Sharp Brings Card-High Five to Claiming Crown Showcase Day at Colonial Downs

A year after winning two races on Colonial Downs’ Claiming Crown Showcase Day, Joe Sharp returns Saturday, Aug. 22, with a card-high five starters across four qualifiers.

The nine Claiming Crown qualifiers offer $612,500 in purses, with the top two finishers in each earning automatic berths to the Nov. 14 Claiming Crown at Churchill Downs. First post for the 11-race card is 12:30 p.m. ET.

Sharp won last year’s Rapid Transit with Gilmore and the Iron Horse with Curlin’s Malibu, while Mercy Warren finished second in the Glass Slipper. Sharp has won four Claiming Crown races since 2022, including a 2023 double with Runway Magic and Money Supply and last year’s Iron Horse with Curlin’s Malibu.

This year’s group is newer to the barn: three will make their first start for Sharp and two will make their second. Four were claimed during the Churchill Downs spring meet, where Sharp repeated as leading trainer, while Coquito was claimed in June at Belmont. The five face a range of new assignments, including changes in distance, surface and equipment.

Sharp’s day begins in Race 4 with Excel Calculator in the $62,500 Rapid Transit Qualifier. The 6-year-old, whose three wins have all come at a mile, cuts back to seven furlongs for the first sprint of his career.

“I do think he’s probably better suited with a little more ground, but the starter eligibility fits him perfectly,” Sharp said. “He’s fresh, training really forwardly, and if we’re ever going to try seven furlongs, now makes sense.”

Sharp’s strongest chance may come with Coquito, the 9-5 favorite in the $50,000 Glass Slipper Qualifier. Making her second start for the barn, the four-time 2026 winner returns to a mile after finishing third as the favorite going seven furlongs on Aug. 7 at Saratoga.

“I thought she ran a decent race the other day, but I do think the mile suits her better,” Sharp said. “I like the way the race sets up on paper, and I think she looks like the horse to beat.”

Sharp found no major excuse for the Saratoga loss, other than the possibility that she was asked to quicken sooner than ideal.

One race later, Goodbetterbest makes her first start for Sharp in the $75,000 Tiara Qualifier at 1 1/16 miles on turf. Freshened after a busy campaign, she has trained sharply at Ellis Park.

“I think a mile and a sixteenth is fine for her,” Sharp said. “She was just kind of a tired horse when we got her. She had run a lot, and I think she needed a little freshening. She’s doing great for us.”

The Tiara was not a long-range target, but Sharp views Goodbetterbest as competitive with the rest of the field, apart from Smiling Ellie, whom he considers the horse to beat.

Sharp saves his two-pronged attack for the finale, sending out Westside Tide and Funny Uncle in the $87,500 Emerald Qualifier at 1 1/16 miles on turf. A field of 12 older males is entered.

Westside Tide represents the biggest investment among Sharp’s new acquisitions. TEC Racing claimed the 5-year-old for $75,000 in June, and he brings stakes and graded-stakes experience to his first start for the barn.

“We claimed him, and I thought he ran well the day we took him despite having kind of a troubled trip,” Sharp said. “He has some really good back races, and if anything, this should probably be a bit of class relief considering the company he’s been keeping.”

Westside Tide adds blinkers after training in them at Turfway Park.

“Kylie (Wellington), my assistant at Turfway, said he seems like a more genuine horse with the blinkers on,” Sharp said. “He wore them once a long time ago without much success, but from my experience around him, I don’t think the blinkers had anything to do with that result. We’re just using a little cheater cup, and hopefully it helps him stay a little more engaged.”

Funny Uncle makes his second start for Sharp after successfully stretching out first off the claim. His customary late-running style gave the trainer reason to believe more distance could suit him.

“His running style just seemed like it was asking for more ground,” Sharp said. “He always comes barreling down the lane, and when we stretched him out first off the claim, I thought he definitely validated that.”

Saturday brings another change as Funny Uncle returns to turf, where he showed ability earlier in his career.

“He has some good back turf form from earlier in his career,” Sharp said. “I’m looking forward to getting him back on the grass. Having a horse who can handle both surfaces is obviously very useful for us.”

Sharp’s past success in the event adds intrigue to his five starters Saturday as he looks to build on his reputation as one of the sport’s most accomplished claiming trainers.