Entering The Claiming Game

I bought a 5% interest in Frosted Angel from Pewter Stable. She had been claimed the previous night for $25,000 at Penn National. Pewter does these deals with no markup, so 5% is $1300 (remember you do pay sales tax)

Frosted Angel is a daughter of Frosted by a stakes winning Bellamy Road mare. The 2nd dam is by Dynaformer. The filly is bred to run a. distance. Sheffer Racing is a small Kentucky breeder that owned part of a nice 2year old named Georgie’s Angel. GA won the Schuylerville at Saratoga in 2011, but her career ended a few races latter.

They bred her to Malibu Moon and Street Sense and produced a $12,000 winner and a $20,000 winner. Then they tried Will Take Charge and produced a nice sprinter that won $161,000 in a short career. Then they tried Frosted, and produced Frosted Angel. The Sheffer’s gave FA to Ben Coolbrook and she tried a MSW at Churchill on November 12th. She had trouble at the start and rallied to finish 6th earning a 54 Equibase fig.

Then the Sheffers took her to the November Keeneland sale of Horses of Racing Age where she was purchased for $15,000 by Wendy Hendriks. Wendy is the mother on former hurdle rider Ricky Hendriks who is the 10th all-time leading hurdle trainer. Many of the hurdle guys have been successful with converting flat racers to hurdle horses. The key here is that a leading hurdle trainer thought Frosted Angel had the stamina to run the 2 miles that make up the typical hurdle race.

The Hendricks tried to sneak Frosted Angel into a 6 furlong $25,000 maiden claimer at Penn National. She went off as the favorite, but again had gate trouble again, rushed up to second, but faded in the stretch. Pewter claimed her with the idea of eventually trying longer races. Pewter has made some nice mid-price claims in the past.

Here was my rationale:

1. I think Frosted’s are undervalued right now as reflected in the September yearling sales prices
2. The mare was a stakes winner and a producer
3. The 2nd dam (by Dynaformer) shouts stamina
4. The claim was from a family operation, not a claiming factory (think Rudy Rodriquez or Linda Rice)
5. The price was right

it is time to learn something about the claiming game, so let’s dive in.