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Park On The Nile, Golden Sights Lead Field For Friday’s Trapeze At Remington

Trainer Ken McPeek has stamped his ticket in the Triple Crown races, winning the Preakness in 2020 with the filly, Swiss Skydiver, beating the boys.

McPeek, who regularly races at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.; Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.; Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.; and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., now ships Park On the Nile, one of his promising fillies, into Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., for the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes, at one mile, on the season's closing night, Friday, Dec. 17. McPeek will be trying to win this race for the second year in a row and third time overall. He won last year with Oliviaofthedesert. He also won the Trapeze with Perfect Wife in 2016.

Park On the Nile, a 2-year-old daughter of Cairo Prince, out of the Majesticperfection mare Park in Back, has been made the lukewarm 3-1 morning-line favorite in the Trapeze after breaking her maiden at Churchill Downs by 7 1/4 lengths on Nov. 27, in a race at 1 1/16 miles.

Park On the Nile had been working forwardly for her career debut, putting up a 1:00.80 breezing at Churchill before shocking her competition with a daylight victory at 21-1 odds. Jockey Corey Lanerie was up for that victory, but it is Julien Leparoux who has been named for the mount in the Trapeze. Leparoux is a multiple graded stakes-winning rider whose horses have earned just shy of $180 million in his career. He rode Tepin to victory in the 2015 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile on the turf. He also rode Classic Empire to the win in the 2016 G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. In all, Leparoux has seven Breeders' Cup wins.

McPeek's claim to fame came in the early 2000s when he won the Belmont Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown in 2002 with Sarava, the longest shot ever to win the Test of a Champion. He went off at 70-1 odds with Medaglia d'Oro at 16-1 in second. That $2 exacta was worth $2,454.

Park On the Nile's sire, Cairo Prince, currently sits seventh among top sires for 2-year-olds. Cairo Prince was precocious early as a racehorse, winning his first two starts, and Park on the Nile will try to emulate that effort. Cairo Prince won the G2 Nashua Stakes in his second start. Park on the Nile will try to add the black type to her resume if she can repeat her father's effort.

Park On the Nile was purchased in the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase Sale of 2020 for $110,000 by current owners Bret Jones and Cold Press Racing. She was bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones and had earned $69,460 in her only race.

The second choice in the Trapeze morning line odds is Golden Sights out of the barn of the country's leading trainer, Brad Cox. This 2-year-old daughter of Goldencents, out of the Eskendereya mare Celestial Sighting, took four tries to win for the first time, but when she did last time out it was by 5 1/2 lengths over a sloppy track at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. Chris Landeros rode her that day, but Florent Geroux will get a leg up from Cox for the Trapeze. Geroux is seventh in the country among jockeys with his horses pocketing $18,377,044 this year. Geroux has ridden Horse of the Year Gun Runner and multiple G1 winning mare Monomoy Girl.

Golden Sights' record is four starts, one win, two seconds, and $99,880 earned. She was bred in Kentucky by Taylor Made Stallions and is owned by September Farm, Union Park Thoroughbreds, Jonathan Wilmot, Rick Howard, and Black Fern. She was purchased for $100,000 by September Farm at the Ocala (Fla.) Spring Breeders Sale of 2-year-olds in training.

Cox currently sits atop the nation's earnings standings with $30,929,031 in his bankroll this year. Trainer Steve Asmussen, who sits behind Cox nationally with $30,426,747 earned, has two fillies entered in the Trapeze. He has Optionality, a Gun Runner filly, out of the Pulpit mare Simplify as the third choice in the morning line at 5-1 odds. She has won her last two in a row, including her first stakes win in the $50,000 Zia Princess Stakes on Nov. 23 at Zia Park in Hobbs, New Mexico. She drew off to win by 6 1/2 lengths with Irad Ortiz in the irons, the second-leading rider in the country. It will be his brother, Jose Ortiz, however, riding for Asmussen in the Trapeze. Optionality is owned and was bred by Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron Winchell of Las Vegas).

Asmussen's other filly is Morning Twilight, who has won two and run second in the other. An Oklahoma-bred, she won the $100,000 Oklahoma Classics Lassie Stakes at Remington on Oct. 15, then ran second to another filly in this field, Hits Pricey Legacy, the winner of the $75,000 Slide Show Stakes on Nov. 12. The latter is 8-1 in the morning line and Morning Twilight is 10-1. That Asmussen filly, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds (Terrence Finley), Edwin Barker, and Titletown Racing (Paul Farr of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) was a $310,000 buy for West Point at the same Ocala sale from which Golden Sights came.

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Here's a look at the Trapeze filed from the rail out with post position, horse, jockey, trainer, and odds:

Lilly's Bidness, Lane Luzzi, Ronnie Cravens III, 30-1
Brodie Baby, Leandro Goncalves, Ray Ashford, Jr., 15-1
Point Two, Ken Tohill, Don Von Hemel, 12-1
Rollin Chrome, Luis Quinonez, Alejandro Baldillez, Jr., 20-1
Ring Me Darling, Iram Diego, Genaro Garcia, 10-1
Park On the Nile, Julien Leparoux, Ken McPeek, 3-1
Hits Pricey Legacy, Jose Alvarez, C.R. Trout, 8-1
Holy Justice, Carlos Montalvo, Genaro Garcia, 12-1
Golden Sights, Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 7-2
Morning Twilight, Stewart Elliott, Steve Asmussen, 10-1
Diamonds N Aces, Weston Hamilton, Michael Whitelaw, 20-1
Optionality, Jose Ortiz, Steve Asmussen, 5-1

There are four other stakes races on Dec. 17, including the cornerstone 2-year-old race of the meeting, the $400,000 Springboard Mile which includes Kentucky Derby points toward the 2022 run for the roses:

Race 8, $70,000 Jim Thorpe Stakes, 3 year olds, 1 mile (Oklahoma-breds)

Race 9, $70,000 Useeit Stakes, 3 year old fillies, 1 mile (Oklahoma-breds)

Race 10, $100,000 She's All In Stakes, fillies and mares, 3 and older, 1 mile-70 yards

Race 12, $400,000 Springboard Mile, 2 year olds, 1 mile

The total closing day card will have 13 races, beginning at 5 pm and ending around 11 pm. All times are Central.

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Cox, Asmussen Account For 10 Of The 35 Nominees To Springboard Mile

The top two trainers in the country, Brad Cox and Steve Asmussen, have 10 of the 35 nominations to the $400,000 Springboard Mile for 2-year-olds on closing night, Dec. 17, at Remington Park.

The cornerstone open race for juvenile horses here has seen Cox nominate six and Asmussen four to this race run at the mile distance. Cox currently is the nation's top conditioner with $30,918,451 in horse earnings this year. Asmussen is a close second at $30,321,160.

Only one of Cox's six is a stakes winner and that horse, Kaely's Brother, was moved from second into the stakes win by disqualification at Delta Downs in Louisiana. Kaely's Brother, by Twirling Candy, out of the Yes It's True mare Policy of Truth, ran second in the $100,000 Jean Lafitte Stakes on Nov. 20. As the heavy favorite, Kaely's Brother checked behind the horse that crossed the finish line first, Waita Minute Hayes. The stewards ruled Waita Minute Hayes would be disqualified and Kaely's Brother be put up as the winner. Kaely's Brother had broken his maiden at Keeneland on Oct. 9 by three-quarters of a length, sprinting six furlongs. The colt's win in the Jean Lafitte was at the mile distance.

Kaely's Brother races for owner Dean Maltzman and has earned $110,737 in three races.

Cox's other nominees include Rocket Dawg, a Churchill Downs maiden winner in Louisville at first asking Nov. 19 in his only career race. He smoked a field by 5-1/2 lengths at seven furlongs. The colt is by Classic Empire, out of the Distorted Humor mare Rever de Vous. He races for owners Frank Fletcher Racing Operations and Ten Strike Racing.

Cox also has nominated Home Brew, who would be one of the top earners in the field at $113,000 if he goes. He is a Kentucky-bred colt by Street Sense, out of the Tapit mare Omnitap. He is two-for-three to start his career with his biggest win coming in an allowance-optional $80,000 claiming race last time out at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. That win by 3-3/4 lengths came at the one-mile distance on Dec. 4.

Asmussen has nominated one Remington Park stakes winner, Concept, and three Churchill Downs maiden winners. All four are Kentucky-breds.

Concept, a Gun Runner colt out of the Cindago mare Majestic Jewel, won the $75,000 Kip Deville Stakes at Remington Park on Sept. 26, sprinting six furlongs on the main track. When he stretched out to seven furlongs in the $100,000 Clever Trevor Stakes, he made the lead after a half mile but faded to fourth, beaten nine lengths. Concept is owned by Tony Holmes and Winchell Thoroughbreds.

The Asmussen maiden winners from Churchill are All in Sync, Chasing Time and Classic Moment. All in Sync, by Maclean's Music, out of the Girolamo mare System Time, won his second start by 1-1/2 lengths over a sloppy track at six furlongs on Nov. 25. He is owned by Ed and Susie Orr.

Chasing Time, a colt by Not This Time, out of the Dixie Union mare Race Hunter, took three tries to break his maiden, winning by 1-3/4 lengths at seven furlongs on Nov. 27. He is owned by My Racehorse.

Classic Moment won in his second start Nov. 5 at 6-1/2 furlongs by a half-length. This colt is by Classic Empire, out of the Yankee Victor mare Victory Party. He is owned by L and N Racing of Tulsa, Okla., and Winchell Thoroughbreds.

The only horse among the nominees with multiple stakes wins, and the local flag bearer for Remington Park is Rowdy Rascal, trained by Boyd “Jobe” Caster and owned by JT Stables of Springdale, Ark. Rowdy Rascal has won three races in a row over the Remington Park main surface, taking the $100,000 Oklahoma Classics Juvenile on Oct. 15 at six furlongs and then stretching out to one mile to easily win the $75,000 Don McNeill Stakes on Nov. 12 by three lengths.

“I haven't decided whether we are going or not,” said Caster. “We'll play it by ear and see how he comes out of his workout.”

Rowdy Rascal, an Oklahoma-bred by Den's Legacy, out of the Affirmatif mare Dancing Diva, has a record of six starts, three wins, one second and a bankroll of $132,859. He would definitely be one of the most experienced horse in the field if he goes. He is expected to work five furlongs on Thursday morning at Remington Park.

The top earner in the field, should he be entered, would be Tejano Twist, a winner in the $200,000 Lively Shively Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 27. He also was runner-up to Concept in the Kip Deville at Remington Park. He is a gelded son of Practical Joke, out of the Cuvee mare Haley's Lolipop, and is a Kentucky home-bred by owner Tom Durant. His record is eight starts, three wins, three seconds and $260,670 in earnings. He would be the most experienced runner in the field.

Barber Road, who ran second, beaten only a half-length in the Lively Shively by Tejano Twist, was nominated by trainer John Ortiz. This colt is a Kentucky-bred owned by WSS Racing. He is by Race Day, out of the Southern Image mare Encounter. His record is 4-2-1-0 with $100,720 in the bank.

Other trainers with multiple nominees were Ron Moquett with three, U.S. Racing Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer and Bret Calhoun with two each.

Remington Park racing continues this week with Friday and Saturday night cards, Dec. 10-11 that begin at 7:07pm-Central.

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Remington Park Honors Retiring General Manager Scott Wells Friday

Remington Park president and general manager Scott Wells will always be the answer to one trivia question in connection with Oklahoma horse racing: Who was the first trainer to win a race when parimutuel racing returned to the state in 1984?

Wells was that trainer with a horse named Ye Song. There is nothing trivial about Wells' career after that, however. He was honored at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Friday night as he prepares to retire at the end of this Thoroughbred meet on Dec. 17.

When Wells announced his retirement, the chief executive officer of Global Gaming Solutions, who owns Remington Park, Skip Seeley, spoke highly of him in glowing terms.

“Scott Wells is an icon in the horse racing industry and a mainstay at Remington Park across parts of four decades,” Seeley said. “His steady guidance and his deep expertise of track operations have been integral to the success of both Remington Park and Lone Star Park in Texas. He helped create Remington Park as a destination in the racing industry and he leaves a legacy of superlative service both to horsemen and racing fans in Oklahoma, across the country and around the world.”

Wells' career in the industry reads like a Who's Who of National and International Racing.

Wells started in the business as an assistant to his father, Ted, who was quite the horseman in his own right, being inducted into the American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame posthumously in 2014. Ted came to be known as one of the top Quarter Horse trainers of his era, conditioning Savannah Jr to World Champion honors two years in a row.

Having garnered the knowledge and inherited the talent of his father, Wells worked for him at the Wells Ranch in Pawhuska Okla., one of the nation's largest breeders of Quarter Horse racing. After getting his start, Scott accepted a debate scholarship at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, before traveling to France in his junior year. While abroad, Wells rekindled the fire he had for horse racing. Returning to the states he was fortunate to catch on with a young trainer named D. Wayne Lukas. Lukas would go on to gain fame with 20 wins in Breeders' Cup races and be inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame. He mentored Wells until the next rung in the ladder would form with a move to another Hall of Famer's barn, Jack Van Berg. Van Berg won the Kentucky Derby with Alysheba in 1987.

After two stints with Hall of Fame trainers, it was time for Wells to venture out on his own as a trainer. The native Oklahoman spent 17 years in the business as a licensed trainer and it included that win in 1984 at Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw, Okla., the state's first pari-mutuel race in decades. Wells raced his horses in 14 different states before turning his sights on the track management side of the business.

Remington Park opened in Oklahoma City in 1988. Wells became a columnist for the Daily Racing Form in 1990, the same year he would begin a stint with Remington Park racetrack management. Through 1992, Wells climbed successfully upward in Remington Park's ranks. After two years in Oklahoma City, Wells packed his bags for the West Coast where Hollywood Park in Los Angeles, Calif., hired him as assistant GM. From there he became GM of Ruidoso Downs in the mountains of New Mexico. While there, he was the co-founder of the Ruidoso Downs Hall of Fame, originally installed at the Land of Enchantment state's Museum of the Horse.

Following his stay in New Mexico, Wells' feet became itchy for foreign soil once again. He became Director of Racing for the national racetracks of Mexico and Uruguay as well as a consultant to other Latin racing countries. He carried that knowledge back to the States with him in 2004 when he became the president and GM for Remington Park. For more than 16 years, he has led the track back from obscurity into the national spotlight with horses coming out of the Springboard Mile going into the Kentucky Derby the following year. While holding the top positions at the Oklahoma City track, he also became a leader for Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, in 2013 with the same titles.

“It's a great feeling tonight being honored,” Wells said. “Horse racing is like a family with all the workers at Remington Park and Lone Star that have made us such a success. I came in following the example set by David Vance when he opened this track in 1988. Then joining and rebuilding with Matt Vance (executive vice president of racing operations) and Mike Chapple (VP of gaming operations).”

Wells also served three terms as President of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America and three terms on the Board of Trustees of the American Horse Council. He has also authored three books – The Nicodemus Era, What A Way to Go, and Teaching Narcissus to Swim.

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In 2022, Wells will be inducted into the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Despite the mountain of accolades earned in his career, Wells claims one event as the greatest moment of his life over the past 25 years, when he married his wife Mellyn.

Remington Park racing continues Saturday, Dec. 4 with the first race at 7:07 pm Central.

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Popular Kid Gets First Remington Park Stakes Victory In Jeffrey Hawk Memorial

Popular Kid was racing at Santa Anita as a 7-year-old at the beginning of the year when his new owner George A. Sharp of Phoenix, Ariz., claimed him for $20,000.

The gelded son of Popular, out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Lemon Supreme, has since won 4 of 10 starts, including the $102,000 Jeffrey Hawk Memorial Stakes on Friday night at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla. It's rare that a 7-year-old with no promise for breeding and no more conditions to run through in his races is bought out of a claiming race for $20,000.

“Everyone thought I was nuts,” Sharp said. “I sent him straight out to the cowboy (trainer Shawn Davis). Now he's all pro. He just wins races and is going to win more. Jose (Alvarez, jockey) couldn't have ridden him any better.”

Popular Kid earned $60,000 from the purse and improved his record to 62 starts, 15 wins, nine seconds, and five thirds for $598,774. It kept the winner undefeated in three tries over the main track at Remington Park this season, with the other two victories coming in allowance company. His only loss here was on the grass in the $100,000 Remington Green Stakes.

It took Popular Kid five races before he won for Sharp after the Jan. 2 claim on the West Coast. He finally made it to the winner's circle on a muddy track at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, on June 7 against optional claiming $35,000 horses. Two races later, he found that Remington Park was turning into the land of milk and honey for him. Alvarez has been aboard for his wins on Sept. 11, Oct. 27, and Friday night, the horse's first stakes win in Oklahoma City.

Popular Kid was sent off at 3-1 odds, the second favorite in the race, and paid $8.80, $4.60, and $3.60 across the board to win, place, and show. The oddest race of all came from runner-up Catdaddy, the longest shot in the six-horse field at 26-1. He broke like a rocket from the gate, ding-donging on the front end with Absaroka, who was stepping into open company after winning the $175,000 Oklahoma Classics Cup against Oklahoma-breds in October. Catdaddy soon backed out of the 1 mile and 70 yards race after dueling early, dropping back to fourth. As they came into the stretch, however, Catdaddy found new life and began passing horses that had already passed him. When all was said and done, he had regained second place, losing by only a length to Popular Kid.

According to Brisnet statistics, it was Popular Kid's eighth win in 16 starts at or near the distance. He covered the distance in 1:43.35 over a fast track. Alvarez was never farther back than third in the early going and then gradually moved past the front-runners, who set early fractions of :24.75 for the quarter-mile, :48.58 for the half-mile, and 1:13.19 for six furlongs. Popular Kid was in front after a mile in 1:39.04.

Trainer Davis couldn't have been happier with his horse, bred in California by Rod and Lorraine Rodriguez. “We hoped he would run that way,” said Davis. “He's 7 years old and just getting better.”

Absaroka (9-2) held on for third, three-quarters of a length behind Catdaddy, and 1-3/4 lengths ahead of fourth-place finisher Trident Hit, the beaten wagering favorite at 3-5 odds. The remaining order of finish was Favorable Outcome (5-1) and Drifting West (12-1).

The Jeffrey Hawk Memorial is named in honor of prominent Remington Park owner and breeder Bryan Hawk's brother who passed away in 2017.

The score with Popular Kid was one of three on the night for Alvarez. He also triumphed with Young Skywalker ($4.80 to win) in the sixth race and Sierra Summer ($32) in the ninth race. Alvarez now has 29 wins on the season, tying him for fifth in the Remington Park standings with Leandro Goncalves. David Cabrera is well on his way to a fourth-consecutive leading rider title with 75 wins.

Remington Park racing continues Saturday, Nov. 20 with the first race at 7:07 pm Central.

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