BREEDERS’ CUP WINNING TRAINER BRIAN LYNCH SENDING TUMBARUMBA TO OKLAHOMA DERBY, ANCIENT PEACE TO REMINGTON PARK OAKS

Trainer Brian Lynch has confirmed he will be sending two horses to Remington Park, one for the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby on Sunday, Sept. 24, and the other to the Grade 3, $200,000 Remington Park Oaks on the undercard.

Lynch, a 59-year-old trainer from Australia, is ready to ship Tumbarumba, winner of the $250,000 Ellis Park Derby, for the Oklahoma Derby, and Ancient Peace for the Remington Park Oaks. The Oklahoma Derby will be run at 1-1/8 miles on the main track while the Oaks is set for 1-1/16 miles.

Tumbarumba is named for a small town in New South Wales, Australia, and some say the name is derived from the sound of thunder. That seems fitting considering the way the 3-year-old gelding came thundering down the stretch to win the Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 13 in Kentucky by three-quarters of a length. The son of Oscar Performance, out of the Street Sense mare Naive Enough, showed the tenacity of a warrior to win that race. It was his third win in his last four starts. Oscar Performance is a horse that Lynch trained to a Breeders’ Cup win in the Grade 1, $1 million Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita in 2016. Lynch is a multiple Grade 1-winning conditioner.

Tumbarumba’s other two wins in his recent success were in allowance company. He won the Ellis Park Derby with veteran rider Rafael Bejarano in the saddle at 7-2 odds. The gelding’s record coming into the Oklahoma Derby would be nine starts, four wins, one second and one third for $254,870 in earnings.

Lynch’s family was ensconced in horse racing in Australia and he grew up across the street from a racetrack there. Lynch was looking for something a little more along the rough and tumble side when he left Australia for North America in 1986. He wanted to ride bulls on the rodeo circuit. When that didn’t pan out for a living, he went to legendary Southern California trainer Bobby Frankel and began to work for him. Since he became an official trainer on his own in the early 1990s, Lynch has had 4,709 starters, won 783 times, run second 672 times and third another 627 times. His horses have earned $52,659,405 in his career, according to Equibase statistics.

Tumbarumba was bred in Louisiana by Coteau Grove Farms. He is owned by Amerman Racing.

The filly, Ancient Peace, going to the Remington Park Oaks, may be just as impressive and entry for Lynch. The 3-year-old daughter of War Front, out of the A.P. Indy mare Deceptive Vision, had an impressive runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Summer Oaks at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., the last time she raced on dirt, June 3. She might have won that race, but she got into more trouble than a juvenile delinquent. Ancient Peace hit the gate at the start of the race and then jumped a shadow during the race and still only lost by 1-3/4 lengths at 15-1 odds. She has yet to win in stakes company. Her last effort, when she was tried on the turf, was an experiment that didn’t work out as she ran 10th of 14 horses in the Grade 2, $200,000 San Clemente at Del Mar on July 22. Her career record thus far is six starts, two wins, and one second for a bankroll of $130,400. She was bred in Ontario, Canada, by Sam-Son Farm. She is owned by Boardshorts Stables.

The draw for the lone graded stakes events on the Remington Park calendar
will take place Saturday morning, Sept. 16.