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Shannon C Finally Gets Best Of Welder In Oklahoma Classics Sprint

Twice last year, Welder, the all-time winningest horse in Remington Park history with 16 victories, had beaten Shannon C. Twice in 2018, Welder was an easy winner over Shannon C.

The fifth time is apparently the charm as Shannon C finally got the best of Welder, who made the final start of his career, running third in the $130,000 Oklahoma Classics Sprint, presented by The Kaw Nation, on Friday night here.

“Shannon has been an iron horse from Day One,” said trainer Scott Young. “Today was his day. It took a while but he showed why his breeders, Bob and Ted (Smith), breed horses to Miranda Diane. It's come full circle now. He got that Oklahoma Classics win that we've been shooting for, for what? The past four years.”

It was Young's first trip to the winner's circle in an Oklahoma Classics race as well as jockey Leandro Goncalves. Welder broke well, but veered out to the outside after leaving the gate. Shannon C, a 6-year-old gelding by Latent Heat, out of the Fistfite mare Miranda Diane, is a horse that likes to shoot for the front, but did not show that speed Friday night. Goncalves was mystified that Shannon C wasn't on the early lead.

“He is one of the fastest horses out of the gate I've ever ridden, but not tonight,” said Goncalves. “So, I was waiting and when I asked him to run, he just took off and ran like he was the best horse today.”

“Leandro said he had to go to plan B (because of the slow break) and it worked,” Young said.

It was the second stakes win in a row to the versatile Shannon C. He had won the Remington Park Turf Sprint Stakes on Sept. 24. That was a 5-furlong sprint on the grass. Friday night's win was a 6-furlong sprint over the fast main track.

Welder's owner Ra-Max Farms (Clayton Rash of Claremore, Okla.), before the race had wished Young good luck.

“I'm glad if Welder had to lose it was to this horse,” said Rash. “It's OK. I said before the race that, win or lose, we would be retiring him and we'll stick to that.”

“We knew it was time and we wanted him to retire sound and safe,” said Welder's trainer Teri Luneack. “He has done everything we've ever asked of him and he didn't owe us a thing going into this race.”

Now it seems a horse that Welder had beaten by 4-3/4 lengths, 6-1/4 lengths, 6-1/2 lengths, and a neck, the last four times they faced each other may be the heir apparent as top Oklahoma-bred sprinter on the grounds. Welder had won this race the past three years in a row and was trying to tie Highland Ice and Okie Ride for four wins in this race.

Shannon C drew away impressively at the end, winning by three lengths at 5-1 odds. He paid $12.80, $6.40, and $3.20 across the board. Young trained horses ran 1-2 in the race as Mesa Moon (2-1) held off Welder by one length.

The remaining order of finish in the Classics Sprint was Euromantic (4th), Fast Breakin Cash (5th), No Lak of Speed (6th), Fly to the Bank (7th), and D Toz (8th).

Shannon C earned $78,000 for the win and improved to 27 starts, seven wins, 11 seconds, and two thirds for $368,766 in earnings. He chased early fractions set by Fly to the Bank of :22.15 for the first quarter-mile, :45.30 for the half-mile, :57.68 for five-eighths of a mile, and a final time of 1:10.12. He was bred by B and S Racing of Springfield, Mo., the owner.

The Sprint was the first win in the Oklahoma Classics for all of the connections.

Welder was sent off as the wagering favorite at 4-5 odds in his final race. He finishes his career with 16 wins at Remington Park and a final record of 44 starts, 27 wins, five seconds, and seven thirds for $1,265,031 in earnings. He holds records at Remington Park as the only three-time Horse of the Meet, the six-furlong sprint record of 1:08.13 in the 2019 David M. Vance Stakes, three-time Oklahoma Horse of the Year, the only horse to win four stakes races in one meet at Remington Park, and a record 11 stakes wins in a row here.

The Oklahoma Classics is a $1,000,000 series of stakes races devoted to Oklahoma-bred Thoroughbreds.

Remington Park racing continues Saturday, Oct. 16 with the first race at 7:07 pm Central.

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Welder Goes For One More Record Before Calling It A Career

Remington Park's all-time winningest horse, Welder, will be trying to wrap up his career in racing with another record to add to his lengthy record book.

Owner Clayton Rash of Claremore, Okla., and trainer Teri Luneack have indicated that when this millionaire Oklahoma-bred 8-year-old gelding goes to post on Friday, Oct. 15 in the $130,000 Oklahoma Classics Sprint, sponsored by The Kaw Nation, that it will likely be his final race. The sprint is all part of the night of Oklahoma-bred stars competing in divisional stakes events for $1 million-plus in purse money at the Oklahoma City, Okla., track.

If Welder, a gelded son of The Visualiser, out of the Tiznow mare Dance Softly, wins Friday night it will be his fourth consecutive victory in the Sprint, and it would tie for most wins in this stakes race with Okie Ride and Highland Ice. Highland Ice won four in a row from 1996-1999. Okie Ride won in 2011 and 2012, missed two years, and then returned to the winner's circle in 2015 and 2016.

Welder has won 16 races at Remington Park, more than any other horse since 1988 when the track opened. He was purchased from Mighty Acres Farms in Pryor, Okla., for $6,750 as a yearling and has earned $1,250,731. His record is 43 starts, 27 wins, five seconds, and six thirds. At Remington Park, he has won 16 of 22 times for $876,712.

“I really like his draw (outside 8-post),” said Luneack. “I would like Welder to be remembered as the working man's horse. He made his million the hard way.”

Among other records Welder, the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the race, has set in his career here are:

The only horse to win Remington Park Horse of the Meet more than once. He has received awards as Horse of the Meet in 2018, 2019, and 2020

Three-time Oklahoma Horse of the Year in those same years

Set track record at Remington for 6 furlongs in 1:08.13 in the David M. Vance Stakes on Sept. 29, 2019

Holds record here for most stakes wins in a row – 11. He won two Remington Park Turf Sprints (one on a muddy main track), four wins in the Silver Goblin Stakes, three wins in the Oklahoma Classics Sprint, and two wins in the David M. Vance Stakes.

This year's edition of the Sprint drew eight horses and every horse in the race has been beaten by Welder at least once. Welder was bred in Oklahoma by Center Hills Farm. Mighty Acres is a subsidiary for them.

Mesa Moon (9-2) has been made the second favorite in the race. He is a non-stakes winner and finished behind fourth morning-line favorite Shannon C (6-1) in the Remington Park Turf Sprint last time out. Mesa Moon's record on the dirt is similar to Shannon C's, however. Mesa Moon has won three of six on the main track for $104,543 earned while Shannon C is two of six on dirt with $104,338 banked. The third choice in the morning line is Fast Breakin Cash (5-1) who has made $201,593 on the main track.

Shannon C, a two-time stakes winner, is the second-highest earner in the field with $290,766 banked in 26 starts. Mesa Moon has won $133,345 in 10 starts and Fast Breakin Cash has won $219,849 in 20 tries.

The field for the Sprint from the rail out with horse, jockey, trainer, and odds are:

Fast Breakin Cash, Ramon Vazquez, C.R. Trout, 5-1
No Lak of Speed, Luis Quinonez, Jesse Oberlander, 10-1
Euromantic, Alfredo Triana, Jr., Victor Hanson, 8-1
Shannon C, Leandro Goncalves, Scott Young, 6-1
Fly to the Bank, Carlos Montalvo, James Helzer, 15-1
D Toz, Lane Luzzi, Danny Pish, 20-1
Mesa Moon, Floyd Wethey, Jr., Scott Young, 9-2
Welder, David Cabrera, Teri Luneack, 6-5

The Classics Sprint is the third race of 10 on Oct. 15 with an approximate start time of 8:05 pm. The big night of state-bred stakes events is underway at 7:07 pm. All times are Central.

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Welder Earns Third Straight Oklahoma Horse Of The Year Title

Welder, the millionaire Oklahoma-bred Thoroughbred that has earned endless records racing in Oklahoma, added another award to his record book the size of the novel “War and Peace.” He has added, for the third year in a row, Oklahoma's All-Breeds Horse of the Year, presented by the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission.

The now 8-year-old gray gelded son of The Visualiser, out of the Tiznow mare Dance Softly, owned by Ra-Max Farms (Clayton Rash) of Claremore, Okla., trained by Teri Luneack and ridden by three-time Remington Park Champion Jockey David Cabrera, is the only thoroughbred to have ever won this award more than once. Welder is fresh off being the only Thoroughbred horse in Remington Park history to win Horse of the Meet honors three years in a row.

The Oklahoma All-Breeds Horse of the Year award spans Oklahoma-bred Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Paints and Appaloosas and is based on annual Oklahoma-bred money earned by any horse on the racetrack among any of those breeds for the year.

“He is a phenomenal horse,” said Luneack. “My crew there at the farm makes this whole thing work. It's not always easy to run racehorses from off the track. The hauling and all sure takes its toll.”

Only one horse has ever won it more years than Welder, going back to 2001 when the award was first recorded. That was Country Chicks Man, a Quarter Horse that took the prize from 2005-2008. Country Chicks Man was owned by Rafter SM Ranch, which is the property of trainer Sparky Mullins of Wagoner, Okla. Hall of Famers G.R. Carter and Jacky Martin were the regular riders for this horse in those years. Country Chicks Man was a mainstay in stakes company winner's circle photos at Remington Park throughout 2005-2008. He won 13-of-38 races lifetime before being retired in 2009 with $736,793 in his bankroll. Welder has won 26-of-38 starts for $1,204,042.

Welder banked $40,795 in Oklahoma-bred money in his 2020 races, winning the $70,000 Remington Park Turf Sprint, the $130,000 Oklahoma Classics Sprint and the $70,000 Silver Goblin Stakes all at Remington Park. He also was the easy winner in the $55,000 TRAO Classics Sprint at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore for the fifth consecutive year. His $40,795 in Oklahoma-bred money won was about $6,000 more than runner-up Eagles Fly Higher, a Quarter Horse, who had $34,800.

It was the closest race yet for Welder in the past three years for Oklahoma All-Breeds Horse of the Year. He won the 2019 version with $41,620 earned to Thoroughbred filly Alternative Slew's $32,670, and the 2018 title with $48,170 banked compared to Thoroughbred Perfect to Please's $31,348 in second.

Eagles Fly Higher, the Champion Quarter Horse of the Year in Oklahoma, won the $84,000 Sooner State Stakes at Remington Park for Okie-breds. This 5-year-old sorrel is owned by Darling Farms of Lamont, Okla., trained by Casey Black of Augusta, Kan., and ridden by Mario Delgado at Remington Park.

The following is a list of Oklahoma's All-Breeds Horse of the Year winners, their breed, and their Oklahoma-bred money earned for the year, going back to 2001, from the OHRC registrar for that category, Linda Earley:

2020 – Welder (TB), $40,795

2019 – Welder (TB), $41,620

2018 – Welder (TB), $48,170

2017 – VF Red Surprise (QH), $30,954

2016 – AJ High (QH), $39,300

2015 – Shotgun Kowboy (TB), $42,494

2014 – Im A Fancy PYC (QH), $34,750

2013 – More than Even (TB), $38,140

2012 – A Toss Up (QH), $75,500

2011 – Ted's Folly (TB), $76,020

2010 – She's All In (TB), $57,560

2009 – Marq French (TB), $29,000

2008 – Country Chicks Man (QH), $22,500

2007 – Country Chicks Man (QH), $25,000

2006 – Country Chicks Man (QH), $13,410

2005 – Country Chicks Man (QH), $12,050

2004 – Apollos Ten Bears (QH), $11,250

2003 – A Real Man (QH), $15,750

2002 – Dance and Dazzle (TB), $10,650

2001 – Devout Sinner (TB), $12,675

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Welder Will Try To Add To His Legacy In Friday’s Silver Goblin Stakes

When Welder goes to the gate for the $70,000 Silver Goblin Stakes on Friday, Nov. 13 at Remington Park, the legendary Oklahoma-bred gelding will be trying to set a new record and extend another.

If the 7-year-old by The Visualiser, out of the Tiznow mare Dance Softly, can prove triumphant, he would be the only horse to ever win the Silver Goblin Stakes four times. He currently is tied with Okie Ride, a member of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Remington Park, with three wins apiece in this race.

Welder, owned by Ra-Max Farms (Clayton Rash) of Claremore, Okla., and trained by Teri Luneack, has won the Silver Goblin Stakes three years in a row. Welder also will try to extend his stakes winning streak to 11 at Remington Park, something no other horse has ever done here. His streak started on Nov. 17, 2017 in the Silver Goblin Stakes and followed that with victories in 2018 in the Remington Park Turf Sprint (moved to a sloppy main track), the David M. Vance Stakes, the Oklahoma Classics Sprint and the Silver Goblin Stakes. That marked the first time any horse had ever won four stakes races in one thoroughbred season at Remington.

The streak continued in 2019 when he took the Vance Stakes, the Oklahoma Classics Sprint and the Silver Goblin Stakes. He was then voted Horse of the Meeting for the second year in a row, becoming the only horse to ever accomplish that feat. In 2020, he has won the Remington Park Turf Sprint and the Oklahoma Classics Sprint. The turf sprint actually stayed on the grass this year and it was Welder's first try on that surface. He got to the wire first by a neck after it appeared he was beaten twice in the stretch.

“I almost had a heart attack,” said Luneack, after watching her prized athlete gain late to win by a neck.

Welder will be a part of a field of six for this Silver Goblin Stakes. His millionaire record and status at Remington Park has made it somewhat difficult to fill races in which he is a participant. Welder's lifetime record is 36 starts, 24 wins, five seconds and four thirds for $1,137,018 in money earned.

Another Welder victory would be his 14th at Remington Park and would put him within one of the all-time number of wins here. He has 13 wins in 17 tries in Oklahoma City and is now two wins away from tying Highland Ice and Elegant Exxactsy, who won 15 times each at Remington Park.

Welder was bred at Center Hills Farm's division of Mighty Acres Ranch in Pryor, Okla., the same farm that produced $3 million-winning turf horse Kip Deville.

Here's a look at the field for this year's edition of the Silver Goblin Stakes, 6-1/2 furlongs for Oklahoma-breds, three and older, with post positions, horse, jockeys, trainers and morning line odds:

1) Fly to the Bank: Lindey Wade, James Helzer, 12-1

2) Welder: David Cabrera, Teri Luneack, 2-5 (morning-line favorite)

3) Rockport Kat: Richard Eramia, Teri Luneack, 15-1

4) Dominante: Obed Sanchez, Shon Dunlap, 20-1

5) No Lak of Speed: Luis Quinonez, Jesse Oberlander, 8-1

6) Quality Rocket: Garrett Steinberg, Boyd Caster, 3-1

Remington Park racing continues Saturday, Nov. 7 with first post at 7:07pm-Central.

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