For Immediate Release
Saturday, March 10, 2007
OKLAHOMA CITY – The first stakes race of the 2007 American Quarter Horse Season at Remington Park, the Grade 3, $51,350 Eastex Handicap went to Mr Chivato To You who continued his career success at 350 yards. The 5-year-old gelding has never been out of the money at the measure and is perfect in three career starts going that distance at Remington Park.
Owned by Sylvia and John Crain of Lincoln, Ark. and trained by Don Mourning, Mr Chivato To You left the starting gate on top of the field of 11 and stayed their the entire length of the Eastex under jockey Tad Leggett. The Arkansas-bred held off the 5-2 betting favorite Bullions N Garters by a head, stopping the clock in :17.742 over a fast track.
“It looked like he left the gate really good and was sitting on cruise for the first part of the race,” Mourning said. “Down toward the wire, I was getting pretty worried it looked like the horse on the outside (Bullions N Garters) was coming on pretty strong but Tad went back to his stick and barely held them off.”
Mr Chivato To You was away from the gate at 8-1 odds and paid $19.40 to win, $7.40 to place and $4.80 to show. Bullions N Garters returned $ 3.80 to place and $2.60 to show. WRS Special Show was along for third and paid $4.60 to show.
The win was the 11th from 24 career starts for Mr Chivato To You, a son of Dash To Chivato from the Himito Dancer mare Missy Mit Go. The winner’s check of $30,000 boosted his career earnings to $321,972.
The first set of trials for the season were also held on Saturday night as the qualifiers for the $50,000 Oklahoma Paint Futurity were determined from five trials, all at 300 yards for 2-year-old Paints.
Chicks Lacerta was the only qualifier to post a time under the 16-second mark, finishing her heat in :15.95. Owned by the Tulsa partnership of Sammy Hester and Charles Trochta, the Oklahoma-bred Chicks Lacerta won her first career race. Trained by Hester and ridden by Larry Payne, Chicks Lacerta leads a field of 10 into the March 25 final.
The rest of the qualifiers, with times for 300 yards, are Quick Country Jaz, :16.179; Miss Junglette, :16.196; Unsual Suspect, :16.205; Shake M Babe Shake M, :16.214; I Have Issues, :16.214; Mountain Gold, : 16.214; MCM Evelyn LaJolla, :16.254; Real Easy Effort, :16.267 and Special Indian Maid, :16.28.
There were no perfect tickets with the correct combination of 3-2-6-4-7-2 in the Pick Six. The carryover to Sunday night in the 50-cent minimum wager is $1,282.
The final night of the season’s Opening Weekend features trials for the $200,000 Oklahoma Futurity. The 10-race program begins at 6:25 p.m. Sunday at Remington Park.
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