Double Your Money wins chaotic Claiming Crown Jewel
Double Your Money, who finished second in the Greenwood Cup (G3) at Parx in September, won the $224,943 Claiming Crown Jewel by 1 1/4 lengths over Cadet Corps in a chaotic stretch drive Saturday at Churchill Downs.
The Jewel was the richest of eight starter allowance races for claiming-level horses. The 1 1/8-mile race was restricted to 3-year-olds and up who had raced for a claiming price of $35,000 or less in 2024 or 2025.
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The Jewel anchored the 27th annual Claiming Crown, which returned to Churchill Downs for the third time in four years. The event began in 1999 at Canterbury Park in Minnesota. It features eight races with starter allowance conditions and $1.1 million in total purses for hard-knocking horses.
Double Your Money, a 4-year-old gelding by Demarchelier, covered 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:50.89. Melvin Gonzalez rode the winner for trainer Ben Dunn, who co-owns the horse with Chris Mancusi. Dunn is 25 years old.
“I got so excited and nervous after the race that I got sick,” Dunn said. “It means the world to me to run a horse here. This horse doesn’t stop running.”
Double Your Money broke from post 7. He settled in eighth along the inside rail down the backstretch. Gilded Cracken set the pace through fractions of 23.31 and 47.07 seconds.
Gilded Cracken faded around the turn. American Law checked. Happy Strike took a brief lead after six furlongs in 1:11.82.
Double Your Money, who raced between 1 3/16 miles and 1 1/2 miles in his last two starts, rallied four wide into the stretch. He found a path between Bernin Hot inside and Point Dume outside with a furlong left. He held off four challengers in the final sixteenth. Cadet Corps finished second, a neck ahead of third-place Welaka. Dr. Storm ran fourth, 1 1/4 lengths back. Point Dume took fifth, another half-length behind.
The winner’s share was $127,840. The payday raised Double Your Money’s earnings to $473,536 from a record of 25: 6-8-3. He has won five of 12 starts this year, with six seconds, one third and $326,150 in earnings.
“Hopefully I’ll be back here before the Isaac Murphy Marathon in the spring,” Dunn said. “This horse’s running style I was hoping for a good trip with his draw. I think I got the opposite but somehow we won.”
Double Your Money returned $21.46, $10.56 and $7.46 as the 9-1 fifth choice. Cadet Corps, with Junior Alvarado aboard, paid $7.30 and $5.68. Welaka, ridden by Adam Beschizza, paid $6.96 at 15-1.
Dr. Storm and Point Dume followed in fourth and fifth. Alternate Reality and Dance Some Mo dead-heated for sixth. They were followed by 1-1 favorite Navajo Warrior, Brilliant Man, American Law, Bernin Hot, Happy Strike, Overstatement and Gilded Cracken. Carolo Rapido and Le Gris scratched.