Spit Curl Diva

Never out of the money in her 12 career starts at Remington Park, Spit Curl Diva, was one of the fastest and most-versatile females to ever compete in Oklahoma.

Owned originally by Elbert Brown of Seminole, Okla., Spit Curl Diva was by Spit Curl Jess from the Some Dasher mare Some Kinda Diva. She was bred in Oklahoma by Little Deer Creek Quarter Horses.

Showing immediate talent, Spit Curl Diva won the 2008 Blue Ribbon Downs Futurity in just her second career start. Trained by Clifton Brooks and ridden by Richard Vasquez, Spit Curl Diva then arrived at Remington Park. John Purcell took over the training in Oklahoma City where she finished a close second in the Remington Park Futurity, beaten just a head by Streakin Six Cartel.

Moving back to the barn of Clifton Brooks, Spit Curl Diva flashed her speed at Fair Meadows in Tulsa, finishing second in the Oklahoma Horsemen’s Association Futurity and then winning the Speedhorse Gold Cup Futurity. Leading jockey G.R. Carter always new a good horse when he encountered one and had gained the mount on Spit Curl Diva for the rest of her 2-year-old and 3-year-old campaigns.

Spit Curl Diva continued her success at age three in 2009. Now trained by David Brown who was on a riding hiatus due to injury, Spit Curl Diva won the Oklahoma Derby under Carter and then finished second, beaten only a nose, in the Remington Park Derby under veteran jockey Roy Brooks. Rarely Makes It Home managed to deny Spit Curl Diva in her final Oklahoma City start for owner Elbert Brown.

Spit Curl Diva was purchased privately after her 3-year-old year by the Lepic-Morgan Partnership of Iowa City, Iowa. She had already won eight races and over $400,000 before Tom Lepic and his team latched on to the speedy mare.

At the height of her career, as a 4-year-old in 2010, Spit Curl Diva set three new Remington Park track records, at three different distances, in three consecutive races. She won the 2010 Decketta Stakes and set a new 350-yard mark; she won the 2010 Bob Moore Memorial and set the 300-yard record; then won a 250-yard allowance to set that standard. Back in the saddle again, David Brown would be the jockey for Spit Curl Diva for the final 17 races of her career while his wife Jody took over the training title.

The Browns made a slight equipment change to the blinkers worn by Spit Curl Diva, allowing her to see more. They also augmented her training schedule to help build endurance, hoping she would begin to find success at longer distances.

The alterations worked as Spit Curl Diva started winning longer events, including the $100,000 Refrigerator Handicap at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, going 440 yards. That score gained here a berth in the prestigious Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos in southern California. Prior to going west, Spit Curl Diva won at 400 yards in the $125,000 Merial Distaff Championship at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. Her grand 4-year-old year ended with a thud as she was ninth of 10 in the Champion of Champions, won by Apollitical Jess, the eventual AQHA World Champion for 2010.

Spit Curl Diva earned $257,383 in her 4-year-old year and was voted the American Quarter Horse Association Champion Aged Horse and Champion Aged Mare while also being honored with the title of Supreme Racehorse.

Recovery from a minor foot ailment prevented Spit Curl Diva from returning to Remington Park in 2011 at the age of five. She managed four more stakes wins including the Golden Driller and the Belles Stakes at Fair Meadows along with the Keokuk Stakes and Prairie Meadows Challenge Championship. The Challenge score would be her last victory.

Spit Curl Diva still owns the 300-yard track record at Remington Park. She finished racing with 19 wins from 37 attempts with 10 seconds and two more thirds. At Remington Park, she won six of 12 starts with four seconds and two thirds, earning more than a quarter-million dollars alone in Oklahoma City. Spit Curl Diva left the race track with career earnings of $829,353.

Her impact is still seen in today’s racing as she has become a prominent broodmare, now owned by Reliance Ranches of Guthrie, Okla., already responsible for multiple stakes winners.