For Immediate Release
Friday, November 26, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
ANTIOCH DIAMOND IS SEASON’S FIRST 4-TIME WINNER, TAKING SILVER GOBLIN STAKES
OKLAHOMA CITY- A pair of Oklahoma-bred stakes events shared top billing on the final afternoon program of the 2010 Remington Park Thoroughbred Season on Black Friday. Antioch Diamond powered to the lead in the Silver Goblin Stakes to win his fourth race of the season while in the final turf race of the season, She’s All In handled her first attempt over the grass to win the Ladies on the Lawn Stakes.
$50,000 Silver Goblin Stakes
Owned by Claude Box of Elmore City, Okla. and trained by his son Aaron Box, Antioch Diamond made the lead at the start of the Silver Goblin Stakes and fended off his six foes to win his fourth consecutive race of the Remington Park season.
Owned by Claude Box of Elmore City, Okla. and trained by his son Aaron Box, Antioch Diamond made the lead at the start of the Silver Goblin Stakes and fended off his six foes to win his fourth consecutive race of the Remington Park season.
Jockey Ramsey Zimmerman was up for the score on Antioch Diamond who had now won five straight races overall, dating to a victory in March at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston.
After battling with rivals pressuring him in the opening half-mile of the 6-1/2 furlongs, Antioch Diamond methodically inched away from his opponents to open up a 3-1/2 length lead in the stretch. Setting the pace with fractions of :21.81 seconds for the quarter-mile, :44.60 seconds for the half-mile and 1:09.69 for six furlongs, Antioch Diamond still managed to hold off the late rally of Specialfite to win by 1-1/2 lengths at the line in 1:16.48 over the fast track.
Away at 3-1 odds in the wagering, Antioch Diamond paid $8.20 to win, $5.80 to place and $2.80 to show. Specialfite returned $8.60 to place and $3.20 to show. Steal Your Face was another 1-1/4 lengths behind the top pair in third, paying $2.20 to show.
Antioch Diamond added the Silver Goblin Stakes to his streak, making it the first race over a main track surface to join the fold. The other four wins in his five-race run have come over turf.
"We are very fortunate to have such a nice horse. Anytime you can win five races in a row it is pretty spectacular,” Box noted. “Moving him from the turf to the dirt and still being competitive with such a nice field makes us really proud of him."
A 5-year-old gelded son of Deodar from the Vanlandingham mare Diamond Ruth, Antioch Diamond was bred in Oklahoma by the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Health Sciences Ranch. The win was his 10th overall from 20 career starts. The four wins at Remington Park this season represent all of his career scores in Oklahoma City.
The winner’s share of $30,000 in the Silver Goblin Stakes boosts the career earnings for Antioch Diamond to $158,534.
The Silver Goblin Stakes is named in honor of the speedy gray that campaigned in the mid-1990s at Remington Park before going on to a national career, winning multiple graded events and earning more than $1 million.
$50,000 Ladies on the Lawn Stakes
The final turf race of the season was expected by many to be a romping victory by Skedee as she left the starting gate in the field of six as the heavy 3-5 wagering favorite. However, She’s All In had other plans in her first-ever turf attempt, going past Skedee near the top of the stretch then pulling away to win by 2-1/2 lengths.
Owned by Robert Zoellner of Tulsa, Okla. and trained by Roger Engel, She’s All In added the Ladies on the Lawn to her prior stakes victory this meeting in the Oklahoma Classics Distaff. The 3-year-olf filly was handled Friday by Luis Quinonez who let her settle in behind runners early in the 7-1/2 furlongs before making her winning strike.
"I thought that I would be in front of Skedee most of the way. She broke in front of us so I went to Plan B,” Quinonez said. “I just sat back because she was the horse to beat. I followed her and when I got clear down the lane she went right on with business."
She’s All In crossed the finish in 1:31.29 over the firm turf.
At 5-2 in the wagering, She’s All In paid $7.80 to win, $3.80 to place and $2.60 to show. Skedee returned $2.20 to place and $2.10 to show. Going Okie was another length behind the runner-up in third to pay $3 to show.
The win for She’s All In was her fourth from just nine career attempts and her third in a row this season at Remington Park. A daughter of Include from the Hickory Ridge mare Georgia OK, She’s All In was bred in Oklahoma by her owner. The winner’s check of $30,000 for the Ladies on the Lawn triumph moves her lifetime bankroll to $153,817.
The shortest week of the 2010 Remington Park Thoroughbred Season concludes on Saturday with an 11-race program underway at 5:30pm.
The season will finish on Saturday, Dec. 11 with the richest 2-year-old stakes race of the meeting featured, the $250,000 Springboard Mile.
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
