Invaluable (Include) was named the 2022 Claiming Crown Horse of the Year by the National HBPA's Industry Awards Committee chaired by Todd Mostoller from the Pennsylvania HBPA. Invaluable will be recognized at the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association annual awards dinner on Sept. 9.
Trainer Mike Maker and owner Peter Proscia's Paradise Farms Corp. claimed Invaluable, then 5 years old, in the final days of Saratoga's 2022 meet with the intention of running in the Claiming Crown on Nov . 12 at Churchill Downs. After finishing third in a $10,000 starter-allowance at Keeneland, Invaluable won under Luis Saez in the slop over Maoilin in the $100,000 Glass Slipper at a mile for fillies and mares who had run for a claiming price of $12,500 or less in 2021-'22.
“Invaluable is a shining example of the importance and spirit of the claiming horse,” said National HBPA President Dr. Doug Daniels. “She might not be the fastest horse or the most accomplished horse, but she shows up for work every day and does her best for whatever barn she's in. Invaluable illustrates what it means to be a claiming horse that thrives in nurturing environments and progresses up the claiming ranks. She is exactly the type of horse the Claiming Crown was designed to honor.”
The 2023 Claiming Crown will be held Dec. 2 at the Fair Grounds. The deadline to make horses eligible for the Claiming Crown is Nov. 18, with entries to be taken Nov. 25.
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