Some will tell you different, but the truth of the matter is that there are no secrets on the backstretch of any racetrack, just rumors, innuendo, facts, sometimes-hazy facts and then reality.
So when 9 different trainers put in a claim for any particular horse, there is a strong possibility that this horse is going in the right direction at this point in time.
Enter Gatheratthealter, who left the barn Dean Peterson on 10/16 having been claimed by Dan Hendricks.
Peterson himself claimed this runner from Steve Specht last year so what goes around comes around. The gelding had won half of his 6 starts before the 10/16 race and had only been out of the money once in his career and that came in his Southern California debut.
By versatile stakes winner and over $200,000 earner Lucky Pulpit, Gatheratthealter’s dam was a non-winner but she dropped several multiple winners including double stakes winner and near $250,000 earner Gn. Group Meeting.
This sophomore has enough speed most of the time to maintain contact but can be placed anywhere and still fire. He has handled yielding and firm grass and has won on the synthetic.
Online horseracing fans should give him the double take if he returns in a claimer between $20,000 and $32,000 and take a legit shot at him on the win end.
Nobody gives anything away in the racing game so when a trainer claims back a horse, players have to take immediate note.
Judge Joan fits into this category. The filly debuted for Jeff Mullins, was claimed away from him in June, then he re-purchased the runner in August. Mullins then lost the runner to Ron Ellis on October 23, who won a 5-trainer shake for the runner.
The miss is on the cheap side but she has been in the money in 7 of her 13 outs, and although she has speed, she can track and still excel.
Versatile enough to handle conventional dirt or the Cushion at Hollywood Park, players can be assured that Ellis will be patient and place her in the right spot for her next out. If she double jumps in class that will be a very positive sign.
Any runner that can win 9 of 29 starts can be an asset in a barn and Man Chester Man fits the bill.
He ran in stakes early in his career, has been claimed three times in his career and Doug O’Neill won a 4-way shake for him on October 21.
This runner has plenty of upside to him. He ran well in only start on grass, showed he could handle the synthetic when second at Del Mar and brings a super stalk and rally style to the table.
Best when pushed along on the front end routing, if this gelding comes back in a $12.500 claimer or even a $16,000 claiming spot last time it will need to be seriously addressed.
The bottom line is that when a number of different horsemen want a particular horse, it speaks volumes about the potential upside of the runner.