For Immediate Release
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
PLEASANT PRINCE A ROYAL WINNER IN OKLAHOMA DERBY
OKLAHOMA CITY – Pleasant Prince rolled to a four-length win as he showed his class and ability in winning the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby Sunday at Remington Park.
Owned by Kenneth & Sarah Ramsey of Nicholasville, Ky. and trained by Wesley Ward, Pleasant Prince was handled with precision by jockey Joel Rosario who flew in from southern California for the mount. The 3-year-old colt won the state’s most prestigious Thoroughbred event after running in mid-pack of the nine-horse field for the first half-mile of the race before beginning his advance for victory with a wide move in the second turn.
Timely Pursuit took advantage of rivals moving wide into the opening turn of the 1-1/8 miles Oklahoma Derby to drop to the rail from his position in the middle of the starting gate and roll to the front under Terry Thompson. Setting a pace of :23.01 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and :46.91 for the half-mile, Timely Pursuit showed resiliency in taking the field through the six-furlong split in 1:10.88.
As the field left the turn and reached the top of the stretch Rosario had Pleasant Prince in position despite going four-wide to reach the front.
"I had an outside post position and I just stayed there the whole way,” Rosario noted on his trip. “I wanted to make sure he was clear and wasn't bothered. I decided to make my move in the turn, it seemed like the speed horse was continuing to run in the stretch. I made my move a little early to get his momentum moving into the stretch.”
Once on the lead, the sharp-looking chestnut began to pull clear, setting the one mile split time in 1:36.11 before crossing the finish in 1:48.81 over the fast track. The clocking was just four-fifths of a second off the track record for the distance set by Oklahoma Derby winner Classic Cat in 1998.
Timely Pursuit dug in and held second position as the longest shot on the board at 81-1 odds. Stachys closed from last in the field to finish third, another 2-1/4 lengths back.
Canadian Derby winner No Hesitation stalked the pace set by Timely Pursuit and finished fourth. The rest of the field had Monsignor fifth, Distorted Economy sixth, Holiday Buzz seventh, Paris Vegas eighth and Professor Pollard ninth.
Away as the 2-1 wagering favorite, Pleasant Prince paid $6.40 to win, $3.60 to place and $2.60 to show. Timely Pursuit returned $32 to place and $9.80 to show. Stachys returned $7.20 to show.
The exotic wagers paid nicely with Timely Pursuit and Stachys (30-1 odds) running second and third behind Pleasant Prince. The exacta (Nos.8-6) paid $329.80, the quinella (6-8) paid $282, the trifecta (8-6-9) paid $3,258.60 and the superfecta (8-6-9-10) paid $11.280.20.
Pleasant Prince adds the Oklahoma Derby to his win this summer in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby to his resume. A colt by Indy King from the Pleasant Tap mare Archduchess, Pleasant Prince won his third career race from 13 starts in taking his debut at Remington Park. The first-place Oklahoma Derby check of $240,000 moves the overall earnings for Pleasant Prince to $557,398.
The Oklahoma Derby win was the first for all of the connections of Pleasant Prince who was bred in Florida by Adena Springs. Ward’s father, Dennis Ward assisted his son, traveling to Oklahoma City to saddle the winner.
Remington Park’s lone Sunday afternoon of the season also featured four other stakes events including a stellar performance by No Such Word in winning the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks.
Owned by Brereton C. Jones of Lexington, Ky., No Such Word is trained by Cindy Jones and was saddled at Remington Park by her husband Larry Jones. Jockey Terry Thompson rode No Such Word to a 6-1/2 length victory in the Oaks to give the Jones team their second consecutive win in the race. Larry Jones saddled Peyton D’oro to an Oaks victory in 2009.
No Such Word put away her nine 3-year-old filly rivals with a four-wide move into the stretch before striding out easily once on the lead. She was the heavy 4-5 favorite and performed deservingly in finishing the 1-1/16 miles in 1:43.24.
American Story, undefeated in two races before the Oaks, battled for the lead throughout the first six furlongs of the event before giving way to the winner and settling for second. Speedacious was 8-1/2 lengths behind the winner in third.
No Such Word paid $3.60 to win, $2.20 to place and $2.10 to show. American Story returned $2.80 to place and $2.40 to show. Speedacious paid $3.20 to show.
A daughter of Canadian Frontier from the It’s Freezing mare Muskoka Ice, No Such Word won her sixth career race from 14 starts and her first event in Oklahoma City. She earned $120,000 for the Oaks triumph to move her career bankroll to $503,213.
No Such Word was bred in Kentucky by her owner.
$150,000 Remington Green Stakes
Schramsberg rallied furiously from the back of the pack, splitting rivals late in the stretch to get up to win the Remington Green Stakes by a neck over the pace-setting Kate’s Main Man.
Schramsberg rallied furiously from the back of the pack, splitting rivals late in the stretch to get up to win the Remington Green Stakes by a neck over the pace-setting Kate’s Main Man.
Owned by Bobby Hammer of Elmore City, Okla. and trained by Chris Hartman, Schramsberg was ridden sharply by Ramsey Zimmerman as he won his second consecutive race at Remington Park to keep his record here perfect. He scored over the turf in allowance company in September to prep for the Green.
A 4-year-old colt, Schramsberg stopped the timer in 1:43.18 over firm turf in the 1-1/16 miles event for 3-year-olds and older. At 9-1 odds, Schramsberg paid $21.40 to win, $9 to place and $6 to show. Kate’s Main Man finished tough in paying $23.60 to place and $14 to show. Strike Again returned $4.60 to show.
Category Seven, the only female in the race, was the beaten wagering favorite at 5-2 odds. The 5-year-old mare ran fourth, just a half-length off the winner.
Schramsberg won his fourth career race from 13 attempts and made $90,000 in the process. The colt by Storm Cat is out of the Rahy mare Serena’s Song, one of the all-time great females in Thoroughbred racing.
Schramsberg was bred in Kentucky by The Robert & Beverly Lewis Trust.
$50,000 E.L. Gaylord Memorial Stakes
All About Allie defeated seven other 2-year-old fillies in the 6-1/2 furlong E.L. Gaylord Memorial Stakes. Using a strong run off the lone turn of the race, she flew to victory by four lengths under Shane Laviolette.
All About Allie defeated seven other 2-year-old fillies in the 6-1/2 furlong E.L. Gaylord Memorial Stakes. Using a strong run off the lone turn of the race, she flew to victory by four lengths under Shane Laviolette.
Owned by Sanders Brothers of Little Rock, Ark. and trained by David Whited, All About Allie crossed the finish in 1:17.23. Blushing Sis rallied for second while Roundabout Lass was another 1-1/4 lengths behind for third.
Away at 7-2 odds, All About Allie paid $9.40 to win, $5.20 to place and $3.20 to show. Blushing Sis paid $10.60 to place and $4.60 to show. Roundabout Lass paid $2.20 to show as the beaten even-money favorite.
A filly by Storm and a Half from the Proper Reality mare Be Good Molly, All About Allie was bred in Arkansas by Roy Gene Sanders, one of the owners. She is undefeated through three career races, at three different tracks, and earned $30,000 for her first win at Remington Park. Her career total now stands at $76,620.
$51,470 Flashy Lady Stakes
Older fillies and mares had their moment on the Oklahoma Derby undercard in the Flashy Lady Stakes at six furlongs. Double Espresso rallied from last to first, getting up to win in the final strides by half-length over Vertical Vision.
Older fillies and mares had their moment on the Oklahoma Derby undercard in the Flashy Lady Stakes at six furlongs. Double Espresso rallied from last to first, getting up to win in the final strides by half-length over Vertical Vision.
Owned by Gold Mark Farm of Ocala, Fla. and trained by Tom Amoss, Double Espresso was ridden by Remington Park leading jockey Cliff Berry.
The wagering favorite at 6-5 odds, Double Espresso paid $4.40 to win, $2.80 to place and $2.40 to show. Vertical Vision returned $6.20 to place and $4.20 to show. Aegean was along for third, three-quarters of a length behind the runner-up, paying $3.80 to show.
Double Espresso is a Kentucky-bred 4-year-old filly by Medaglia d’Oro from the Fast Play mare Second Strike. She won her sixth lifetime race from 17 attempts and her first at Remington Park. The Flashy Lady was worth $30,000 to Double Espresso who has now made $223,936 overall.
Remington Park’s leading trainer Steve Asmussen enjoyed three wins on the undercard of the Oklahoma Derby Sunday. Representing the barn in the winner’s circle was Tales of the Wild ($4.80 to win) in the opener, Uno Mas ($5) in race three and Hisse ($2.60) in the fourth race.
The training triple helps extend Asmussen’s lead in the standings to 28 wins, 12 ahead of second-place Bret Calhoun.
Remington Park is Oklahoma City’s only Racetrack & Casino, 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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Photo Credit: Dustin Orona Photography
