SC Rewind: All About Claiming Races

In this the latest edition of Rewind,  Robert Smith recalls a bit of history and background involved with early claiming races in harness racing.  He traces some early statistics and a couple of short stories about claimers.  Also of note this week is a mention of Remembrance Day which is observed each year on November 11th.  

 

The history of claiming races in harness racing and their rise in popularity in the last 50 or so years has not been too well chronicled.  I am not certain as to exactly when they started but I do recall conversing with John Hayes Sr. many years ago on this subject.  He said that he was among the first people to claim a horse, if not the first.  I wish I could remember more about our conversation but I believe he said the horse he claimed was from Floyd Milton. Beyond that I don't recall too much more information.  Based on his involvement this would place it in the early 1950's, but I am not at all sure when they became part of the classifying system.  

 However I have been able to find a few facts and figures to include in this week's Rewind.  The whole concept of claiming races has changed drastically over the years.  I can recall the day when virtually no such races were held,  and when they were, their occurrence was very seldom.  I seem to remember a certain stigma was attached to the entrants of early claimers, sort of "has beens" or second class citizens being offered at bargain basement prices.  Over the years the value of claiming races and the quality of horses being offered has risen drastically.  

My late father told me about an instance where a race was held at the old Jackson Raceway in Michigan where the claiming price tag was a measly $100.00.  He said that one horseman got very irritated at the race secretary when he wouldn't allow two entries from the same owner.  Somehow I think in that instance my dear old Dad may have been invoking that old unwritten rule that "you're not supposed to let the truth get in the way of a good story."

I do recall my father losing a horse in a claiming race in the early days of such races.  I believe this time he actually went for around $600 at Batavia Downs.   The horse's name might have been a bit of a tipoff as he was registered as Mr Sit Still.  A gentleman named Lou Meggitt from Clyde, Ohio claimed him and I think kept him for quite a while.  In those days prospective "buyers" or claimers were reputed to always be trying to find out what was wrong with a horse before they claimed them.  On this occasion the story went that Mr. Meggitt went to the horse's groom, a cute old fellow named Jim Bannon  and asked a straightforward question.  "Is this horse sound?" Jim was a bit hard of hearing and so had him repeat the question a couple of times.  He then said "The horse is only six years old;  have you ever heard of a six-year-old that wasn't sound?"

Some Claiming Stats 

Based on some data I recently found re claiming statistics from Canadian tracks I found the following.  In 1965 a total of just 188 horses were claimed at all 37 Canadian tracks recorded (see note below).  In the following years the numbers grew rather rapidly as shown:

Note: At this time Canadian statistics did not include Maritime Provinces as they were under U.S.T.A. jurisdiction 

1966 - 393 claims 

1967 - 514 claims  

1968 - 645 claims 

1969 - 802 claims 

1970 - 800 claims  

1971 - 1,137 claims 

1972 - 1,264 claims; value = $ 4,434,313 (First available total) 

1973 - 1,344 claims; value = $ 5,152,332 

Some Claiming Events 

In 1968 Windsor Raceway was in just its fourth season of operation and was a pretty popular place to race.  Designed and built with winter time racing in mind, it was a successful venture from its opening.  In the early years two rather interesting and somewhat unusual happenings involving claiming races occurred at the Windsor track. They are shown in some detail below. 

MR. C. LEE DRAWS 22 CLAIMS - A RECORD? 

Courtesy of The Windsor Star archives 

In the days leading up to the deadline for claims involving horses racing on the evening of March 19, 1968 the race office was a pretty busy place.  Oddly the majority of people visiting the office to enter a claim were seemingly all interested in the same horse.  Suddenly a seven-year-old trotting gelding  by the name of Mr. C. Lee,  in the fourth race for a price of $2,500, was all the rage. 

A son of Imperial Lee, Mr. C. Lee was owned by veteran horseman Clarence Lockhart of Collingwood, Ont.  He had enjoyed a mediocre season to this point winning just one of 11 starts but had somehow found a new burst of speed of late.   He had just clipped two seconds off his lifetime best prior to this race which had undoubtedly sparked this sudden interest.  

Finally when all the claims were processed and deposits verified,  a whopping 22 hopefuls had "thrown their hat in the ring" to be the new owner of this suddenly coveted horse.  Soon everyone at the border track was busy trying to determine if there had ever been that many claims entered on a single entry.  Assistant Race secretary Gaston Valiquette seemed to recall a time when 14 claims were entered on an entry at Rideau Carleton.  Director of Racing Bill Rowe and other backstretch personnel said they knew of no match for this mark. 

The race went off as expected and Mr. C. Lee was an easy winner for driver Ted Hughes in a time of 2:05.4;  not bad for 50 + years ago.  The new owner off the claim was Stan Henderson from Campbellville, Ont.,  determined by a draw made by Presiding Judge Don Perfect. He seemed to cool off after being claimed and had a long dry spell that year but did win two races late in the 1968 season for driver Wes Coke.  

J R ROCKY SETS NEW RECORD FOR CANADIAN CLAIM 

On the evening of December 22, 1972 a new record for the highest claiming price in Canadian harness racing history was set at Windsor Raceway.  When Howard Adler of Olmsted Township, Ohio laid out $21,000 to claim J R Rocky, a new high was reached.  The three-year-old gelding sired by Baron Hanover was claimed from the barn of noted colt developer and breeder Russell Miller of Dutton, Ont., who owned the youngster along with his wife Jean.  

The horse was scratched from the event but under the claiming rules the transaction went through regardless.   This young horse had enjoyed a successful campaign for the Millers and their driver Greg Wright, who scored his 1,000th career win with J R Rocky shortly before this back on December 1.   His season's earnings amounted to $14,163 in 19 starts.  Mr. Adler was apparently in a spending mood that evening as he also haltered Sport Car from the seventh race for $9,375 making a total of $30,375 paid for a pair of young pacers.  The second claim was a four-year-old son of Meadow Skipper who had already earned around $20,000 lifetime.  This may have been a new record for the total value of claims on a single race date;  not certain.   

If anyone wondered how the horse who set a new claim record turned out for the new owner,  "Rocky" won just a shade under $38,000 for his new owner  in 1973.  I guess it turned out pretty good at least in Year One. 

REMEMBRANCE DAY - NOVEMBER 11

Each year on November 11th, we should set aside time from our daily tasks to remember all of the special people who have in some way sacrificed their time and sometimes even their lives to protect our country and preserve our freedom. We owe much to all of them for their sacrifice and dedication.  The number of survivors from WWII declines each day. Let Us Remember Them. 

Above is a picture of World War I soldiers paying respect to the horses killed in combat. It's a beautiful photo that needs more publicity. 

Quote For The Week: "A true horse person does not look at the horse with their eyes, they look at the horse with their heart." - Author Unknown 

Who Is It?

Can you identify the young soldier pictured above? He is closely connected to the special day we observe on this date each year.  I'll bet a lot of people will recognize this memorable and honourable gentleman. 

Who Else Is It? 

Can you identify the gentleman pictured above? I don't believe I can give any more clues so give it your best.