Echo Lane

Six of the eight races on the 27th annual Claiming Crown program Saturday at Churchill Downs were decided by a length or less, and the "blue-collar Breeders' Cup" featured robust fields, with seven of those eight contests luring at least 11 and as many as 14 starters. The Claiming Crown began in 1999 as a way to showcase and reward horses who compete in the types of races that form the backbone of day-to-day American racing, and its annual programs are conducted under starter-allowance conditions pegged to previous-race claiming prices....