Race 10 at Churchill Downs | Saturday, November 15 | Post Time 5:25 PM Eastern

Claiming Crown Jewel Stakes | Purse $200,000 | One Mile and One-Eighth | For Three-Year-Olds and Upward

Top contenders are Cadet Corps (2), Navajo Warrior (12), Welaka (6)

I have listed my three top winning contenders, but there are at least eight other horses who have a chance of finishing second.

Contenders

Of the 14 entries in this Claiming Crown Jewel Stakes, there should be no horse with odds as low as 3/1. This is because many horses have a shot in this race. This field has won more than 40 races and has earned more than $1.75 million this year. These are ‘Starter Allowance' and 'Starter Stakes' races, which are restricted to horses with a claiming price of $35,000 or less in 2024-25.

Cadet Corps (2) won a similar one-mile and one-eighth starter allowance race on August 21, earning an Equibase Speed Figure of 103, one of the fastest winning races in 2025. His only race since then (September 13) was a shorter distance when he rallied from seventh at the quarter mile; he finished third, a length, also a substantial endeavor, and earned 102. Cadet Corps has won eight wins in 14 races on dirt, and returning to the nine-furlong distance in this race could earn him his ninth win.

Navajo Warrior (12) is another who has won 50% of his career wins on dirt, six of 12, including five in a row. His last two races occurred after a change to trainer Joseph. Navajo Warrior won his most recent race at Churchill Downs, earning a 99 speed figure. Navajo Warrior has yet to win at nine furlongs on dirt, but in his turf race last, in February, at this distance, he rallied from ninth to second, behind the winner by less than a length. Three races back, Navajo Warrior won a starter allowance race, earning a career-best 116 figure, the fastest of any other in this field. He is a win contender.

Welaka (6) has won five of 16 races in 2024-25, including a starter allowance race at Churchill Downs on September 28. Before that, Welaka had won nine-furlong races, one in 2025 in July, and one a starter allowance race (July 2024), in which he earned a 103 figure. He fits perfectly in this race.

Win Bets:

Cadet Corps (2), Navajo Warrior (12), and Welaka (6) should consider winning bets at 3/1 or higher.

Welaka (6) should be considered for win odds at 5/1 or higher.

Exacta:

Box: Cadet Corps (2), Navajo Warrior (12), Welaka (6)

Cadet Corps (2), Navajo Warrior (12), Welaka (6) over ALL