Remington’s 2021 Stakes Schedule Highlighted By Oklahoma Derby, Springboard Mile

Remington Park's 2021 Thoroughbred Season stakes schedule is punctuated by the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby on Sunday, Sept. 26, and the $400,000 Springboard Mile on Sunday, Dec. 19, the final day of the meet. The season is set to begin on Aug. 20.

The Oklahoma Derby will headline a massive program of stakes races on the final Sunday of September. Among the eight stakes events on that date is the Grade 3, $200,000 Remington Park Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1-1/16 miles. The derby and the oaks are the only graded stakes races on the schedule.

The top 2-year-old race of the season, the Springboard Mile, is the main event as the season ends Dec. 19. The $100,000 Trapeze Stakes, for 2-year-old fillies, also at a mile, shares the final program that includes six stakes races.

The stakes schedule has 34 races with purses reaching beyond $3.8 million. The first stakes race takes place on the season's opening night when the $175,000 Governor's Cup Stakes for 3-year-olds-and-up going 1-1/8th miles, is the main event.

The schedule also includes the annual Oklahoma Classics Night on Friday, Oct. 15, featuring races in divisional categories for the top Oklahoma-bred horses. Purses for that night of state-bred competition soar past $1 million.

It is likely that fans will get to see Welder, the three-time Champion Horse of the Meeting, on Oklahoma Classics Night. Welder, a millionaire 8-year-old gray gelding, owned by Ra-Max Farms (Clayton and Toni Rash of Claremore, Okla.) and trained by Teri Luneack, is expected to try to break an all-time record at Remington Park when he races this meet. Only three horses of more than 25,000 thoroughbreds that have raced here since the track opened in 1988 have won as many as 15 races here. Highland Ice and Elegant Exxactsy were joined by Welder when he tied them with his last win here on Dec. 19, 2020.

Oklahoma Classics Night is Friday, Oct. 15, and will feature the following races for Oklahoma-breds:

$175,000 Oklahoma Classics Cup, 3-year-olds-and-up, 1-1/16th miles
$145,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff, 3-year-olds-and-up, fillies & mares, 1 mile-70 yards
$130,000 Oklahoma Classics Sprint, 3-year-olds-and-up, 6 furlongs
$130,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Sprint, 3-year-olds-and-up, fillies & mares, 6 furlongs
$130,000 Oklahoma Classics Turf, 3-year-olds-and-up, 1-1/16th miles, turf
$130,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Turf, 3-year-olds-and-up, fillies & mares, 1-1/16th miles, turf
$100,000 Oklahoma Classics Juvenile, 2-year-olds, colts & geldings, 6 furlongs
$100,000 Oklahoma Classics Lassie, 2-year-olds, fillies, 6 furlongs
$40,000 Oklahoma Classics Starter Stakes, 3-year-olds-and-up, 7 furlongs
$40,000 Oklahoma Classics Filly & Mare Starter Stakes, 3-year-olds-and-up, fillies & mares, 7 furlongs

For the entirety of the meet, there are 18 stakes races worth $100,000 or more. There are seven stakes races set for the turf, and 18 stakes races restricted to accredited Oklahoma breds. The remainder of the stakes schedule includes:

Friday, Sept. 10 – $50,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes, 3-year-olds, colts & geldings, 7 furlongs
Friday, Sept. 10 – $50,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes, 3-year-olds, fillies, 7 furlongs
Friday, Sept. 24 – $70,000 Red Earth Stakes, 3-year-olds-and-up, 7-1/2 furlongs, turf (OK)
Friday, Sept. 24 – $70,000 Bob Barry Memorial, 3-year-olds-and-up, fillies & mares, 7-1/2 furlongs, turf (OK)
Friday, Sept. 24 – $70,000 Remington Park Turf Sprint, 3-year-olds-and-up, 5 furlongs, turf (OK)
Sunday, Sept. 26 – $150,000 David M. Vance Stakes, 3-year-olds-and-up, 6 furlongs
Sunday, Sept. 26 – $100,000 Remington Green Stakes, 3-year-olds-and-up, 1-1/8th miles, turf
Sunday, Sept. 26 – $75,000 Kip Deville Stakes, 2-year-olds, 6 furlongs
Sunday, Sept. 26 – $75,000 Ricks Memorial, 3-year-olds-and-up, fillies & mares, 1-1/16th miles, turf
Sunday, Sept. 26 – $50,000 Flashy Lady Stakes, 3-year-olds-and-up, fillies & mares, 6 furlongs
Sunday, Sept. 26 – $50,000 E.L. Gaylord Memorial, 2-year-olds, fillies, 6-1/2 furlongs
Friday, Oct. 29 – $100,000 Clever Trevor Stakes, 2-year-olds, 7 furlongs
Friday, Nov. 12 – $75,000 Don McNeill Stakes, 2-year-olds, 1 mile (OK)
Friday, Nov. 12 – $75,000 Slide Show Stakes, 2-year-olds, fillies, 1 mile (OK)
Friday, Nov. 12 – $70,000 Silver Goblin Stakes, 3-year-olds-and-up, 6-1/2 furlongs (OK)
Sunday, Dec. 19 – $100,000 She's All In Stakes, 3-year-olds-and-up, fillies & mares, 1 mile-70 yards
Sunday, Dec. 19 – $100,000 Jeffrey A. Hawk Memorial, 3-year-olds-and-up, 1 mile-70 yards
Sunday, Dec. 19 – $70,000 Jim Thorpe Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 mile (OK)
Sunday, Dec. 19 – $70,000 Useeit Stakes, 3-year-olds, fillies, 1 mile (OK)
(OK) denotes Oklahoma-breds

The Remington Park Thoroughbred runs for 67 dates, Aug. 20 to Dec. 19.

Tracked by more than 167,000 fans on Facebook and 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $264 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 live and simulcast horse racing, and the casino is always open! The 2021 Thoroughbred Season begins Aug. 20. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

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Top Oklahoma-Bred Welder Preparing For Rare Out-Of-State Appearance At Oaklawn Park

Oaklawn will run two $1 million races Saturday (Apple Blossom and Oaklawn Handicap) and have a millionaire running in an allowance event when Welder makes a rare appearance outside Oklahoma for trainer Theresa Sue Luneack and owner Ra-Max Farms LLC.

Oklahoma-bred Welder is the 2-1 program favorite for the 10th race – the Oaklawn Handicap and Apple Blossom are bookends – a conditioned sprint for older horses. Welder will be making his first start since a Dec. 19, 2020, allowance victory at Remington Park. It was his record-tying 15th career victory at the Oklahoma City venue.

Luneack said the 8-year-old gray gelding was rerouted to Oaklawn after the $50,000 Highland Ice Stakes Tuesday at Will Rogers Downs near Tulsa was canceled because of lack of entries. Will Rogers is Welder's home track and he is based just a couple of miles away.

“He's fit, ready to run and ready to rock,” Luneack said after Welder galloped Thursday morning at Oaklawn under regular rider David Cabrera. “Jose Santos said, 'Bring him to Oaklawn.' I said, 'Well, I'll see what I can do.' The race came up on the extras and it was a perfect fit.”

Santos is the agent for Cabrera. In Welder's only Oaklawn appearance, he finished third, beaten two lengths by future Eclipse Award winner Whitmore, in the $150,000 Hot Springs Stakes for older sprinters in 2019. Welder is a legend in Oklahoma, amassing 15 career stakes victories between Remington Park and Will Rogers Downs and has a 26-5-4 mark from 38 starts overall and earnings of $1,204,042.

Luneack said Welder was under consideration for the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) last Saturday at Oaklawn, but the gelding's priority has always been Oklahoma.

“We try to help Oklahoma racing, so we really wanted to run in the Oklahoma stake,” Luneack said. “We passed on the Count Fleet because we were trying to promote Oklahoma, but obviously that didn't work. He probably should have run in the Count Fleet.”

Luneack said Welder arrived Wednesday night for Saturday's 6-furlong race, which has a $108,000 purse – roughly three times higher than his last start.

“It's always a challenge for us,” Luneack said. “We don't haul him a lot. But now that we have to be here three days prior, I actually think that might be to Welder's advantage because he can come in and go to the racetrack to gallop and relax. Maybe a couple of trips to the track without racing will help him settle in a little better.”

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Welder Oklahoma All-Breeds HOTY–Again

For the third year in a row, Welder (Visualiser–Dance Softly, by Tiznow), a millionaire Oklahoma-bred Thoroughbred, earned Oklahoma's 2020 All-Breeds Horse of the Year, presented by the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission. The 8-year-old, owned by Ra-Max Farms (Clayton Rash) of Claremore, Oklahoma, trained by Teri Luneack and ridden by three-time Remington Park champion David Cabrera, is the only Thoroughbred to have ever won the award more than once. His $40,795 in Oklahoma-bred earnings were about $6,000 more than runner-up Eagles Fly Higher, a Quarter Horse, who had $34,800. Welder also became 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 encompasses 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.

In 2020, Welder won the Remington Park Turf Sprint, Oklahoma Classics Sprint and Silver Goblin S. at Remington Park. He also was the easy winner in the TRAO Classics Sprint at Will Rogers Downs for the fifth consecutive year. Welder has won 26-of-38 starts for $1,204,042.

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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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