New York Claiming Championship Series Returns

The New York Claiming Championship series returns for the seventh year on March 26 at Aqueduct Racetrack with 10 starter stakes worth $620,000.

The New York Claiming Championship is open to horses which have started for a prescribed claiming price in 2021-22. The 10-race series, each named after some of the most popular claiming horses to run at the Big A, features distances ranging from six furlongs to 1 3/8 miles. A total of 93 horses were entered across the 10 races.

Robert Falcone Jr. will saddle four starters on the lucrative card, including Answer In  in the featured $80,000 Caixa Eletronica, a seven-furlong sprint for 4-year-olds and up that drew a field of eight in race 9.

"Days like this are important," Falcone said. "The claiming rank and allowance horses make up the race cards day in and day out. It's good to have a day for them. They are all really nice horses, but not every horse can be a million-dollar horse. It's nice for them to get a shot to run in a starter stakes. These are the types of horses who make the cards go each day."

Beast Mode Racing's Answer In, a 5-year-old Dialed In   gelding, was claimed for $40,000 out of a winning effort by Falcone in December at the Big A. He followed with a close second in a six-furlong allowance optional claiming sprint at first asking for new connections.

"He came into the barn well. Brad (former trainer Cox) does an excellent job," Falcone said. "He kept going the right way from there. When we claim a horse, you hope to aim for a race like this. It makes for a real fun race and I'm excited about it. He's classy and does everything right."

Kendrick Carmouche will guide Answer In from post 3.

Owner/trainer Linda Rice will send out Zoomer , who is currently on a two-race win streak having been claimed on each occasion.

Dylan Davis has the call from post 2.

Rounding out the field are Prince James  (post 1, Manny Franco), More Graytful  (post 4, Jose Gomez), Repo Rocks  (post 5, Ruben Silvera), Mexican Wonder Boy  (post 6, Trevor McCarthy), Whistling Birds  (post 7, Eric Cancel), and Son of an Ex  (post 8, Samuel Camacho Jr.).

The action kicks off in race 1, the $75,000 Xtra Heat for fillies and mares 4-years-old and upward traveling 6 1/2 furlongs.

Its Cold in Dehere  enters off two runner-up efforts at the one-turn allowance optional claiming level for trainer Linda Rice. The 6-year-old Ice Box  mare completed the exacta behind stakes winners Glass Ceiling  and Hey Mamaluke  in her last two efforts. She will seek her first win since running for a $62,500 tag in a November allowance optional claimer at Churchill Downs for previous trainer Norm Casse.

Jose Lezcano will ride from post 1.

Prairie Fire  will seek a second straight victory for owner/trainer Charlton Baker. The 6-year-old Posse  chestnut mare was claimed by Baker for $25,000 last out going seven furlongs on Feb. 20 at Aqueduct.

Dylan Davis will ride from post 7.

Completing the field are My Girl Lexi , Sweet Mia , Easy to Bless , Shesalittle Edgy , and Cazilda Fortytales .

Race 2 features the $45,000 Belle Gallantey, a seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 4-years-old and upward that will see Indian Bella  cut back from a one-turn mile for trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci.

The 7-year-old daughter of Bellamy Road  earned her 10th triumph in 40 starts last out, winning for a $12,500 tag on March 6 at the Big A. The victory was her first since August 2020, where she defeated starter optional claiming company at Prairie Meadows by 4 1/4 lengths.

Indian Bella will break from post 3 under return pilot Trevor McCarthy.

Michael Foster's Witch Hunter  also seeks back-to-back triumphs, entering off a first-level allowance coup on Feb. 25 for Baker. The 5-year-old Khozan   mare, bred in New York by Brent and Crystal Fernung, has finished at least second in seven of her last eight starts, which include a pair of victories last summer at Gulfstream Park.

Davis will ride from post 4.

Completing the field are Starship Reina , First Forever , Sniff , Investment Grade , and Awesomenewyear .

Flying P Stable's Dark Money  brings a two-race win streak into the $55,000 Kelly Kip for older horses sprinting six furlongs in race 3.

The 6-year-old Central Banker   gelding was claimed for $25,000 by Tom Morley out of an easy four-length claiming triumph last time out for his former owner and trainer Rudy Rodriguez.

The consistent bay has amassed $435,957 in purse earnings with a record of 12-4-2 from 30 starts. He has won two of his three starts this year with a runner-up effort to kick off his 2022 campaign on New Year's Day.

Jose Gomez retains the mount from post 1.

Well-traveled veteran High Five Cotton  ships in from Tampa Bay Downs to make start number 67 for trainer Reynaldo Richards and owner Roger Sterling. A gelded son of High Cotton , High Five Cotton will look to improve off a runner-up effort last time out in a 6 1/2-furlong claiming sprint at Tampa. The 8-year-old dark bay has won 17 races across five different racetracks.

Trevor McCarthy picks up the mount from post 4.

Rounding out the field are Belle Tapisserie , Smile Bryan , Dee Bo , Tapizearance , P J Advantage , and Karen's Cove .

Foxtail , owned and trained by Rice, will look for the first win of her 8-year-old campaign when she takes on the $60,000 Sis City for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up traveling one mile in race 4.

She enters from a runner-up effort in a $12,500 claimer at Aqueduct March 6 when beaten a neck after stalking the pace and battling to the wire with Indian Bella.

The daughter of Mizzen Mast  has compiled a record of 8-3-4 from 31 starts with one win at the Big A and total purse earnings of $343,616.

Carmouche will ride from post 1.

Gringotts  arrives off a string of in-the-money efforts in four claiming races at Aqueduct for trainer Chandradat Goberdhan, most recently finishing a close second to Prairie Fire in a $25,000 claiming contest sprinting seven furlongs Feb. 20.

Owned by Emily Racing Stable, Gringotts is seeking her first trip to the winner's circle since an allowance victory at Finger Lakes in May. The bay Central Banker mare has a record of 4-4-4 from 27 lifetime starts.

Heman Harkie has call from post 9.

Completing the field are Game Theory , A Ring Thing , Daria's Angel , Bee Bit , Infringement , Honey Money , and Customerexperience .

Graded stakes-placed Doubly Blessed  will vie for his first victory since May 2021 in the $60,000 More to Tell for older horses going a one-turn mile in Race 5.

Trained by Mike Maker for Three Diamonds Farm, Doubly Blessed was last seen finishing second to graded stakes-winner Green Light Go in the Stymie at the Big A on Feb. 26, beaten 3 3/4 lengths after being bumped at the start and rallying from fifth.

The 5-year-old son of Empire Maker  picked up graded black type when he finished third in the 2021 Kelso (G2) at Belmont Park behind multiple grade 1 winner Life Is Good .

Doubly Blessed will emerge from post 4 with Franco in the irons.

Trainer and co-owner Rudy Rodriguez will send out stakes winner Tiergan  to try and make it two-in-a-row after a strong optional claiming win at the Big A last time out on March 6, soundly defeating five foes by 4 3/4 lengths.

Campaigned by Rodriguez with Michael Imperio and Andrew Gurdon, Tiergan won an off-the-turf edition of the Ashley T. Cole at Belmont in September.

The son of Afleet Alex  will break from post 5 with McCarthy aboard.

Rounding out the field are American Lincoln , Merchants of Cool , Pier Forty , Fast Break , Spectatorless , Johnnypump , Hammerin Aamer , Forever Wicked , and Striking Speed .

Prestine Racing's South Sea  brings winning form into the $70,000 Peeping Tom in race 6 going 6 1/2 furlongs for 4-year-olds and upward.

The 8-year-old Into Mischief gelding was claimed for $16,000 last out from a 9 1/2-length romp in a six-furlong sprint on Jan. 22 at the Big A. The hard-knocking gelding has hit the board in each of his last six starts.

McCarthy retains the mount from post 6.

Also entered are Lost in Rome , Supreme Aura , Blake B, Magnificent Chrome , Mount Travers , Aristocratic , Baby I'm Perfect , and Brilliant Brooks .

Cover Photo , a 5-year-old daughter of Munnings, will attempt to earn her first win for trainer Randi Persaud when she sprints six furlongs in race 7, the $55,000 Videogenic for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up.

A popular horse in the claim box, Cover Photo has won three of her last four starts for three sets of connections, most recently skipping away to a four-length $10,000 claiming victory on March 13 for previous conditioner Michael Miceli. She was claimed out of that effort by Peter E. Bell, who won a three-way shake for the 6-year-old chestnut.

Cover Photo will be piloted by Benjamin Hernandez from post 7.

The Jeffrey Englehart-trained Shasta Star  also enters from a last-out claiming win at the Big A, closing from off the pace to grind out a three-quarter-length victory over returning rival Quality Stones on Feb. 21 for owner Robert Photos.

The stakes-winning Ready's Image   mare took down the 2019 California Governor's Cup Handicap at Sacramento and has finished off the board just twice in her last nine outings.

Shasta Star will break from post 1 with McCarthy up.

Completing the field are Quality Stones , Bustin Bay , Awesome Indra , Barista Vixen , Shadolamo , and Ok Honey .

Gus Ginesin's Blewitt , a horse-for-course with six wins and three seconds from 11 starts at the Big A, headlines the $75,000 Stud Muffin in race 8, a 1 3/8-mile endurance test for 4-year-olds and upward.

Trained by John Toscano Jr. the 8-year-old Uncle Mo   bay enters from a one-length win in a nine-furlong claiming tilt. The veteran of 24 career starts was claimed for $25,000 out of a winning effort at nine furlongs three starts back.

Davis retains the mount from post 4.

Rob Atras will saddle defending race champion Air Attack  for owner Robert Derr. The 6-year-old Curlin   gelding is winless in five starts since capturing last year's test by one length, but enters from a good third traveling nine furlongs for a $40,000 tag.

Franco retains the mount from post 2.

A loaded field of 12 includes Battalion , Roman Empire , Fleet Irish , Super John , Original Intent , Bellamy Dolce , Giocare , Bar Fourteen , Sir William , and Therisastormbrewin .

Irving Kalensky and Joseph Loner's No Salt  brings the class when cutting back to seven furlongs for race 10, the $45,000 Dads Caps at seven furlongs for 4-year-olds and upward.

The Michael Miceli-trained Tonalist   gelding, bred in New York by Larry Goichman, faced stakes winners Tiergan , Water's Edge , and Yankee Division  in his last three starts at state-bred optional claiming level. No Salt last found the winner's circle four starts back on Dec. 18, defeating fellow New York-breds at 6 1/2 furlongs over the Aqueduct main track.

Davis will pick up the mount from post 11.

Beast Mode Racing's Magnetron  will enter off one week's rest after being claimed for $10,000 by trainer Robert Falcone, Jr. Bred in New York by SF Racing Group, the 7-year-old Take Charge Indy   gelding saw a cutback to seven furlongs for his last out victory over the Big A main track. He was previously a narrow second twice at Aqueduct going a one-turn mile for an $8,000 tag.

Carmouche will ride from post 7.

Completing the field are Binkster , Mi Tres Por Ciento , Healy's Hope , Direct Order , Tale of Mist , Joycee Haz Pizzaz , Next Flight , Bedazzling , Trappeze Artist , Confectioner , Winning Drive , and Anything Pazible .

First post for Saturday's card is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.