Grade 1-winning filly Juju's Map is expected to make the trip to next week for the Grade 3, $200,000 Remington Park Oaks scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 25.
Juju's Map, a 3-year-old daughter of Liam's Map, out of the Flatter mare Nagambie, was building quite a resume as a 2-year-old last year, breaking her maiden by 5-3/4 lengths at Ellis Park in Kentucky and immediately stepping up in class to win the Grade 1, $400,000 Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland Race Course. She impressed so much in that effort on Oct. 8 that trainer Brad Cox entered her in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 5. She was game in a second-place finish to Echo Zulu, the winner of North America's top race for 2-year-old fillies. Echo Zulu is owned by L and N Racing of Tulsa, Okla., and Winchell Thoroughbreds.
Juju's Map is owned by Albaugh Family Stables, an Iowa-based horse racing operation led by Dennis Albaugh and his son-in-law Jason Loutsch. Albaugh mortgaged his home to purchase a pesticide company that boomed and led him into horse racing. Albaugh Inc. exploded into a multi-billion dollar business and the family began purchasing horses. Besides Juju's Map, Albaugh Family Stables also has had Kentucky Derby trail horse Brody's Cause. Brody's Cause won the Blue Grass Stakes before running seventh in the “run for the roses.” He was a million-dollar earner in only eight starts.
Juju's Map is nearing that $1 million milestone with a career record of seven starts, three wins, two seconds and two thirds and $753,180 in earnings.
Cox is currently the No. 4 trainer in the country with his horses earning more than $17 million this year. He won the Eclipse Award as the nation's top trainer the past two years. His horses earned the most money of any conditioner in the country in 2021. They finished the year with $31,715,312. Trainer Steve Asmussen's $31,487,684 made it one of the tightest finishes in history in the earning's competition. Cox won the Belmont Stakes last year with Essential Quality and the Kentucky Derby with Mandaloun.
Juju's Map, who was bred in Kentucky by Fred Hertrich III, was laid off after her runner-up finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies from Nov. 5 to May 6. Cox brought her back in an easier spot and she won the allowance-optional claimer for $62,500 horses under allowance conditions by 4-3/4 lengths at Churchill Downs. She followed that up with third-place finishes in the Grade 2, $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park in New York and the Grade 2, $250,000 Monmouth Oaks on July 31. She hasn't raced since but has been working steadily in the mornings at Churchill.
The Remington Park Oaks is set for the only Sunday of racing this meet. A total of eight stakes races are expected on that night including the cornerstone Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby, the $150,000 David Vance Stakes for sprinters, the Flashy Lady Stakes, the Ricks Memorial Stakes, the Remington Green Stakes on the turf, the Kip Deville Stakes for 2-year-olds, and the E.L. Gaylord Memorial Stakes for 2-year-old fillies.
Some of the other Oaks prospects expected or possible among the 29 nominations for the biggest race for 3-year-old fillies at Remington Park this year are:
- Cleopatra's Charge. By Will Take Charge, out of the Smart Strike mare Cleopatra's Finest. Owned by Samuel F. Henderson and trained by Scott Young. She broke her maiden at Remington Park last year and then won the $300,000 Sunland Park Oaks in New Mexico this year by three-quarters of a length after trailing by 15 lengths in the race. Record: 10 starts, two wins and two thirds, $207,941 earnings.
- Cocktail Moments. By Uncle Mo, out of the Where's the Ring mare River Maid. Owned by Dixiana Farms and trained by Ken McPeek. Was runner-up in the Grade 1, $600,000 Ashland Stakes on April 8 before finishing eighth to Secret Oath in the Grade 1, $1,250,000 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 6. She was bred in Kentucky by Mark Stansell. Record: seven starts, two wins, one second and two thirds, $296,660 earnings.
- Hits Pricey Legacy. By Den's Legacy, out of the Concord Point mare High Price Hit. She would be carrying the local flag and is a multiple stakes winner at Remington Park, having won the $75,000 Slide Show Stakes here as a 2-year-old and then the $50,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes fillies division this year for owner-trainer-breeder C.R. Trout of Edmond, Okla. She was bred in Oklahoma. Record: six starts, three wins, two seconds and one third, $139,355 earnings.
- My Friend Amy. By Orb, out of the Smart Strike mare Orrery. Owned by Scott Gelner and trained by Jayde Gelner. Scott is Jayde's father and also a longtime trainer in Louisiana. If she goes, My Friend Amy would be trying to step up in class from a second-level allowance win here at Remington Park. She was bred in Kentucky by JSM Equine. Record: 17 starts, three wins, seven seconds and three thirds, $159,927 earnings.
- Turnerloose. Another filly from Cox's barn. This one is by Nyquist, out of the A.P. Indy mare Goaltending. She is owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash. She won the first two races of her career, breaking her maiden at Ellis Park in Kentucky and then stepping up to win the $500,000 Juvenile Fillies Stakes over the Kentucky Downs rolling turf course on Sept. 6 last year. Her only stakes win this year was the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. She was bred in Kentucky by William Humphries & Altair Farms. Record: nine starts, three wins, one second and one third, $584,200 earnings.
The post-position draw for the Remington Park Oaks and the Sunday, Sept. 25 racing program will be conducted on Thursday morning, Sept. 22, in the Remington Park racing office.
The Oklahoma Derby Day program will cap the only five-date race week of the season. Remington Park action will take place Wednesday thru Sunday, Sept. 21-25. The first race nightly is at 7:07pm, with the derby card on Sunday afternoon at 3pm. All times are Central.
Tracked by more than 171,000 fans on Facebook and 10,600 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $301 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park features the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby and Grade 3 Remington Park Oaks on Sunday, September 25. Thoroughbred racing continues through December 17 with simulcast racing daily, and a casino that is always open! Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
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