NHBPA Claiming Horse of the Year Goes to Spikezone

Spikezone, who overcame a second round of knee surgery to go 11 for 14 as a 5-year-old, has been named the National HBPA’s National Claiming Horse of the Year for 2024. The gelding’s 11 wins trailed only Tennessee Moon’s 13 for the most North American victories.

The National Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association presents the award to shine the spotlight on horses that are exceptional at their level of competition, with claiming horses comprising the largest segment of racing across America. Spikezone and his connections will be honored Feb. 25 at the National HBPA awards luncheon at the organization’s annual conference in Safety Harbor, Fla., on Tampa Bay.

“We’re thrilled for him,” said Mid-Atlantic-based trainer Jamie Ness, whose Jagger Inc. stable owns Spikezone with Troy Johnson and Charles Lo. “He deserves it.”

Said Lo: “I am so shocked. It just doesn’t happen the way it has — maybe one time out of 100. It’s crazy. I never had a horse that good.”

Johnson: “It’s a dream, unreal.”

Spikezone concluded 2024 with six straight victories capped by his stakes debut in Parx Racing’s $75,000 Let’s Give Thanks Stakes on Nov. 27. The Florida-bred gelding became eligible for the National Claiming Horse of the Year for 2024 by competing for a $100,000 claiming price on March 23 at Tampa Bay Downs. That was one of his trio of thirds on the season.

“Spikezone is terrific example of how horses can just get better with age, patience and horsemanship,” said Todd Mostoller, chair of the National HBPA’s awards committee. “At 11 for 14, Spikezone also shows that horses can come back from multiple surgeries and still be excellent and admirable racehorses at their level.”

Said National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback: “This award highlights the importance of our claiming horses to American horse racing and how much enjoyment they bring to their team. We congratulate Troy and Charles and certainly Jamie for having so much success with Spikezone after career-compromising surgeries. And, of course, the biggest applause goes to Spikezone.”

Johnson and Lo said they raced claimers around Northern California’s Bay area, where they live. In a move designed to increase their success, Johnson cold-called Ness about being their trainer. Spikezone was one of their first purchases, Lo said.

A son of the late stallion Speightster, Spikezone was sold twice as a yearling at OBS auctions in Ocala, for $2,500 and later to Ness for $19,000. The trainer, Johnson and Lo have raced Spikezone in 24 of his 25 races while racing in Tampa during the winter and the Mid-Atlantic the remainder of the year.

“He’s the ultimate warrior horse,” Ness said. “When he was a 2-year-old, he was out-working older horses. He was really good. Then right before I debuted him, I came to the barn and he had some heat (in a knee). He had a small chip, so I took it out…. We have to always be cognizant of it, so we don’t train hard. We kind of have his number. We keep him happy.”

When Spikezone made it to the races in June of his 3-year-old season, Ness correctly gambled that no one would take him out of the $25,000 maiden-claiming race, which made him eligible for certain starter-allowance races.

Spikezone won three of his first seven starts before being claimed for $50,000 that November. Ness, Johnson and Lo claimed back in his next race for $40,000, with one of his four original owners bowing out.

“Jamie said, ‘I think we should claim him back. We’ve just got to manage him and manage his races,’” Johnson recalled. “I said, ‘All right, let’s do it.’ It was the best thing we ever did. Now he’s made over $400,000. And he’s only getting better. He’s getting older and stronger. He’s in his prime right now. Jamie and his team have done great with him.”

However, that “best thing” only came after another major setback. Spikezone raced once after being reunited with his original barn, then was off 10 months for arthroscopic surgery on both knees. Returning Dec. 16, 2023 with a close second, Spikezone then embarked on a near-flawless 2024, earning $378,082 of his $481,422 career bankroll. Spikezone’s career record is 14-3-5 in 25 starts.

The gelding has led at every point of call in all 14 of his career victories. In every 2024 start he earned a Bris speed figure of at least 93, including five in triple digits, topped at 105 twice.

“He’s so fast. Jamie does such a great job,” Lo said. “I never thought the horse would be that good, especially with knee problems. I’d have been happy if he’d been competitive for $25,000.”

“He really runs the turn well. He’ll go into a turn a length in front and come out ahead three or four,” Ness said, concluding, “Never underestimate the heart of these horses.”

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