Concrete Glory goes for repeat in Claiming Crown Express

Even though the 6-year-old gelding Concrete Glory has competed in graded stakes and most recently won a top-level Saratoga allowance race, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said owner Frank Rupolo has been talking about Saturday’s 27th Claiming Crown at Churchill Downs since mid-summer. 

And why not? Last year Concrete Glory and Rupolo came to Churchill Downs for the $100,000 Claiming Crown Express, resulting in a 7 1/2-length victory that avenged his fifth-place showing as the favorite in the 2023 Express in the slop at Fair Grounds.

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The Claiming Crown was created in 1999 to give American racing's everyday workhorses their own day in the spotlight.

“From last year, we wanted to get back to the Claiming Crown,” Joseph said by phone. “The owner and his daughter, (racing) as Big Frank, they don’t have stakes horses. The Claiming Crown is his Breeders’ Cup. The emphasis is to get in the Claiming Crown every year. He’s been talking about this for the last three months, four months.”

Joseph says Concrete Glory, a $6,250 claim in his last start of 2022, is every bit as good this year as last, if not better.

“He’s been a model of consistency, a hard-knocking horse,” Florida-based Joseph said. “He’s come a long way for an $8,000 claimer. We gave him a little break after Saratoga. He’s come back and had some good works. He’s probably a little heavier than he normally is, but he’s gotten older so you think you’d carry more weight.”

In five 2025 starts, Concrete Glory has two wins and a second in the $140,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes. His subsequent start, in the Maryland Sprint Stakes on the Preakness undercard, proved a disaster. Wearing an extended blinker on his right eye, Concrete Glory had his head turned sideways to his left at the start. Not only did he not make the lead, he was never in contact with his four rivals that day, ducking in toward the gap in upper stretch before being pulled up.

“He couldn’t even see the gates were open,” Joseph said. “After that, we took off the extended blinker so it wouldn’t happen again.”

Concrete Glory had an excuse when seventh in his next start, the True North (G3) at Saratoga. Pushed by the speedy Grade 1 winner Mullikin, Concrete Glory unleashed a half-mile in 44.72 seconds before not surprisingly weakening.

“When you’re in front of Mullikin, it shows how fast you’re going,” Joseph said. “Just fast and class, probably, took a toll on him.”

Concrete Glory is 38: 16-6-2 lifetime with earnings of $459,734. As far as the Claiming Crown, Concrete Glory is a gift that keeps on giving as the Express is for horses who have competed for an $8,000 claiming price or less at any time in their career, unlike most of the Claiming Crown races, which have a 2024-25 claiming eligibility.

But, Joseph said, “It’s come up really tough this year.”

Regardless, he said Concrete Glory will be the one to catch in the six-furlong Express.

“Speed’s his game,” Joseph said. “He wants to go to the lead and take it as far as he can.”

Concrete Glory is one of three Joseph-trained Claiming Crown entrants with big shots, the others being Navajo Warrior in the $200,000 Jewel at 1 1/8 miles on dirt and Mister Abarrio in the $175,000 Emerald at 1 1/16 miles on turf. Irad Ortiz rides Concrete Glory and Navajo Warrior, with Jose Ortiz on Mister Abarrio.

Navajo Warrior, a private purchase over the summer by Mark Cornett of C2 Racing, brings a five-race win streak into the $200,000 Jewel, including both starts with Joseph. His last race, Sept. 25, was an entry-level allowance at Churchill Downs.

“We ran him last time in the allowance there, trying to plan backward from the Claiming Crown,” said Joseph, a five-time winner of Claiming Crown races. “He drew a little wide (post 12 of 14), but Irad (Ortiz) is very good about working out a trip. We feel the horse could develop into a stakes horse, and we’re going to use the Claiming Crown on that path.” 

The 5-year-old Mister Abarrio, a $35,000 claim for Skymac Stables in March of 2024, has won three of his last five starts, with a second.

“He’s been quite a consistent horse, picked up a lot of checks,” Joseph said. “He’s won five races overall for us, and we feel like he deserves a chance in the Claiming Crown.”

A full 100 horses are entered in the bodies of the eight Claiming Crown races, with only the 10-horse Express attracting less than capacity.

“They’re all tough. They’re good handicapping races,” Joseph said. “They’re like Breeders’ Cup races, just not at that level. But definitely it’s a great thing. Even though we have stakes horses, we enjoy having Claiming Crown horses. It gives everybody a chance to have a horse on the big day. The Breeders’ Cup, normally, you have to have a horse that’s quite valuable. The Claiming Crown, you can claim a horse for $8,000, $16,000 or $25,000, and you have a chance to run for these big purses.

“It was a great idea a long time ago. I remember watching it at Canterbury and now it has evolved into Churchill, a premier track. Credit to the people who put all the effort into it.”