Tag: Racing

This year's edition of the $111,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Handicap may be one of the toughest competitively from top to bottom as evidenced by Doudoudouwanadance being made the 3-1 lukewarm favorite on Friday, Oct. 20 at Remington Park.

Remington Park morning line maker Jerry Shottenkirk tabbed the 3-year-old daughter of Magna Graduate, out of the Macho Uno mare Ebony Uno, the favorite off her extremely sharp performances over this Oklahoma City track. She was made the slight choice over Do You Bileve (4-1), Da Prairie Girl (5-1) and Gotta See Red (6-1). The race will be run at 1 mile-70 yards on the main track.

Doudoudouwanadance's owner Terry Westemeir, of Broken Arrow, Okla., said he and trainer Scott Young went back and forth and over and over about which race to run this filly in on Classics Night, so much so that they lost her regular rider, Leandro Goncalves.

“Turf or dirt? Sprint or distance?” said Westemeir. “We both ultimately landed on the Distaff. We originally were thinking sprint for her. By the time we decided, Leandro was already committed to another horse (Gotta See Red) in the Distaff. But Lindey Wade is riding really great right now and we are excited to have him.”

Wade will be up on Doudoudouwanadance for the first time and if she runs like she did on this race night last year, he may just need to hold on. This filly won the $100,000 Oklahoma Classics Lassie for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs by seven lengths. That was after she had broken her maiden by eight lengths the race before. She followed up these two trips to the winner's circle with another in the $75,000 Slide Show Stakes for juvenile fillies by 3-1/4 lengths – three-for-three after three starts. As she has grown older, it's been a tougher road to hoe. Doudoudouwanadance has ventured into much tougher open company in the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes in her final race of 2022 and then again in the Grade 3, $300,000 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. The best she could do in those races outside of Oklahoma-bred company was an eighth-place finish and 12^th, respectively.

She hasn't won a race since the first three of her career, but that doesn't deter her owner's feelings about her.

“She is doing great,” Westemeir said. “She will represent us well.”

Doudoudouwanadance has raced twice at Remington Park as a 3-year-old this meet, running fifth, beaten four lengths in open first-level allowance company on Aug. 19 at 5-1/2 furlongs. She then stretched out to seven furlongs in the $50,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes on Sept. 8 as the even-money favorite and disappointed in fourth, beaten 6-3/4 lengths. Now she will try older fillies and mares for only the second time. Her fourth-place allowance finish this meet was against some from the older set.

Doudoudouwanadance's record is eight starts, three wins, and one second for $139,346 in earnings. That makes her the third-leading earner in this field.

Do You Bileve, a 6-year-old mare by Mr. Nightlinger, is the second-favorite in the morning line, coming off a third-place finish at 1 mile-70 yards on the main track Sept. 29 in a first-level allowance race. She is a consistent sort owned and trained by Pat Swan of Jones, Okla., and will be making her stakes racing debut. The mare has finished in the money in 21-of-41 starts, but has not won a race since June 23, 2021. She was bred in Oklahoma by Swan and Rose Smith.

Do You Bileve's record overall is 41 starts, three wins, nine seconds and nine thirds for a bankroll of $137,208. Swan will give a leg up to jockey Harry Hernandez for this.

Gotta See Red, is hoping to return to old Classics form in the Distaff. She has competed in 10 stakes races over her past 15 starts and is a multiple stakes winner for her career. This 5-year-old mare by Pollard's Vision, out of the Kipling mare Gotagogotagogotago, has won two of her last three starts for owners Hal Browning and David Faulkner from Dallas, Texas, and trainer Kari Craddock. Among the mare's stakes wins were victories in the $100,000 Oklahoma Classics Lassie as a 2-year-old in 2020; as a 3-year-old – the $55,000 Cinema Stakes at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla.; the $50,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes at Remington Park, and as a 5-year-old, the $55,000 More than Even Stakes at WRD on May 9, 2023.

Gotta See Red owns a career record of 17 starts, seven wins, three thirds for $246,893 in earnings. She is the top earner in the field and owns the most career victories of any in the Distaff with seven. She was bred by her owners.

Here is the field for the Oklahoma Classics Distaff by post position and program order, with trainer, jockey and odds:

1. Fighting Temptation: Alan Williams, Jose Medina, 15-1
2. When Judy Calls: Miguel Silva, Freddy Manrrique, 15-1
3. Okie Attitude: Juan Padilla, Luis Quinonez, 8-1
4. Kachina: Kari Craddock, Floyd Wethey, Jr., 10-1
5. Mucho Mia: Tyrone Gleason, Obed Sanchez, 12-1
6. Gotta See Red: Kari Craddock, Leandro Goncalves, 6-1
7. Da Prairie Girl: Roger Neff, Richard Eramia, 5-1
8. Stormieis Blue: Sarah Davidson, Richard Bracho, 20-1
9. Doudoudouwanadance: Scott Young, Lindey Wade, 3-1 (morning-line favorite)
10. Do You Bileve: Pat Swan, Harry Hernandez, 4-1

The Classics Distaff Handicap will be race seven of 10 on Oklahoma Classics Night, celebrating Oklahoma-bred Thoroughbreds. The scheduled post will be 10:01pm. The first race of the night is set for 7:07pm. All times are Central.

Remington Park has provided more than $331 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 is home to the Oklahoma Classics, the top night of racing in the state for Oklahoma-breds, on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. Remington Park presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Parking and admission are always free. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

The post Doudoudouwanadance Is Lukewarm Favorite For Friday’s Oklahoma Classics Distaff appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Keith Johnston and Chris Aulds' Big and Classy is entered to seek his ninth victory of the year in Saturday's $100,000 Gil Campbell Memorial at Gulfstream Park.

The Campbell Memorial, a one-turn mile handicap for registered Florida-bred 3-year-olds and up, will be the supporting stakes to the co-featured $200,000 Affirmed and $200,000 Susan's Girl, second-leg stakes in the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series.

The Bobby Dibona-trained 4-year-old son of The Big Beast, who is coming off a commanding victory in the Jackson Bend Handicap, currently ranks second in North America in races-won, one back of Wyoming-based Fayette Warrior.

Big and Classy has been no worse than second in 10 starts this year, including a runner-up finish to Dean Delivers in the July 1 Smile Sprint (G3) at Gulfstream. He will have an opportunity Saturday to turn the tables on Dean Delivers, who defeated him by 2 ¼ lengths in the six-furlong Smile.

Michael Yates-trained Dean Delivers, a Stonehedge LLC homebred, went on to finish third behind Elite Power and Gunite in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1) at Saratoga.

Dean Delivers has been assigned 126 pounds, two more than Big and Classy.

David Bernsen LLC and Jeffrey Lambert's Handy Dandy enters the Gil Campbell Memorial off the $80,000 claim at Del Mar. Trained by Bob Hess Jr., the 4-year-old son of Fury Kapcori finished fourth in the Hollywood Derby (G1) and Twilight Derby (G2) last year.

Big Daddy Dave, Boca Boy, Khozeiress, Noble Drama, Octane, Slim Slow Slider and The Skipper Too round out the field.

The post Big And Classy Chasing Ninth Win Of 2023 In Saturday’s Gil Campbell Memorial Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Hillwood Stable's 3-year-old colt Post Time, undefeated winner of his comeback race last month at historic Pimlico Race Course, will put his perfect record to the test in the first race outside his native Maryland.

In the barn of Maryland's leading trainer Brittany Russell, whose main string is based at Laurel Park, Post Time is entered to make his next start in the $250,000 Perryville for 3-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs Oct. 21 at Keeneland.

The gray or roan son of Grade 1-winning multi-millionaire Frosted made a triumphant return Sept. 22 at Pimlico, overcoming a slow start to rally for a popular and professional 4 ½-length optional claiming allowance score over older horses in 1:11.64 for six furlongs – his first start in 295 days.

“We got the run under his belt, and it was a positive run,” Russell said. “He's going to have to do a lot more in this next spot, but as long as he shows he can run with those types we can start thinking what's next. There's always races at home, but if he's the talent we think he is we need to try something like this.”

Bred by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Brooke Bowman and Milton Higgins III, Post Time was purchased by Hillwood's Ellen Charles for $85,000 as a yearling in October 2021. He raced three times at 2, all at Laurel, starting with a two-length debut triumph in a 5 ½-furlong off-the-turf maiden special weight last Oct. 7 despite acting and racing greenly.

Post Time wheeled back 20 days later to beat winners in his first try by 6 ¾ lengths, sprinting seven furlongs in 1:25.30. Unraced in November, he came from off the pace again for a 3 ¾-length victory in the Maryland Juvenile, going seven-eighths in 1:23.98 to beata field that included stakes winners Johnyz From Albany and Coffeewithchris.

Pointed to Laurel's Spectacular Bid in January, Maryland's first stakes of the year for sophomores, Post Time went to the sidelines and didn't return to the work tab until July. He posted eight breezes with Russell's string at Delaware Park leading up to his return, which saw him racing on the inside and within traffic for the first time against six opponents that had combined for 33 wins from 190 starts.

“You're not always going to have the outside post and be able to just loop them. You're going to have to have to be able to run through horses, take dirt and be a man,” Russell said. “He sure acts like he's a man.”

Post Time drew Post 3 in a field of six for the Perryville that includes Indiana Derby (G3) winner and twice Grade 1-placed Verifying, trained by Russell's former mentor, Brad Cox; Rebel (G2) winner Confidence Game, 10th in the Kentucky Derby (G1) in his last start; and Gotham (G3) winner Raise Cain, most recently second in the Indiana Derby. Russell's husband, champion jockey Sheldon Russell, is named to ride.

“We're taking him there. He's earned his way,” Brittany Russell said. “We need to test him eventually and it just seems like a good spot – 3-year-olds, seven-eighths. It worked out that it's a short field. I want to take him out of town and I want to give it a try. He's really talented. He looks really good at home, but he's going to have to step up out of town so it seems like a good time to do it.”

Also entered at Keeneland for Russell is Michael Dubb homebred Apple Picker in the seven-furlong Raven Run (G2) for 3-year-old fillies. The daughter of Grade 1-winning millionaire Connect exits a 4 ½-length upset at odds of 8-1 in the six-furlong Weather Vane Sept. 16 at Pimlico.

Russell has another exciting prospect is Karmac Stable's Maryland homebred Prado Road, who finished second in Saturday's Maryland Million Nursery for 2-year-olds. The Golden Lad colt pressed the pace into the stretch while racing wide and held the place by three-quarters of a length over favored Kohler's.

“He's a classy horse,” Russell said. “He's a just a big, smart, kind animal that came over here and acts like he's been here forever, because he's been training at Delaware. There's a lot of positive things about him being a Maryland-bred and everything.”

Prado Road also ran second in his Sept. 30 unveiling at Delaware, a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight where he was beaten a neck by first-timer American War Hero, a $625,000 son of Constitution trained by Graham Motion.

 

“I think he was a little unlucky not to win that day. Graham Motion had an expensive horse in that race that ran him down. I think he was well-meant,” Russell said. “We liked him going into that run, so we definitely come [to Maryland Million] if he wins first time. I just thought, 'Let's take a swing,' because he's doing really good.”

The post ‘We Need To Test Him’: Undefeated 3-Year-Old Post Time Steps Into Stakes Company In Keeneland’s Perryville appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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