Claiming Crown Jewel: Odds, PPs, more for Churchill feature

Claiming races are the backbone of the American thoroughbred racing scene, and claimers get their chance to shine in Saturday’s Claiming Crown Jewel at Churchill Downs, part of an eight-race sequence of starter allowance events at the Louisville oval.

The $200,000 heat pits a field of 12, plus two also-eligibles, at 1 1/8-miles on the main track.

Post time for the Claiming Crown Jewel, race 10 of 11 on the day, is 5:25 p.m. EST. FanDuel TV will broadcast this race live.

Check out Horse Racing Nation’s free past performances page today for downloadable PPs for the Claiming Crown Jewel and more courtesy of our partners at Brisnet.

We also have Super Screener picks and analysis for the Claiming Crown Jewel as well as recent top speed figures for each contender.

Best speed figures

Laughing Boy is projected to make a clear lead and set a moderate pace in the Claiming Crown Jewel ahead of Surface to Air. Hurry Hurry will be at the back of the pack.

Pace projector appears courtesy of TimeformUS.

HRN picks

This week's Super Screener has identified Race 7 at Del Mar this Saturday as a major wagering opportunity.

"The key considerations in this race start with the breeding," Super Screener creator Mike Shutty says. "You want to look for fillies in which the Brisnet average winning distance for their sire is less than 6 1/2 furlongs. Next, you want a filly whose dam has produced at least one turf winner. The dam of Pam and Tina has produced five turf winners, which is best in this field by far."

Check out our $197 deal and get Super Screener each week plus Power Picks and Horses to Single reports every day up until Kentucky Derby 2025!

According to Ed DeRosa's Claiming Crown Jewel fair odds, Money Supply and Bourbon Day are beatable favorites. The aptly-named Spoiler is among his must-uses in the exacta.

Scott Shapiro tells you how to play the mandatory-payout Super High 5 at Woodbine this Saturday.

This week's edition of HorseCenter outlines a very early look at the Kentucky Derby 2025 power rankings. 

Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Citizen Bull is at the forefront of those rankings, but Tom Pedulla's look at Bob Baffert's history with Juvenile winners paints a bleak picture for his outlook on the first Saturday in May.

This week's edition of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod gets political with retiring Kentucky state senate floor majority leader Damon Thayer paying a visit. His accomplishments for both horsepeople and horseplayers are numerous, and he discusses some of his favorite racing memories.

Here's the field for the Claiming Crown Jewel: