the past year drew a full field of 14.

Eighty-three horses were pre-entered for the event with 72 actually drawing into the individual race fields.

Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, was the host track for seven of the first eight Claiming Crown events, which has been called the “Breeders’ Cup for claiming horses.” Philadelphia Park held the event in 2002.

Mining for Silver will face nine challengers in the Claiming Crown Jewel, including Kings Challenge, who was installed at 5-to-1 second choice on the morning line.

Kentucky-based horses dominate the card, and the strongest favorite is Golden Hare at 7-to-5 in the Claiming Crown Express, a six-furlong race for horses which have started for a claiming price $7,500 or less during the past year. Trained by national leader Steve Asmussen, Golden Hare has won 11 of his last 12 starts.

Three-time stakes winner General Charley was made the 7-to-2 morning-line favorite for the 1 1/16-mile Emerald on the Ellis Park turf. The five-year-old Truluck horse enters off a victory in the Brooks Fields Stakes on June 9 at Canterbury Park.

Nine-time winner Unplugged, who has won five times and hit the board in ten of 12 starts this season, will take on nine challengers in the $100,000 Claiming Crown Tiara Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the turf for fillies and mares three years old and older which have started for a claiming price of $25,000 or less during the past year.

Post time for the first of the Claiming Crown races is scheduled for 2:04 p.m. CDT with post time for the Claiming Crown Jewel set for 5:07 p.m. CDT.

Steve Bailey is deputy news editor for Thoroughbred Times