For Immediate Release
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
OKLAHOMA DERBY FIELD GROWING, DERBY DAY HORSES WORKING
OKLAHOMA CITY – Preparations continue for horses set to compete on Oklahoma Derby Sunday, Sept. 28 at Remington Park, for the derby and the stellar undercard of stakes events. The probable field for the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby currently stands at an even dozen with the possibility of additions and deletions remaining.
The first race on the special Sunday afternoon Oklahoma Derby program is at 1:30pm.
Final plans appear to be set now for those connections sending horses in for the Oklahoma Derby and the stakes undercard that are not already on property at Remington Park.
Hall of Fame trainers Bill Mott and Jerry Hollendorfer are sending multiple stakes runners from the east coast and the west coast, respectively. Mott has made arrangements to fly his athletes to Oklahoma City from his Belmont Park base in Elmont, N.Y. Hollendorfer will take the overland route with his group, vanning from southern California via Interstate 40, later this week.
Mott will send Charge Now for the derby. He was recently seventh in the Grade 1, $1,250,000 Travers Stakes at Saratoga in upstate New York. Hollendorfer is shipping Tonito M. for the derby off his recent third-place run in the $200,000 Los Alamitos Mile on Sept. 6.
Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby
Wildcat Red, second by a narrow nose in the $1,000,000 Florida Derby in March before running 18th in California Chrome's Kentucky Derby, has taken to the track for morning gallops. He had worked six furlongs at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla. on Tuesday, Sept. 16 before arriving Sept. 17 at Remington Park. A winner of five of 11 career starts, Wildcat Red may not have an official workout in Oklahoma City prior to the Oklahoma Derby.
Away Game, a winner of three career races trained by Richard Violette, is now expected in for the derby. He currently owns a two-race winning streak, scoring in a pair of allowance races at Saratoga in upstate New York in July and August. Away Game is expected to arrive via flight, at Remington Park on Thursday, Sept. 25.
For Goodness Sake, fifth in the Grade 2, $750,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park in August, is expected at Remington Park later this week. Trainer Mike Tomlinson will van the colt from Churchill Downs. For Goodness Sake has won two of six career races and is a colt by 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Big Brown.
The connections of Jessica's Star have evidently altered their plans for the Grade 3 Iowa Derby winner and will not be sending the gelding for the Oklahoma Derby.
Even Echo, trained by Hall of Famer Jack Van Berg, has been entered to race Thursday night, Sept. 25 at Remington Park. It remains to be seen if he'll compete in his conditioned allowance race Thursday and then try to come back in just three days for the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby. Another option would be to scratch for the Thursday night race in favor of the derby.
$150,000 Remington Park Sprint Cup
The last two winners of the race, Alsvid (2012) and Wine Police (2013), both turned in official workouts this week to ready for the six-furlong race.
Alsvid, the 2012 Horse of the Meeting at Remington Park, posted a bullet breeze at three-furlongs this morning for trainer Chris Hartman. The 5-year-old gelding by Officer moved easily in :35.64 seconds over a fast track and appears to be set for his first start since finishing fifth in the $125,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa in late June.
Wine Police, trained by Henry Dominguez, worked a bullet five-furlongs in :58.03 seconds handily on Monday morning over the fast Remington Park track. Clocker Vicky Grothaus mentioned Wine Police galloped out six furlongs in a very sharp, strong and fast 1:11.25.
Wine Police defeated Alsvid by three-quarters of a length in last year's Sprint Cup. Okie Ride who ran third in that race, beaten 2-3/4 lengths, is also expected to return off his second Remington Park Turf Sprint victory versus Oklahoma-breds on Sept 12.
$100,000 Remington Green Stakes
2013 Oklahoma Derby winner Broadway Empire, has returned to Oklahoma City and will compete in the 1-1/16 miles Remington Green on the derby day undercard. Trained by Robertino Diodoro, Broadway Empire worked here Sunday morning going five furlongs in a leisurely 1:05.41, handily.
The 4-year-old Broadway Empire has been on a North American tour of stakes racing since his Oklahoma Derby score last year. He has races six times, at six different tracks, in six states, in all four continental time zones. A trio of Graded attempts after his Oklahoma Derby has produced out of the money results for the son of Empire Maker. He was ninth of 11 in the $1,000,000 Breeders' Cup Mile in November 2013; fourth in the Grade 2, $400,000 Churchill Downs Handicap in May and sixth in the Grade 1, $1,250,000 Metropolitan Mile at Belmont Park in June.
Broadway Empire will be making his first start over turf.
The other stakes on the Oklahoma Derby undercard on Sunday include: the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks; the $75,000 Kip Deville Stakes, the $50,000 Flashy Lady Stakes and the $50,000 Ladies on the Lawn Stakes.
The Oklahoma Derby Day racing program will be drawn and constructed in the Remington Park racing office on Thursday morning.
Remington Park is open daily at 10:30am for simulcast racing and casino gaming, featuring the Bricktown Brewery on the casino floor. Admission, general parking and valet parking are always free at Remington Park, the home of the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby on Sunday, Sept. 28.
Tracked by over 66,000 fans on Facebook and 5,500 Twitter followers, Remington Park is Oklahoma City's only Racetrack & Casino and is located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. For more information, reservations and group bookings please call 405-424-1000, 866-456-9880 or visit remingtonpark.com.
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For more information, please contact:
Dale Day
405-425-3215
dale.day@remingtonpark.com
