Both feet have to be in it. Johnson always has been Grand Island's claiming king. He rarely hesitates to take stock regardless of what the consequences may be. Bad feelings occasionally arise from claims because the horse purchased may have been raised by an owner who has become attached to it. Or a fellow trainer may wonder why a big barn like the 50-horse outfit run by Johnson wants to keep adding numbers.
Every horse is in for a price.
When you enter the horse you name him for sale. It's a claiming race. You put a sale sign on him.'' The sale price of each horse in a claiming race is determined by the track as part of the race conditions. Track racing secretary Doug Schoepf never tries to tell trainers what price they should enter their horses for. That's not up to the track.