Luck Kept Tomlinson, Pinfire United for Claiming Crown

In horse racing, it is common for luck to be given credit for many things that occur leading up to and during a race, but for trainer Michael Tomlinson, it was luck that occurred after a race that led to him being in the Claiming Crown at Churchill Downs Nov. 15 with Pinfire. That moment of luck came Nov. 22, 2024, as the then 4-year-old son of Bolt d'Oro raced for a $20,000 tag. Tomlinson had picked the horse out himself for owner Patricia's Hope at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale, paying $80,000. He had shown potential, but constant problems with his feet had stifled his development and left connections feeling like he would never make it over the hump. Yet, there was still plenty of interest in him, and after he took the field gate-to-wire by 2 3/4 lengths, a nine-way shake fell in favor of Tomlinson's friend, trainer Bobby Barnett. However, a post-race veterinary exam led to a regulatory veterinarian voiding the claim, an option used to protect horses and potential new owners from the implications of a horse being injured or medically compromised during its race. However, it turned out to be a good turn of fortune for Tomlinson as the extended time they had with the horse led to farrier Chris Broadus finally having a breakthrough in treating Pinfire's feet after many trials and errors. "It goes to show you, in this game, sometimes you're better off to be lucky than smart," Tomlinson said. "Right after the voided claim, we finally got his feet lined out, and he's just been a racehorse ever since." Broadus' work, mixed with the loving care of groom Chris Trejo, who has worked with Tomlinson since the spring of 1993, led to a solution that benefited the horse and brought out more of his potential. Having not returned to the claiming ranks since, Pinfire has won four of his eight starts with two additional on-the-board finishes. He enters Saturday's $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial, carded as the eighth race, on a two-race win streak with career earnings of $346,147. "Those issues, we learned how to handle them and keep them behind us. I give Chris Broadus all the credit for that," Tomlinson said. "The way it worked out, you never know if the future owner would have figured out the feet issue and how to handle it." Running for the tag also gave the added benefit of eligibility for the Claiming Crown this year. The Canterbury is open to horses who raced for a claiming price of $25,000 or less in 2024-25. Pinfire will shorten up to 5 1/2 furlongs and switch to the grass for what will be the biggest start of his career; however solid runs over both the distance and surface early in his career leave Tomlinson confident it won't be a problem. "He's very adaptable, he's won on (synthetic) and been on the turf twice with two very good races," he said. "It's a solid field. Across the board, there's some pretty good horses in there. It's not going to be a cakewalk; he's going to have to run his race." The field features 12 runners and four also-eligibles, and Pinfire is part of the minority that are locally based. "There's always a home-field advantage," Tomlinson said. "Any time you can lead a horse out of his home stall and go over across the racetrack he trains on every day, it's a tremendous advantage." Morning Miracle Brings Blair to First Claiming Crown Trainer Jordan Blair hopes that home-field advantage extends to his filly, Morning Miracle, in the $150,000 Tiara, the fifth race. Blair has two horses entered in the Claiming Crown, but said Nov. 11 he was unsure whether T K Racing's Twirling Troillet would run in the $125,000 Rapid Transit. Morning Miracle is set to be the Lexington native's first starter in the Claiming Crown. "Claiming horses are my bread and butter," Blair said. "To have this kind of opportunity to run these horses for this kind of money is fantastic. It's great that it's in our own backyard here at Churchill Downs; it makes things a lot easier." One of the things that the event's location made easier for Blair was the decision to nominate and enter Morning Miracle. The 4-year-old Twirling Candy filly owned by Conch Racing and Chris Johnson exits a runner-up finish at Churchill Downs on Nov. 6. Blair said that performance was the deciding factor to return on nine days of rest, assuming she continues to train well throughout the week. "It was last-minute; we nominated her on a whim even though she's been eligible for a long time," Blair said. "When these kinds of horses are doing good, you got to put them in. That's what we did." Morning Miracle has been under Blair's care for well over a year after he claimed the filly from a maiden race for $20,000 at Churchill Downs in May 2024. She raced well in her four starts after the claim, but her form tailed off as she started facing winners over the winter. However, as the Claiming Crown started to grow closer, her form turned back around. She enters Saturday's 1 1/16-mile turf event off four straight top 2 finishes, winning twice. Blair's philosophy when it comes to claiming horses is to focus on the horses who have shown solid form in recent starts or have good form at certain tracks. Blair took out his training license in 2013 and has steadily grown his stable. Having broken the million-dollar earnings mark for the second consecutive year with the runners from his stable, being part of a national stage like the Claiming Crown can only help the opportunities grow. "You just have to take the opportunities and do the best you can with them, put yourself out there," Blair said. "Sometimes the phone rings, and sometimes it doesn't. Sitting around and doing nothing, the phone never rings." Maker Looks to Add to Record Claiming Crown Success Mike Maker, for whom Blair was an assistant for a time, is the winningest Claiming Crown trainer in history. His 22 wins give him a comfortable 13-win lead over Scott Lake. Buying into the Claiming Crown's mission early, he has watched as it has developed into an event that features fierce competition. "(The competition has gotten) very deep, very tough," Maker said. "I think the location is big. It's a lot easier to get to Kentucky than Canterbury or traveling to Gulfstream." Maker aims to build on his success with four runners entered across three races. The first runner comes in the Tiara with Goats On a Tree, a 4-year-old Bolt d'Oro filly claimed for $80,000 out of an allowance optional claimer at Kentucky Downs Sept. 7. The filly was claimed specifically with the Claiming Crown in mind. Although more on the pricey end, an added incentive was to take the filly to Aqueduct Racetrack Oct. 18 as they held a similar style race card filled with 10 starter allowance races. Goats On a Tree made a successful debut for the Maker barn and owners Peter Proscia of Paradise Farms and David Staudacher, winning the 1 1/16-mile turf race by a neck. With her victory, she pocketed $60,500. A victory Saturday would be worth about $86,490. "When we claim, we have an approach on how to get the investment back. With those two purses, that was it," Maker said. "An ordinary day without those two races, she was overpriced. But it worked out well." Staudacher and Paradise Farms also own Maker's Canterbury entrant, Shape Note. "Peter and Dave are always looking to claim something, they love the action," Maker said. "If they're eligible for the Claiming Crown, it's an added bonus." Maker originally claimed the 4-year-old Mendelssohn gelding for $40,000 in April and kept his eye on him after he was claimed away for $32,000 in his next start. When he was entered back in for a $25,000 tag at Ellis Park in July, Maker claimed him back. Since then, he has started three times with two wins and a second. "He's a very healthy horse," Maker said. "We liked the horse, so we jumped in again. … He is just a heart of gold." Maker also has two entrants in the day's final race, the $175,000 Emerald. One of the favorites for that race will be Case Chambers' Risk Manager, who also had success on Aqueduct's starter allowance card for a third consecutive win. The son of Lookin at Lucky began his career in Maker's barn in 2020 and was claimed away in 2021 for $50,000. After changing hands a few times, he returned to Maker's care in the spring of 2023 when Chambers decided to make a trainer change. That is also how he came to acquire Goes The Clown, who will start one stall inside Risk Manager in the Emerald. Claimed for $25,000 in June at Gulfstream Park by trainer Fernando Abreu, the 4-year-old Mo Town gelding was sent north by owner Chevan Maharaj. Maker experimented with his first start in the barn, racing 1 1/2 miles at Keeneland Oct. 12. He finished 10th, and now returns to a 1 1/16-mile distance Maker believes to be more suitable.