Aztec Sense Extends Win Streak in Claiming Crown Jewel
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Lauren King
Aztec Sense after winning the Claiming Crown Jewel at Gulfstream Park
With 16 horses entered in six of the nine races comprising Gulfstream Park's 20th annual Claiming Crown Dec. 1, trainer Jorge Navarro stacked the deck in his favor and was justly rewarded.
Capping off a banner day in which Navarro trainees claimed three races on the opening day of the Championship Meet, Aztec Sense sealed the deal in the headlining $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel Stakes, and remained undefeated in eight starts for 2018.
"Amazing day," Navarro said. "I told my wife, 'If we can win three races today, it's a touchdown.'"
After finishing fourth in the Claiming Crown Rapid Transit Stakes last year, Joseph Besecker's Aztec Sense returned to the Claiming Crown with renewed purpose. Sent off as the 7-5 favorite in Saturday's 12-horse field, he broke sharply in the 1 1/8-mile dirt test and raced two wide as last's year's Jewel winner and fellow Navarro trainee Flowers for Lisa set the pace through the first half-mile in :47.70.
In range of the leader along the backstretch, Aztec Sense made his move under jockey Emisael Jaramillo three furlongs from home and took control of the field briefly by a half-length before being passed by a driving Rich Daddy.
Shifting out to race five wide in the upper stretch, Aztec Sense dug in with a final kick as the field approached the wire, dueling with Rich Daddy before collaring the short-lived leader to win by a neck in a final time of 1:52.75.
"Our plan coming into the race was to not go to the lead as usual, because Jorge had three horses in this race and my horse was a better fit to run from behind," Jaramillo said. "I had to control him a bit to avoid trouble during the trip, but my horse responded very well down the stretch."
Stablemate Zulu rallied late to take third, followed by Race Me Home, The Scotsman, and Chris and Dave. Flowers for Lisa finished seventh ahead of St. Louie Guy, Bad Student, Prince Tito, Unbridled Holiday, and Capital Letters.
"Going into the race, I kept asking myself, and I told my wife, I was worried. It's always in the back of your head," Navarro said. "I don't know how trainers win 20 times in a row. The time's going to come when he's going to lose a race. That was the only thing worrying me. I thought he was done. At the quarter pole, I said, 'We're done,' but Jaramillo told me at the half-mile pole he still had plenty of horse."
Claimed for $12,500 by Besecker in 2017 at Parx Racing, Aztec Sense was bred in Kentucky by Chuck Fipke out of the A.P. Indy mare Aztec Pearl. The 5-year-old son of Street Sense improved his record to 12 wins from 36 starts, with earnings of $546,807.
Earlier on the card, Navarro notched victories with Salsa's Return in the Iron Horse Stakes and Misschief Maas in the Glass Slipper Stakes.
Uno Mas Modelo kicked off the Claiming Crown in Race 2 with a win in the Rapid Transit Stakes for trainer Anthony Quartarolo. Appealing Future won two races later in the Express Stakes by a neck and was followed by Oxford Comma, who took the Distaff Dash Stakes for trainer Tom Amoss.
Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Great Britain-bred Peru took the Tiara Stakes, and jockey Chris Landeros guided Rocket Heat to victory in the Canterbury Stakes. The Canterbury was the second win of the day for Landeros, who partnered with Misschief Maas in the Glass Slipper.
Uncle B rounded out the stakes-laden card with a win in the Emerald Stakes for owner David Caprio.
Total handle for the day reached a record $13.612 million, surpassing the mark of $11.925 million set last year.