The final stakes event for the opening month of the Remington Park season was contested with a big finish on Friday night. The $50,000 Ricks Memorial Stakes went to Satin Gold who rallied up the rail in the final quarter-mile to gain the win by a length.
Owned by Kathy Stephens and Frank Nieschwietz of Falls City, Texas, Satin Gold rallied under jockey Glen Murphy. The 4-year-old filly is trained by Dewey Smith, a longtime jockey in Oklahoma. Satin Gold gave Smith his first stakes victory as a trainer.
Satin Gold sat in the middle of the field of 11 for much of the one-mile Ricks Memorial. She was just off the pacesetting Zuni Women who made quarterly fractions over the firm turf of :23.81 for the quarter-mile; :48.38 for the half-mile and 1:25.38 for three-quarters of a mile.
Leaving the final turn, Murphy asked Satin Gold and she smoothly moved along the rail, saving ground and advancing to the front. She gained the advantage in the final yards, ahead of a trio of runners who finished in a three-way photo for the minor awards. Satin Gold finished in 1:37.46 with the late-running Lady Hadassah gaining second, a neck better than Sandsarita who was third, with Molly’s Honour another neck behind for fourth.
Away at 6-1 odds in the wagering, Satin Gold paid $15 to win $7 to place and $3.20 to show. Lady Haddassah returned $17 to place and $8.40 to show. Sandsarita paid $6 to show. Gold Medal Dancer was the beaten 8-5 wagering favorite, finishing seventh while fading in the stretch run.
The Ricks Memorial win was the fifth from 17 attempts for Satin Gold, all over turf. She is a daughter of English Channel from the Hold For Gold mare Bright Gold. She was bred in Kentucky by Hazel Marsh.
The score was the second for Satin Gold at Remington Park and she made $30,000 for the effort, running her career bankroll to $143,470.