Minnesota Oaks Winner Hotasapistol Takes On Open Company In Remington Park Oaks

The Grade 3, $100,000 Remington Park Oaks tops the undercard for Oklahoma Derby Sunday, Sept. 27. The 1-1/16 miles main track event will be drawn in the track racing office on Wednesday morning.

Clinton Stuart, a mainstay at Remington Park throughout the track's history, is expected to enter Hotasapistol in the oaks. The 3-year-old filly by Flat Out from the Dayjur mare Alacazar would make her first attempt away from Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn.

Owned by Gary and Brenda Bergsrud, Hotasapistol has made eight starts in her career, three as a juvenile and five this summer, all in Minnesota-bred company at Canterbury. The winner of the $100,000 Minnesota Oaks on Aug. 19, Hotasapistol put in her first local work for the Remington Park Oaks on Monday, Sept. 21. She went a half-mile in :49.72, handily, on a fast track.

Stuart is seeking his second Remington Park Oaks victory. He saddled standout War Thief to win the 1995 oaks, when it was contested at 1-1/16 miles over the turf.

Also targeting the Remington Park Oaks is the Simon Callaghan-trained Paige Anne. Arrived on Monday at Remington Park, she will make her first start outside of California in the Remington Park Oaks. Most recently, she was third in the Grade 3, $100,000 Torrey Pines at Del Mar on Aug. 22.

A daughter of Take Charge Indy from the Milwaukee Brew mare Forbidden, Paige Anne worked at Santa Anita on Sunday, Sept. 20, prior to traveling to Oklahoma City. She moved a half-mile in :50.1 handily on a fast track for trainer Simon Callaghan.

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Flatter Hymn Answers All The Questions In Governor’s Stakes

There were several question marks arriving along with Flatter Hymn into Indiana. The thee-year-old son of Flat Out had two career starts, both wins at Charles Town. He had never raced outside of his home base, much less around two turns, but the good-looking gelding silenced all question marks with an impressive victory in the 18th Running of the $100,000 Governor's Stakes Wed. Aug. 26 at Indiana Grand.

Starting from the outside post eight, Flatter Hymn was one of the first to contend for the lead with Indiana Grand's leading jockey DeShawn Parker aboard. The duo sat along the outside of Chipofftheoldblock and Alex Achard through the early stages of the one mile, 70-yard event. In the turn, it appeared that the late closers might be too tough to tackle as Mai Tai's Gem and Santo Sanjur along with race favorite Two Last Words and Fernando De La Cruz moved up into position.

In the stretch, Flatter Hymn came alive and got back into contention for the lead, getting the advantage in the last few strides to win by one and one-quarter length over Mai Tai's Gem. Two Last Words finished third.

“I had trouble getting him to settle,” said Parker. “I was trying to get him to relax at first. He actually backed off at one point, but he seemed to get a breather and then he came right back and hit another gear. He gave me everything he had. He didn't have a bit of trouble with two turns.”

Flatter Hymn was the third choice on the board, paying $8.60, $4.00, $3.00 across the board. Bred by Sugarland Thoroughbreds of Indiana, the sophomore gelding is owned by Everett Novak's New Farm, who purchased him as a yearling for $30,000 from the Fasig Tipton Mid Atlantic Eastern Fall Sale in Maryland. Jeff Runco trains.

Runco is the longtime leading trainer at Hollywood Casino Charles Town. He is once again leading the standings in 2020 and has amassed more than 4,300 career wins. The Graded Stakes winning trainer mainly focuses his stable in West Virginia, but when the stakes opportunity came up for Flatter Hymn, he decided to send him to Indiana and reconnected with Parker.

“I used to ride a lot for Jeff (Runco) when I was out at Mountaineer,” said Parker. “I even went over to Charles Town to ride for him some. I talked to him on the phone about this horse and he told me both times, he got in trouble in his last races. I watched his last race, and he was in trouble at the top of the stretch, and there, once you get in the stretch, it seems like only a few jumps and you are at the wire. For him to get out of trouble and go on and win in that start was really impressive.”

Flatter Hymn returns to West Virginia as a stakes winner and a near-$100,000 winner. He keeps his record perfect with three wins in three starts. Flatter Hymn was unraced at two.

“When Jeff (Runco) decided to nominate this horse to the stakes, he gave us a call,” said Ricky Giannini, who oversees Brad Cox's Stable at Indiana Grand. “He shipped in a few days ago with Jeff's assistant just for this race. We actually sent a West Virginia bred to Jeff a few weeks ago for a race, so we just traded horses for a little bit.”

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Flat Out Speed, Night Ops Take Graded Stakes At Prairie Meadows

The two graded stakes presented on Sunday during the Prairie Meadows Festival of Racing in Altoona, Iowa, featured Iowa-bred filly Flat Out Speed registering a 9-1 upset in the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks and solid favorite Night Ops proving too good for the competition in the Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap.

Alex Canchari made his move aboard Flat Out Speed in the run down the backstretch of the 1 1/16-mile Oaks, taking command from the early pacesetter, Lagoon Falls, then having enough left in the tank to hold off a late run from Aurelia Garland and jockey David Cohen. Ocean Breeze, the 6-5 favorite ridden by Martin Garcia, finished third.

A 3-year-old daughter of Flat Out trained by Lynn Chleborad, Flat Out Speed covered the distance on a fast track in 1:42.79 after fractions of :23.92, :47.48, 1:11.57 and 1:36.39.

The win was the fifth in six starts for Flat Out Speed, racing for Poindexter Thoroughbreds LLC. Out of the Street Sense mare, Blue Gallina, Flat Out Speed was bred in Iowa by H. Allen Poindexter and Wynnstay LLC.

Flat Out Speed's only defeat came in an allowance race at Oaklawn in April, her first start of the year after an unbeaten campaign of three races as a juvenile at Prairie Meadows. Flat Out Speed was coming out of a 5 1/2-length win as a prohibitive favorite against Iowa-breds in the Bob Bryant Stakes on June 27.

Martin Garcia didn't leave Prairie Meadows empty handed, taking the Cornhusker aboard 7-5 favorite Night Ops for trainer Brad Cox and owner Steve Landers Racing LLC.

Third early behind pacesetter My Sixth Sense and Dunph most of the way, Night Ops made his move on the final turn and easily drew off, covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.30. My Sixth Sense held second, with veteran Rated R Superstar rallying for third.

A 4-year-old by Warrior's Reward out of Bear All, by Kitalpha, Night Ops was winning for the sixth time in 18 career starts. A winner of the $350,000 Essex Handicap earlier this year at Oaklawn, Night Ops was coming off a ninth-place finish behind By My Standards in the May 2 Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap.

Night Ops carried co-highweight 118 pounds under the handicap conditions of the race.

The Festival of Racing offered more than $450,000 in purses in eight stakes races on the Saturday and Sunday programs.

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