Presidential candidate Rick Perry recently added to his list of gaffes when he gave out the wrong date for Election Day 2012. The Breeders' Cup happens around Election Day, with the date firmly fixed in my mind, and the importance perhaps rivaling what a politician feels for Election Day. So when I see 5NOV11 and then CD to the right of that in charts, my heart leaps. (Alert: quality horses in the area)
I only expect to see those digits on select days in select races, however. Claiming Crown events at Fair Grounds are not one of them. So imagine my surprise when I saw that not one but two Breeders' Cup horses contested the Claiming Crown Emerald on Saturday. The integrity of the Breeders' Cup was preserved with Compliance Officer and Baryshnikov dominating the race, running 1-2. The exact condition of the race was starting for a claiming price of $25,000 or less from New Year's Day 2010 on.
Like much of what I write here, Compliance Officer and Baryshnikov's presence in the Claiming Crown race is more a piece of trivia than anything else. But does it say anything about racing today?
Perhaps, yes. First, it underscores the expansion of the Breeders' Cup; while Compliance Officer came from the staple "The Mile," Baryshnikov came from the bottom rung of the "The Marathon." Secondly, it certainly seems to me that the claiming ranks have expanded, and the line between claimers and truly very good horses has blurred. Thus, claimers one month can be Breeders' Cup horses the next.
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