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 Record Number of Nominations Received for 2007 Claiming Crown at Ellis Park Henderson, KY -- A record number of nominations were made for the ninth annual running of the Claiming Crown, hosted for the first time this year by Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky and scheduled for August 4. This year, 270 regular nominations, along with 55 open nominations, were made to the Claiming Crown. The open nominations allow the owners to name a horse by June 15. The total of 325 is the most nominations the Claiming Crown has ever received. “I’m thrilled at the response for this event,” commented Ellis Park owner Ron Geary. “We’ve been really working to make this the best Claiming Crown ever, and I think we’re well on our way.” 2007 marks the first year for the Claiming Crown to move to Kentucky. Previous hosts include Canterbury Park in Minnesota and Philadelphia Park in Pennslyvania. With the move to Ellis Park, Kentucky horsemen were particularly active in nominations, although horsemen from 12 other states also nominated their claimers. “Hopefully, we’ll get some 14 horse fields,” said Mark Geary, Director of Development at Ellis Park, in response to the record nominations. Geary and Ellis Park Racing Secretary Dan Bork traveled from stable area to stable area encouraging horsemen to nominate their horses. Claiming Crown Coordinator Nat Wess also hustled to promote nominations. The Claiming Crown offers $600,000 in purses for seven races for horses who started at least once in the past year for a claiming tag ranging from $7,500 to $35,000. June 15 is the deadline for late nominations to be made at a cost of $500. Ellis Park, located in Henderson, Kentucky, is the home of the Gardenia Stakes (GIII). The track's 2007 live meet runs from July 4 through September 3. Click Here to Return to News Page
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