The Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby field will include many that are traveling to Oklahoma City for the top event of the Remington Park season. A pair of flights will bring competitors to Will Rogers World Airport the next two mornings.
Desert Dynamo, trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, will arrive on the ‘horse red-eye’ from southern California at 4:30am on Thursday. Hollendorfer is attempting to win his second straight Oklahoma Derby after scoring with Tonito M. a year ago.
The Friday arrivals will travel from Baltimore, through Kentucky, then to Oklahoma City. Passengers on that plane will include: Souper Colossal, trained by Eddie Plesa; Classy Class, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin and Tale Of Verve, the runner-up to American Pharoah in the Preakness Stakes who is trained by Dallas Stewart. That group is expected to arrive at Will Rogers at 8:45am on Friday morning.
The horses using the flight option to travel are being transported by H.E. ‘Tex’ Sutton Forwarding, a first-class equine air travel company.
The field for the Oklahoma Derby, and the rest of the stakes-laden Sunday, Sept. 27 program, will be drawn in the Remington Park racing office on Thursday morning, Sept. 24. Currently, the derby is expected to have 12 entrants. Backing away from the Oklahoma Derby will be The Truth Or Else and Thirtysilverpieces.
The richest Thoroughbred race in the state can take a maximum of 14 in the starting gate. Here is the alphabetical rundown with last race info and residency status at Remington Park:
– Bold Conquest – 4th in Grade 2 Indiana Derby, July 18; on grounds
– Classy Class – 9th in Grade 1 Kings Bishop at Saratoga, Aug. 28; arrives Friday, Sept. 25
– Desert Dynamo – 3rd in $100,000 El Cajon at Del Mar, Aug. 29; arrives Thursday, Sept. 24
– Hillbilly Royalty – 2nd in allowance at Remington Park, Aug. 22; on grounds
– Lucky Player – 3rd in allowance at Remington Park, Aug. 22; on grounds
– Mobile Bay – winner of the Grade 2 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs, Sept. 12; arrives Friday, Sept. 25
– Poseidon’s Way – winner of allowance at Remington Park, Aug. 22; on grounds
– Sharm – 6th in maiden special at Saratoga, Aug. 24; arrives Thursday, Sept. 24
– Shotgun Kowboy – winner of allowance at Remington Park, Aug. 29; on grounds
– Souper Colossal – 2nd in Grade 3 Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx, Aug. 29; arrives Friday, Sept. 25
– Tale Of Verve – 8th in Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Aug. 29; arrives Friday, Sept. 25
– Witt Six – 2nd Grade 3 Canadian Derby at Northlands Park, Aug. 15; on grounds
If more than 14 enter the Oklahoma Derby, the preference will be given to horses with highest lifetime earnings in Grade 1, 2 and 3 races. After that, the preference goes to highest lifetime earnings.
$200,000 Remington Park Oaks
Include Betty is on property at Remington Park and ready to go. She arrived quietly, without fanfare, Tuesday, Sept. 22 and is stabled in the barn of trainer Randy Morse.
The headliner on the nomination list for the Oaks, the winner of the Grade 1, $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park on June 27, has danced in nearly every major stakes event for 3-year-old fillies this year, including:
– Grade 3, $200,000 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs in March – 5th
– Grade 3, $400,000 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn in April – Winner
– Grade 1, $1,000,000 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs in May – 8th
– Grade 2, $250,000 Black Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico in May – 2nd
– Grade 1, $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park in June – Winner
– Grade 1, $300,000 Coaching Club America Oaks at Saratoga in July – 3rd
– Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga in August – 5th
Include Betty has won four times from nine attempts with total earnings of $574,500. She worked Sept 18 at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, breezing five furlongs in 1:00 4/5. Owned in partnership by Brereton C. Jones and Tim Thornton, Tom Proctor has guided the filly.
High Dollar Woman is expected to arrive on Friday, Sept 25 along with Bagg O’Day from the barn of trainer Steve Hobby. Both will stable in the Remington Park Stakes Barn. Bagg O’Day will compete for Hobby in the Remington Park Sprint Cup.
A daughter of Super Saver, High Dollar Woman won the Grade 2-$200,000 Indiana Oaks at Indiana Grand on July 18. She could not parlay victory in two straight events, faltering to 10th in the Grade 3-$100,000 Monmouth Park Oaks on Aug. 22.
$150,000 Remington Park Sprint Cup
Hall of Fame Jockey Calvin Borel, has confirmed that he plans to ride Ivan Fallunovalot in the Sprint Cup. Borel has been aboard the gelding for his last five starts, winning three of them while second in two others.
Borel was aboard for Ivan Fallunovalot’s score in the $75,000 David M. Vance Sprint on Aug. 15 at Remington Park. Owned by Lewis Mathews of Arkansas, Ivan Fallunovalot will once again attempt a sweep of the major sprint stakes at Remington Park this season, trying to add the $150,000 Sprint Cup to his August score in the $75,000 David M. Vance Sprint. He finished fourth in the Remington Park Sprint Cup a year ago after winning the Vance Sprint earlier in the season.
Ivan Fallunovalot, trained by Tom Howard, breezed a sharp half-mile on Saturday, Sept. 19 at Remington Park in :47.64 seconds. It was the ninth best half-mile work of the morning from 57 recorded.
The entire program for Oklahoma Derby Day at Remington Park will be drawn in the track’s racing office on Thursday, Sept. 24. The other stakes races on the card include:
– $100,000 Remington Green Stakes, 3 and older, 1-1/8 miles (turf)
– $75,000 Kip Deville Stakes, 2-year-old, six furlongs
– $75,000 Ricks Memorial Stakes, fillies and mares, 3 and older, 1-1/16 miles (turf)
– $50,000 Flashy Lady Stakes, fillies and mares, 3 and older, six furlongs
Oklahoma Derby Day will feature a special 1:30pm start time on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Open daily at 10:30am for casino gaming and simulcast racing, Remington Park features the Bricktown Brewery on the casino floor. Admission, general parking and valet parking are always free at Remington Park, home of the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby on Sunday, Sept. 27.