C W PRIZE COMES BACK ON STAKES WINNER FLY TO THE BANK TO WIN REMINGTON PARK FRIDAY SPRINT FEATURE
When multiple stakes winner Fly to the Bank caught C W Prize in the stretch and stuck his head in front in Friday’s sprint feature at Remington Park, it just served as a platform for the latter horse to show the size of his heart.
C W Prize, with jockey Richard Eramia in the saddle for Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer Joe Offolter, dug his heels in and passed Fly to the Bank (9-2 third betting favorite) back and drove to the wire in front in the 6-1/2 furlongs race over the main fast track. C W Prize is owned by Bryan Hawk of Shawnee, Okla.
Fly to the Bank, with leading jockey Stewart Elliott replacing Obed Sanchez in the irons after Sanchez had a bout of dehydration, made his move at C W Prize at the quarter-mile pole and looked like he had collared the front-runner. As he moved past the Offolter trainee, you could almost see the horse grit his teeth into the bit and find more.
In the end, C W Prize, a 4-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding by Code West (Lemon Drop Kid), out of the Pure Prize mare M B Prize, prevailed and won in gutsy fashion by a head. Hawk also bred this winner. This race was a $40,000 allowance race for Oklahoma-breds that are 3-years-old-and-up. Fly to the Bank had won two stakes here last year – the Silver Goblin and the Oklahoma Classics Sprint. C W Prize has yet to win his first stakes.
The winner was sent off as the second favorite at 9-2 odds and paid $11.20 to win, $6 to place and $4.20 to show. The winning time for the distance was 1:16.75. C W Prize earned $23,592 for Hawk and it improved the gelding’s record to 11 starts, five wins, one second and four thirds for a lifetime bankroll of $131,226.
C W Prize and Fly to the Bank were another 5-1/4 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Mister Wayside (8-1). The betting favorite, Our Cornerstone (3-1), checked in fourth, another 1-3/4 lengths behind.
C W Prize set all the interior fractions of :22.60 for the first quarter-mile, :45.53 for the half-mile, and 1:10.39 for three-quarters of a mile.
Offolter was inducted into the hall of fame at Remington Park in 2017 and stands third all-time in wins at Remington Park with this being his 594th trip to the winner’s circle. He trails only Steve Asmussen and Donnie Von Hemel in the overall standings from 1988-present.
The feature win for Offolter on Friday night improved his lifetime record to 9,390 starts, 1,219 wins, 1,269 seconds and 1,201 thirds for $19,109,264 in earnings. He is tied for second in the trainer standings this meet with Steve Asmussen at three wins each. Only Dick Cappellucci has more with four.
It was also the fourth win of the meet for Hawk, tying him for first in the standings with Cappellucci.
Remington Park has 10-races set for Saturday, Aug. 24, with the first event scheduled for 6:30pm-Central.
Remington Park has provided more than $357 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 presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. The 2024 Thoroughbred Season continues through Dec. 13. The Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby takes place on Sunday, Sept. 29. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
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