There are many great stories of cheap claimers and yearling buys that have turned into million dollar winners. Though this horse was claimed for $62,500 (more than I have), it’s still a good example of the behind the scene good stories of racing. Reprinted from the Paulick Report.
Caixa Eletronica had already proven to be a very good claim for owner Mike Repole, who paid $62,500 to halter the son out of Arromanches from a winning race at Gulfstream Park in March 2011. In the ensuing 13 months for Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher, he’s won four races, including two stakes, and finished third in a pair of Grade 1 events, the Metropolitan Handicap and Vosburgh. But Repole’s big payoff came Saturday night in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic Stakes in West Virginia when jockey Javier Castellano guided Caixa Eletronica to a convincing victory over 2011 CT Classic winner Duke of Mischief to claim the winner’s share of the $1-million purse. Mister Mardi Gras finished third and Tackleberry fourth in the field of 10 older horses, all of which came into the nine-furlong race with at least one graded stakes victory to their credit.
Pants On Fire, the 2011 Louisiana Derby winner, set the early pace under Rosie Napravnik under pressure from Skipshot, with Tres Borrachos and favorite Tackleberry along the rail in close pursuit and Caixa Eleronica just to his outside, with Castellano having a handful of horse. Fractions were :23.81, :48.00, 1:12.65 for the opening six furlongs. Duke of Mischief and Joe Bravo made a bold move approaching the far turn for the second time, and appeared to be en route to his second straight win in the race. But Caixa Eletronica powered his way to the front in the final eighth and won by about four lengths, the nine furlongs on a fast track in 1:50.28 after a one-mile split in 1:37.34.
The win was the 17th in 52 lifetime starts for the Kentucky-bred 7-year-old who began his career for breeder Richard Rowan and trainer Juan Arias at Calder in the summer of 2007. He raced mostly in claiming and optional claiming events, though did elevate to stakes company in 2010 and early 2011, finishing third to Tackleberry in the 2011 G2 Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship. Repole claimed him out of his next start, and he’s won back the claiming tag by a factor of 10.
“Caxia is the type of race horse that made me fall in love with this game as a kid,” Repole said in a statement through his publicist. “Six furlongs, a mile and one-eighth, 131 pounds in Saratoga, 10 days between races, fast track, mud, you name it. He is a true race horse! He might not be the BEST horse I have ever owned but he is the most fun horse I will ever own. How can you not love this horse?”
Caixa Eletronica, coming off a sixth-place effort going seven furlongs in the Feb. 20 General George Handicap at Laurel Park, paid $18.80 to win. This was only the second time in his career he’s raced at the nine-furlong distance of the Charles Town Classic.
