Please credit Dustin Orona Photography on photos.
2011 Oklahoma Derby won by Redeemed (7), Edgar Prado up.
For Immediate Release
Friday, May 4, 2012
OKLAHOMA DERBY HEADS STAKES SCHEDULE WORTH OVER $3.5 MILLION
OKLAHOMA CITY – The $400,000 Oklahoma Derby, the richest Thoroughbred race in the state, will have an earlier running during the upcoming 2012 Remington Park Thoroughbred Season. The 1-1/8 miles derby leads an extensive stakes schedule of 31 events, worth more than $3.5 million in purses.
The Oklahoma Derby, won a year ago by Redeemed with Alternation finishing second while beaten just a head, will move to the final Sunday in September this year. The race has been moved from its early October slot of recent years to better accommodate horses and their connections to utilize the race on their way to competition in the Breeders’ Cup in November. There will be nearly five weeks between this year’s Oklahoma Derby and Breeders’ Cup weekend in southern California.
The 2012 stakes schedule has grown by three races with the overall purses also increasing to over $3.5 million compared to the schedule released prior to the 2011 season. There will be 15 stakes that carry purses of $100,000 or more.
The Oklahoma Derby program on Sept. 30 will feature four other stakes on the undercard, including the $250,000 Remington Park Oaks; the $200,000 Remington Park Sprint Cup; the $125,000 Remington Green (turf) and the $50,000 Ladies on the Lawn (turf) for Oklahoma-breds. The entire Oklahoma Derby afternoon of racing will boast purses in excess of $1 million.
The Remington Park 2-year-old series of stakes races will begin two nights before the Oklahoma Derby on Friday, Sept. 28 with the $75,000 Kip Deville Stakes at six furlongs. The $100,000 Clever Trevor Stakes (seven furlongs) on Friday, Nov. 9 will lead into the grand finale for the 2-year-olds with the $300,000 Springboard Mile on Sunday, Dec. 9, the last day of the racing season.
Turf racing will be featured with eight stakes on the Remington Park course. In addition to the Remington Green (1-1/16 miles) on Sept. 30, the $100,000 Edward J. DeBartolo Memorial Handicap (1-1/8 miles) on Aug. 18 is the other top open company race over the grass.
Remington Park has included a hefty schedule of stakes races for Oklahoma-bred runners with 16 events for the state-breds. The highlight night for Oklahoma-bred racing will take place on Oct. 19 with the Oklahoma Classics. The eight-race divisional series for eligible Oklahoma-breds comprises a card worth more than $1 million. The richest race that evening is the $175,000 Oklahoma Classics Cup at 1-1/16 miles.
A pair of Oklahoma-bred races added this season, the $50,000 Tishomingo Stakes and the $50,000 Te Ata Stakes, will feature 3-year-old state-breds. Males will compete in the Tishomingo while fillies will contest the Te Ata. The races are named in honor of historic figures from the Chickasaw Nation whose subsidiary, Global Gaming Solutions, owns Remington Park.
The stakes schedule begins on Aug. 11, the second night of the season, as the $200,000 Governor’s Cup and the $100,000 David M. Vance Sprint are conducted. At 1-1/8 miles, the Governor’s Cup is the final race in the Global Gaming Triple, concluding a series that started in the spring at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, with the Grade 3 Texas Mile and the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap. The purse of the Governor’s Cup has been increased by $100,000 for 2012.
The David M. Vance Sprint serves as the lead-up race to the Remington Park Sprint Cup on Sept. 30. Both races will be run at six furlongs, offering a pair of prime opportunities for sprinters on a path toward the Breeders’ Cup.
The 2012 Remington Park Thoroughbred Season begins August 10 and runs for 67 race dates thru December 9. Normal post time will be 6:30pm. Special 1:30pm post times will be utilized on Labor Day, Sept. 3; Oklahoma Derby Day, Sept. 30; Black Friday, Nov. 23 and Springboard Mile Day on Dec. 9. All times are central.
The season will begin with a pair of Friday and Saturday night sets on Aug. 10, 11 and then Aug. 17, 18. After that, the season will move to a regular Wednesday thru Saturday schedule for the bulk of the remainder.
Open daily at 10am for casino gaming and simulcast racing, Remington Park features the Bricktown Brewery on the casino floor. Admission, general parking and valet parking are always free at Remington Park.
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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For more information, contact:
Dale Day
405-425-3215, 405-326-7496 (m)
