Greyvitos, the talented gray who won the $400,000 Springboard Mile by 2-1/4 lengths, has been voted the 2017 Remington Park Horse of the Meeting. The seasonal titles are determined by a vote of media that covered the season along with track and racing department officials.
Owned by Triple B Farms of North Hollywood, Calif. and trained by Adam Kitchingman, Greyvitos was ridden to victory in the Springboard by National Racing Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza. Greyvitos, a Virginia-bred colt by Malibu Moon from the Najran mare Snow Top Mountain, overcame his outside number 12 post in the Springboard, to take over the top 2-year-old race of the season with just under a half-mile remaining. Greyvitos set a stakes record for the Springboard Mile, crossing the finish in 1:37.14 over a fast track.
Greyvitos was also a unanimous selection as the Champion 2-year-old Male for the Remington Park season. He was bred by Audley Farm Equine.
Champion Sprinter and Champion Older Male – Ivan Fallunovalot
Ivan Fallunovalot was dominant in his two races during the Remington Park season and was voted to his third consecutive titles as Champion Sprinter and Champion Older Male.
Owned Lewis Mathews, Jr. of Bismarck, Ark. and trained by Tom Howard, Ivan Fallunovalot was ridden in both his sprint triumphs by Luis Quinonez. The Texas-bred gelding by Valid Expectations from the Horse Chestnut (SAF) mare Flashdance Missy, easily won an allowance race early in the season before taking his fourth consecutive $150,000 David Vance Stakes on the Oklahoma Derby undercard on Sept. 24.
Champion Oklahoma-bred and Champion Claimer – Eurobond
The third and final horse to be voted to multiple honors for the 2017 Remington Park season is Eurobond. Finishing the season with a perfect record of five wins in as many attempts, Eurobond started the season for owners James and Marilyn Helzer of Arlington, Texas on Sept. 1, scoring in claiming company. The 4-year-old gelding was claimed from that race for $17,500 by new owner Danny Caldwell of Poteau, Okla who campaigned him to four more wins. Trained for the final four victories of the season by Federico Villafranco, Eurobond moved up the talent ladder, winning the $130,000 Oklahoma Classics Sprint in late October.
Bred in Oklahoma by James Helzer, Eurobond is by Euroears from the Elusive Quality mare Cabo Sunrise. Eurobond won three races in open company and a pair of attempts against Oklahoma-breds. He managed victory twice at five furlongs, once at 5-1/2 furlongs and twice more at six furlongs.
Jockey David Cabrera rode Eurobond in his first win of the season before Ramon Vazquez won on him for his final four races of 2017.
Champion 3-year-old Female – Champagne Room
2016 Eclipse Award winning 2-year-old filly Champagne Room romped in lone start of the season, winning the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks by 3-3/4 lengths in stakes record time on Sept. 24. The oaks was part of the Oklahoma Derby undercard and thanks in large part to Champagne Room, the race will now carry a Grade 3 rating going forward.
Owned by Sharon Alesia, Robin Christensen, Ciaglia Racing and Gulliver Racing of Carlsbad, Calif. and trained by Peter Eurton, the winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in 2016 was handle by Mario Gutierrez, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby. A Kentucky-bred daughter of Broken Vow from the Bernstein mare Lucky To Be Me, Champagne Room was a unanimous selection as Champion 3-year-old Female.
Champion 3-year-old Male – Untrapped
Owned by Michael Langford of Jonesboro, Ark., Untrapped gave National Hall of Fame Trainer Steve Asmussen his first career win in the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park by 1-3/4 lengths on Sept. 24.
A starter in the 2017 Kentucky Derby, Untrapped managed to work his way through traffic off the final turn to win the derby under Ricardo Santana. Untrapped finished ahead of Battle Of Midway, also a Kentucky Derby starter, who would go on to capture the Grade 1, Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November.
Untrapped is a Kentucky-bred colt by Trappe Shot from the Giant’s Causeway mare Exit Three.
Champion Older Female – Gianna’s Dream
Gianna’s Dream returned to Remington Park in 2017 to capture two more stakes races and her second seasonal title in the process. She was voted the Champion Turf Performer in 2016.
Owned by Jordan Wycoff of Fort Washington, Pa. and trained by Michael Maker, Gianna’s Dream won the $75,000 Ricks Memorial on the Oklahoma Derby undercard on Sept. 24 and her second consecutive $130,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Turf on Oct. 20. She was ridden in the Ricks by Robby Albarado and then in the Classics Distaff Turf by Tyler Gaffalione.
Bred in Oklahoma by Center Hills Farm and Randy Blair, Gianna’s Dream is by Twirling Candy from the Rahy mare Untamed Beauty.
Champion Turf Performer – Pacific Typhoon
Owned by Carol Nelson of Mannford, Okla. and trained by Veronica Griggs, Pacific Typhoon was perfect in winning all three of his starts at Remington Park, including wins in the $130,000 Oklahoma Classics Turf on Oct. 20 and the $50,000 Red Earth Stakes on Sept. 24. All of his victories this season came were on the Remington Park turf course.
Bred in Oklahoma by Clark Brewster, Pacific Typhoon is by Don’t Get Mad from the Stormy Atlantic mare My Stormy Elaine. He was handled in his two stakes wins by David Cabrera. Jockey Kevin Roman won on Pacific Typhoon in a starter allowance race on Sept. 1.
Champion 2-year-old Female – Cosmic Burst
Cosmic Burst made simple work in winning her only start of the Remington Park season, the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes on Dec. 17, as part of the undercard of Springboard Mile Day. The 2-year-old filly rolled to a commanding 5-1/4 length victory in the one-mile event, winning her third consecutive race to close her 2017 season.
Owned by Norma Lee Stockseth and Todd Dunn of Corpus Christi, Texas, Cosmic Burst is trained by Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Famer Donnie Von Hemel and was ridden to her Trapeze triumph by Richard Eramia.
A Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Violence from the Ghostzapper mare Peggy Ring, Cosmic Burst was bred by Pewter Stable. She set a new stakes record in the Trapeze Stakes and was a unanimous selection as Champion 2-year-old Female.