SEEKING AUTOMATIC BERTHS, CADET CORPS AND KITODAN HEADLINE THURSDAY’S CLAIMING CROWN PREVIEW DAY AT COLONIAL DOWNS

NEW KENT, Va. (Aug. 14, 2025) — The fields are set for Claiming Crown Preview Day on Thursday, Aug. 21 at Colonial Downs, with Kenwood Racing and Kelly Breen’s 14-time winner Cadet Corps headlining the $100,000 Claiming Crown Jewel Qualifier. Pocket Aces Racing’s graded-stakes winner Kitodan looms as a major contender in the oversubscribed $87,500 Claiming Crown Emerald Qualifier.

Run under starter-allowance conditions, purses total $550,000 for the eight Claiming Crown Preview races. The top two finishers in each race earn an automatic berth in the corresponding Claiming Crown championship event on Nov. 15 at Churchill Downs. Winners also receive a travel stipend of up to $2,000 from the Virginia HBPA, provided the horse starts in the championship races in Louisville.

Jamie Ness leads all trainers with seven Claiming Crown Preview Day entries, followed by Joe Sharp and Joanne Shankle, each with four.

With 12 races carded for Claiming Crown Preview Day, the Jewel Qualifier is Race 10, and the Emerald Qualifier is Race 11.

Run at 1 1/8 miles on dirt, the Jewel Qualifier drew a field of nine older males who have started for a claiming price of $35,000 or less in 2024-25. Claimed for $35,000 from Cheryl Winebaugh’s barn in February at Gulfstream Park, Cadet Corps quickly regained top form, posting two wins for Breen before running third to Surface to Air in July’s Monmouth Cup (G3). The 6-year-old has won 14 races from 39 starts with $350,126 in career earnings. Paco Lopez has the call on Cadet Corps, who drew post 3.

Logical contenders in the Jewel Qualifier include Ron Hendrickson’s Bernin Hot, who has won both starts since joining Rohan Crichton’s barn in May; and Mark Dean, Mike Cohea and Compton Racing’s Auto Glide, who has finished in the money in all six starts this year, including wins in two of his last three.

Going 1 1/16 miles on turf, the Emerald Qualifier drew an oversubscribed field of 16 older males who have started for a claiming price of $25,000 or less in 2024-25. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Kitodan was claimed from Larry Rivelli for $12,500 last February at Turfway Park. The 6-year-old gelding won that race, as well as his next two starts at Horseshoe Indianapolis for Walsh. With $938,178 in lifetime earnings, the highlight of Kitodan’s career came in 2022 when he rallied late to win the 1 5/16-mile Dueling Grounds Derby (G3) at Kentucky Downs for trainer Eric Foster. Drawing post 6, Kitodan will be piloted by Sheldon Russell.

Last year’s Emerald champion Echo Lane begins his title defense Thursday. Owned by Anthony Rogers and trained by Crichton, Echo Lane last raced in a June allowance at Churchill Downs, defeating a strong field for his seventh career victory. Meet-leading rider Ben Curtis takes the call and will guide Echo Lane from post 10.

Victorious last out in the Mr. Steele Stakes at Gulfstream Park, Daniel Alonso’s Brazilian-bred Lorenz is another logical contender in the Emerald Qualifier for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

With a dozen races on the program, first post Thursday is 10:45 a.m. ET. The 12-race program begins with three steeplechase races. Claiming Crown Qualifier races start in Race 4 with the $50,000 Glass Slipper Qualifier. All eight qualifiers will run consecutively.

The fields for Claiming Crown Preview Day can be found on Equibase here: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/CNL082125USA-EQB.html.