In a column for [Yahoo Sports], former college basketball referee Sal Perito argues that the $150,000 Claiming Crown Tiara at Churchill Downs justifies a $50,000 claim for the 5-year-old mare Goats on a Tree.
Perito cold-called trainer Kinnon LaRose in May after seeing an interview with the former Division 1 hoops player turned Thoroughbred conditioner. Team Adams Racing, which Perito operates with childhood friend Tracy Adams, targeted the 1 1/16-mile grass race specifically because the mare was starter $25,000 eligible.
The Claiming Crown series returns to Churchill Downs for the fourth time in five years, expanding to nine races to showcase the hard-knocking horses of American racing.
Perito and Adams previously ran Maoilin to a second-place finish in the 2022 Glass Slipper at 12-1 odds, sparking a lasting ambition to return under the Twin Spires.
“We decided to take a chance and go down there with Maoilin,” Perito told [Yahoo Sports] by phone.
“We were just a bunch of hillbillies down there having the time of our life. They treated us like royalty. From Mountaineer Park, right? And then you turn around, and you’re running at Churchill, and you run second in the Claiming Crown.”
Goats on a Tree secured her spot in the Tiara by winning an automatic qualifier on the Colonial Downs Claiming Crown Showcase card on Aug. 22. Team Adams paid a premium for the mare because she qualified for the restricted grass race for fillies and mares that ran for a $25,000 claiming price or less.
The stable previously ran the mare three times under their banner, including two starts off the grass that yielded disappointing results. She previously finished third in the Claiming Crown under trainer Mike Maker, the event’s all-time win leader.
LaRose took over the training stable in April following the retirement of veteran trainer Tom Amoss. Since his training debut on April 2, LaRose has accumulated 25 wins from 183 starts and $2,223,236 in purse earnings, which includes a Grade 3 Adirondack victory with Stress Relief at Saratoga.
“You come to the Claiming Crown, and it’s tough,” LaRose said. “There are horses from all over the country who have pointed for this race. You got to bring your A game.”
Tyler Gaffalione picks up the mount on Goats on a Tree for the Churchill Downs feature. The jockey will wear blue and gold silks honoring Adams’ allegiance to West Virginia University and Perito’s support of Notre Dame.
The mare’s unusual moniker stems from real Moroccan goats that climb Argan trees to eat fruit.
Team Adams embraced the title by manufacturing custom ballcaps featuring the name and an embroidered tree populated with goats.
“I didn’t know the story behind it, but I looked it up, and you could see the picture of goats on a tree,” Perito said. “We didn’t name the horse, but we claimed it and we’ll take it all day long.”
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