Colonial Downs Claiming Crown Preview Winners Slated to Compete Saturday at Churchill Downs

Kerness K puts his 11-race win streak on the line in the $100,000 Ready Rocket Express on Saturday, Nov. 14 at Churchill Downs after capturing the Preview for that race at Colonial Downs on Aug. 22. Photo by Coady Media

(from Colonial Downs news release)

Eight of the nine winners from Colonial Downs’ Aug. 22 Claiming Crown Preview races are set to compete again Saturday, Nov. 14, at Churchill Downs.

The Claiming Crown is an annual series of races created to recognize and showcase horses that compete in claiming races. Often called the championship event for claiming horses, the series brings together top competitors from across the country to compete for significant purses and year-end honors.

Kerness K, owned by Morris Kernan Jr. and Jagger, Inc., will put his impressive 11-race winning streak on the line in the $100,000 Ready Rocket Express. The six-furlong race is the first of nine Claiming Crown events and is scheduled as Race 4.

Several familiar horses will return in the $150,000 Tiara (Race 5), including Preview winner Goats On a Tree, third-place finisher Smiling Ellie and fourth-place finisher Notable Exchange. The race will cover 1 1/16 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

Glass Slipper Preview winner Coquito, owned by TEC Racing, will face 10 competitors in the $150,000 Glass Slipper (Race 6), a one-mile race.

In the $100,000 Iron Horse Kent Stirling Memorial, Freedom Road and Bill of Rights will return after finishing first and second in the Preview. The 5 1/2-furlong turf race drew more entries than available spots, but both horses secured places in the field.

Awesome Pic, a 40-1 winner of the Jackie Herbstreit Handicap on Preview Day, will compete in the $100,000 Empress. The six-furlong race features a full field of 12 female sprinters.

Sharp Note, a 14-time winner, will aim for his third consecutive victory in the $150,000 Canterbury. The 5 1/2-furlong race attracted 16 entries, including also-eligible horses.

Colonial Downs regular Zero Blitz will look to get back in the winner’s circle in the $125,000 Rapid Transit. The seven-furlong race on the main track has a full field of 14 horses.

Rounding out the Preview winners is Westside Tide, owned by TEC Racing. The horse will face a full field of turf competitors in the $175,000 Emerald, a 1 1/16-mile race scheduled as the day’s final event (Race 12).