California has never hosted the Claiming Crown, a series of stakes races for claiming horses, but the $100,000 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes (G3T) Oct. 24 at Santa Anita Park kind of feels like a Claiming Crown stakes. Five of the race's seven competitors formerly raced in the claiming ranks, and Biddy Duke and Magic At Midnight were acquired for their current connections out of such races.
Despite those humble origins, both are contenders in a 5 1/2-furlong turf dash that is headed by dual stakes winner Jo Jo Air. Biddy Duke is multiple stakes-placed and Magic at Midnight is unbeaten in four races, never headed at any call.
The race drew a short field, and one of the race's leading nominees, Bulletproof One, skipped Saturday's race with the hope of gaining entrance into the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at Keeneland Nov. 7.
Bulletproof One beat Biddy Duke and fellow Senator Ken Maddy starter Aqua Seaform Shame in frontrunning fashion in the Unzip Me Stakes at Santa Anita last month.
Video
Though Biddy Duke was outfinished to be third, 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner and a half-length behind runner-up Aqua Seaform Shame, her race was solid. She was bumped leaving the starting gate, and she rushed up to chase Bulletproof One before tiring.
"Very honest filly," trainer Doug O'Neill said of Biddy Duke. "Her wins have come on the dirt, but she showed in her last that she could be very competitive at that level on the grass, as well. I'm very proud of her. She's a 3-year-old filly that looks like she is getting better and better."
The speedy daughter of Bayern owned by Joseph Besecker twice placed in stakes this summer after being claimed by $40,000 by O'Neill at Santa Anita May 23. She recorded back-to-back allowance optional claiming victories at Del Mar on dirt before the Unzip Me.
Juan Hernandez rides the filly, a winner of six of 19 starts and $220,322.
Biddy Duke is one of three starters for O'Neill, who also runs comebacking An Eddie Surprise for Reddam Racing and route-to-sprint runner Lakerball for owners Pappas Horse Racing, Purple Rein Racing, and Tom Roberts.
O'Neill said he wanted to run An Eddie Surprise, winner of the restricted Wishing Well Stakes last out on Feb. 17, in an "extra" race that was not used by the racing office, leaving Saturday's stakes race as an alternative.
Magic At Midnight, claimed for $30,000 out of her debut in July 2019 at Los Alamitos Race Course, a race she won by 13 lengths, has since rattled off three victories for her current connections. She rolled by 8 3/4 lengths last summer at Del Mar in a starter allowance on dirt before taking a pair of races there this summer. The first of those came in a five-furlong turf sprint and the second in a 6 1/2-furlong dirt race, both against entry-level allowance optional claimers.
Michael A., Michael J., and Joseph Moran own the Midnight Lute 4-year-old filly, who is trained by Mark Glatt.
If a contested pace unfolds, that could benefit Aqua Seaform Shame, John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) fourth-place finisher Zee Drop, and Jo Jo Air, a Kentucky invader who won the Daisycutter Handicap this summer at Del Mar.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, October 24, 2020, Race 8Entries: Senator Ken Maddy S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Jo Jo Air (KY) Flavien Prat 124 Wesley A. Ward 5/2 2 2Biddy Duke (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 118 Doug F. O'Neill 6/1 3 3An Eddie Surprise (CA) Mario Gutierrez 124 Doug F. O'Neill 6/1 4 4Lakerball (CA) Mike E. Smith 124 Doug F. O'Neill 15/1 5 5Magic At Midnight (KY) Abel Cedillo 122 Mark Glatt 9/5 6 6Aqua Seaform Shame (FL) Umberto Rispoli 118 Richard Baltas 4/1 7 7Zee Drop (KY) Ricardo Gonzalez 122 Philip D'Amato 8/1
