For Immediate Release
Friday, June 22, 2012
2012 THOROUGHBRED CLASS ANNOUNCED FOR HALL OF FAME AT REMINGTON PARK
OKLAHOMA CITY – The 2012 Class representing Thoroughbred racing is set for induction into the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Remington Park. The well deserving group of five will be honored on Wednesday, Sept. 26 in the Eclipse Room on the Suites level at Remington Park.
This year’s class includes a pair of horsemen, two horses and one executive who have made lasting impressions on Oklahoma horse racing.
Don McNeill - owner/breeder
A resident of Edmond, Okla., McNeill has long been one of the top Thoroughbred owners in Oklahoma. Consistently campaigning his top runners at Remington Park, the commodities broker has placed his athletes in the capable hands of Donnie Von Hemel, a fellow Hall of Famer, for nearly 30 years.
Among the greats McNeill has owned and bred: Clever Trevor, the winner of the first Oklahoma Derby; Mr Ross, a millionaire and multiple graded stakes winner; and Caleb’s Posse, winner of the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. All three are millionaires and all have raced at Remington Park with both Clever Trevor and Mr Ross also in the Hall of Fame. He is the co-owner of Caleb’s Posse who is still in training and preparing for a return trip to the Breeders’ Cup this fall.
McNeill, originally from Thomas, Okla., lives on his farm in Edmond where many of his top horses reside, including Mr Ross.
Steve Asmussen – trainer
Currently the fifth-leading trainer in the history of racing by wins and earnings, Steve Asmussen’s career took flight from the first years of competition at Remington Park. His initial leading trainer title was won during the 1991 Fall Meeting in Oklahoma City when he saddled 20 winners.
Since those formative years, Asmussen has expanded his operation to include multiple branches at tracks across North America. The Arlington, Texas resident piles up the frequent flyer and highway miles as he travels constantly from track to track. Modern technology allows Asmussen the ability to monitor the daily activities of his network which competes successfully in nearly every time zone, year-round.
Born in South Dakota, into a racing family, Asmussen began his career as a jockey and turned to training in the late 1980s. After winning three training titles and a leading owner title at Remington Park, Asmussen began his continental training system in the late 1990s. While normally sending stakes runners to compete in the top races in Oklahoma City, Asmussen returned with a full-force stable in 2007. He immediately dominated, beginning a streak of five straight training titles that he will attempt to run to six in the 2012 season.
David Vance – executive
The first leader of Remington Park, Vance’s contributions included overseeing the planning, construction and grand opening of the facility. He then led Remington Park thru 1995, placing the Oklahoma City track on the national racing map during his tenure.
Vance began his career in journalism but eventually moved into sport’s management. His last job before horse racing was as general manager of the American Basketball Association’s Kentucky Colonels who won the 1975 ABA Championship. When the Colonels were not absorbed into the National Basketball Association a year later, Vance quickly found a home in horse racing.
After a few years in the greater Cincinnati area at Turfway Park, Vance became the head of Louisiana Downs in Bossier City and eventually was president of DeBartolo Racing which founded Remington Park for the late Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr.
In his years after leaving Remington Park at the end of 1995, Vance has continued as a consultant in horse racing ventures and has also led franchises in Oklahoma City minor league sports. In 2011, the David M. Vance Stakes was first-held in his honor at Remington Park.
Kip Deville – Breeders’ Cup Champion, leading Oklahoma-bred
After beginning his career at Remington Park with his first two lifetime starts, Kip Deville developed as a 3-year-old into a turf runner. His talents eventually led him to victory in the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Monmouth Park.
Bred in Oklahoma by Center Hills Farm, owned by Dr. Warren Center, Kip Deville broke his maiden at first-asking on Nov. 14, 2005 at Remington Park. He scored by 3-1/2 lengths in a six-furlong sprint for Oklahoma-breds for original owners Dee Neatherlin and Roy Cobb, and trainer Mike Neatherlin.
After showing a fondness for turf racing when he romped to victory in the 2006 Grand Prairie Turf Challenge at Lone Star Park, Kip Deville was privately purchased by powerful racing syndicate IEAH Stable. At that point, the gray horse by Kipling was off to a campaign around North America for the remainder of his career, racing only over turf. He even competed in the $5,000,000 Dubai Duty Free in 2009.
Kip Deville became the all-time leading Oklahoma-bred earner in racing history with his triumph in the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Mile. His career closed with a bankroll of $3,325,489 on 12 wins from 30 attempts with four second-place runs and a pair of third-place finishes.
Highland Ice – dominant Oklahoma-based sprinter
A true horse for the course, Highland Ice ruled the sprint ranks at Remington Park during the prime of his career. The speedy gray rarely tasted defeat in a three-year span from 1996-1999 over the main track in Oklahoma City.
Bred by the late Walter Merrick of Sayre, Okla., Highland Ice was purchased at a Heritage Place sale by Gerald Dixon of Guymon, Okla. and placed in the hands of trainer Chuck Turco. The gelding by Highland Blade found his niche and rolled to 15 of his 16 career wins at Remington Park.
Highland Ice posted stakes victories locally in both open and state-bred company, winning the Remington Park Sprint Championship (twice), the Silver Bullet Centennial Handicap (twice) and won five consecutive Oklahoma Classics stakes events from 1995-1999 including four straight Sprints.
Upon retirement in 2001, Highland Ice had compiled a record for Remington Park career victories and stakes victories, earning $474,090 overall while finishing in the top three in 33 of 48 attempts.
The induction ceremony for the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Remington Park is part of Oklahoma Derby week, leading to the state’s biggest Thoroughbred race on Sunday, Sept. 30. The ceremony is a ticketed event, open to the public, benefitting the Hall of Fame. Reservations can be made now by calling 405-424-1000.
The 2012 Thoroughbred Season at Remington Park opens on Aug. 10 and continues thru Dec. 9.
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)
