For Immediate Release
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
ALTERNATION GEARING UP FOR REMINGTON OPENING WEEKEND
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Remington Park Thoroughbred Season Opening Weekend covers August 10 & 11. The second day of that set features the $200,000 Governor’s Cup Stakes which has drawn heightened interest from the camp of multiple graded stakes winner Alternation.
Owned by Josephine Abercrombie’s Pin Oak Stable of Versailles, Ky., Alternation rattled off four straight stakes wins to start 2012. Under the care of Remington Park’s all-time leading trainer Donnie Von Hemel, Alternation won the $100,000 Essex Handicap, the Grade 3, $125,000 Razorback Handicap and the Grade 2, $400,000 Oaklawn Handicap this spring at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. After that trifecta of success, he shipped to Baltimore where he won the Grade 3, $300,000 Pimlico Special on the eve of the Preakness Stakes.
The winning streak for Alternation ended in mid-June when he finished fifth in the Grade 1, $400,000 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. “He just didn’t run his best race that day and against those horses, you have to run your best race,” Von Hemel said. “He’s still one of the top handicap horses in the country and he’s having a great year.”
Von Hemel chose to relax Alternation for a few weeks before beginning a run towards the Breeders’ Cup this fall. That task is underway in Oklahoma City after a nice half-mile breeze here Sunday in :49.48 seconds.
“We wanted to take it easy with him between races. He had a nice half-mile breeze and finished up well with six furlongs in 1:12 and change,” Von Hemel noted. “We’ll work him a few more times and hopefully he’ll be ready for the Governor’s Cup.”
The main event on an August 11 program that also features the $100,000 David M. Vance Sprint Stakes, the 1-1/8 miles Governor’s Cup carries an increased purse of $200,000 this year, up from $100,000 a year ago. Another positive factor in the decision to compete during the season’s Opening Weekend.
“We race at Remington Park and he’s run there a few times and run well. It’s a nice purse and even though it is not a Grade 1 like his last race, it’s a good race and will have some tough horses,” Von Hemel said.
Alternation broke his maiden status in his second career start at Remington Park in December 2010. He narrowly missed capturing the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby last year, beaten just a head by the victorious Redeemed in the closest finish in the history of the race.
Should Alternation win the Governor’s Cup, it would put him over the million-dollar mark in career earnings. The Kentucky-bred colt by Distorted Humor from the Seattle Slew mare Alternate currently boasts a bankroll of $912,727 with eight wins from 14 attempts to go along with one second-place run and one third-place effort.
Alternation is just one colt that has performed well for the Von Hemel barn in recent months. Caleb’s Posse, who just recently moved into retirement, is another that brought plenty of notoriety to the operation.
The winner of the Grade 1, Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile last year, Caleb’s Posse will enter stallion duty next year at Three Chimneys in Midway, Ky. The winner of the Clever Trevor Stakes at Remington Park as a 2-year-old in 2010, Caleb’s Posse became a top long-sprinting runner, specializing in events at seven furlongs and one mile. The 4-year-old was consistent whenever Von Hemel saddled him to compete.
“Retiring him is disappointing but we’re so thankful for the opportunities he presented to me and our stable. He ran so hard every time. I was handling it really well at first but I went back and watched his Breeders’ Cup win and it gave me goose bumps when he came down the stretch. It affected me more than I thought after I realized what I’ll be missing. Now, we’re really looking forward to what he can do as a stallion at Three Chimneys.”
Morning training continues daily at Remington Park beginning at 6am as the start of the 2012 season approaches. Running from Aug. 10 thru Dec. 9, racing will be conducted on a Friday and Saturday night basis for two weeks before adding Wednesday and Thursday to the weekly schedule beginning Aug. 22. Normal post time is 6:30pm.
The top day of the season is on Sunday, Sept. 30, featuring the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby. The 24th-running of the 1-1/8 miles race will headline a card worth more than $1 million. Oklahoma Derby Day is one of just two Sunday afternoon programs during the season with the other on Dec. 9, featuring the $300,000 Springboard Mile.
Oklahoma-breds will have their evening to shine with the 20th renewal of the Oklahoma Classics on Friday, Oct. 19. The eight divisional races carry combined purses of over $1,000,000 (estimated). The top event of the evening is the Classics Cup, worth $175,000 (estimated) for 3-year-olds and older at 1-1/16 miles.
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)
