Two of the winners of Lone Star Park's inaugural Claiming Crown Preview Day, Stormscope and Nina K, will represent Texas in Saturday's Claiming Crown at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota. The two horses, who earned automatic berths into their respective Claiming Crown races by virtue of the Lone Star Park Claiming Crown Preview races, also received $2,000 from the Texas Horsemen's Partnership to defray their travel costs to the event.

Larry and Patricia Loga's P & L Racing Stable, Inc.'s Stormscope was a dominant six length winner of Lone Star's $15,000 Claiming Crown Iron Horse Preview, and he has been tabbed as the morning line 9-to-2 second choice in the corresponding $50,000 Claiming Crown Iron Horse at Canterbury Park. The 7-year-old son of Summer Squall will be ridden by Tim Doocy in the 1 1/16-mile race for three year olds and upward that have raced for a tag of $5,000 or less since July 31, 2000. He is trained by Henry B. Johnson, Jr., and he will break from the 10 post in the 14-horse field. He will carry co-highweight of 124 pounds.

Owner/trainer Tim Garner's 6-year-old Nina K posted a convincing victory in Lone Star Park's $20,000 Claiming Crown Glass Slipper Preview for fillies and mares going 6 1/2-furlongs, and she will go postward in Canterbury's corresponding $75,000 Claiming Crown Glass Slipper on Saturday.

Nina K, a 6-year-old daughter of Ray's Word out of the Sing Sing mare Poetic Angel, will be ridden by Kathleen Garner. She will carry 122 pounds and has been installed as a 15-to-1 longshot in the race restricted to fillies and mares that had run for a claiming tag of $12,500 or less since July 31, 2000. She will break from the seven hole in the field of 14.

Also representing Texas interests will be Texas-bred Dignitas Dancer. The 5-year-old gelding, owned by James Jackson and trained by Dallas Keen, has been installed as the 2-to-1 morning line favorite in the $125,000 Claiming Crown Emerald by virtue of his close second place finish in Lone Star Park's $300,000 Dallas Turf Cup in his last start. The Emerald is restricted to three year olds and upward that have raced for a claiming tag of $20,000 or less since July 31, 2000.

Dignitas Dancer will break from the four post in the 12-horse field and carry co-highweight of 122 pounds. He will be ridden by Ted Gondron.

Co-hosted by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA), the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders' Association (TOBA) and Canterbury Park, the Claiming Crown is an annual event that celebrates the bread and butter of the racing industry, claiming horses and their owners and trainers. The Claiming Crown consists of six races that divide guaranteed purse money of $550,000. Horses must be nominated to the races ahead of time, and to qualify for any particular race for which they are nominated, they must win one claiming race start at or below the specified dollar level of the race for which they are nominated in the twelve months prior to the event (more specifically, since July 31, 2000). The Claiming Crown is quickly becoming one of racing's most exciting and anticipated events.