Big Frank Stable's Concrete Glory (Bodemeister) has been named Claiming Crown Horse of the Year for 2025 by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), the co-founders of the Claming Crown series.
The Pennsylvania-bred was claimed by owner Frank Rupolo out of a winning effort for the bottom-level price of $6,250 out of a daylight victory at Gulfstream Park some 20 races into his career in December 2022. He has since won no fewer than a dozen races under the care of trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., including back-to-back scores in the Claiming Crown Express at Churchill Downs in 2024 and 2025 and just two starts after defending his title last November, became a black-type winner in the Feb. 7 Pelican Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
“I knew he was good enough to be up there with the selected horses, but to be Horse of the Year, I couldn't believe it,” Rupolo, a cancer survivor who believes Concrete Glory helps extend his life, said. “He's just a super horse….This is not a joke: The day after he runs in the Claiming Crown, I'm already thinking about next year. That is my favorite of all.
“I'm a low-level claimer (as an owner). I did have a horse once in the Derby, believe it or not, but I only had 10% of Closing Argument (second at 71-1 odds to 50-1 Giacomo in 2005). That was unbelievable, but I'll never get another chance like this. This is like my Breeders' Cup…. This is the best I've ever had. It's so much fun with him, and I just hope he just keeps continuing and I can run him at 8, 9 and 10.”
Added Pennsylvania HPBA Executive Director Todd Mostoller, who chairs the National HBPA's Industry Awards Committee: “Concrete Glory is exactly the type of horse that the Claiming Crown series and our Claiming Crown Horse of the Year Award were created to honor.
“In addition to being a two-time winner who also ran in the Express in 2023, Concrete Glory epitomizes the heart, soul and resilience of the claiming horses that make American racing go by filling out the racing programs for the stakes horses. He was claimed for $6,250, but 3 1/2 years later is in the same barn and has advanced to being an open stakes winner who has run 44 times and earned almost $600,000. It's a testament to Concrete Glory as well as Saffie and his team.”
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