CHURCH SPIRE PULLS OFF HUGE SURPRISE, WINNING LEO STAKES AT 25-1 ODDS AT REMINGTON PARK
Saturday, May 2, 2026
By Richard Lineman
Church Spire didn’t win his first race until his 12th career race, but his connections thought enough of him to pay a $2,000 supplemental fee to get him into the Grade 1, $105,280 Leo Stakes on Saturday. They were right to do so.
Church Spire broke from the gate like a rocket while congestion in the middle of the track had several of the favorites caught up in a tangle. It was clear sailing for the supplement and he won at longshot odds of 25-1 under jockey Jonathan Dominguez.
“We left there good,” said Dominguez. “Right away we got some distance on them (in the 400-yard race). He just kept improving and I didn’t feel like we were challenged at all.”
There is no doubt that this 4-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding by KVN Corona, out of the Tac it Like a Man mare Symbol of Faith, is getting better with age. Despite taking a dozen races before winning, he has now won three of his last four races and is now a Grade 1 stakes winner. Church Spire broke his maiden on Nov. 30, 2025, at Zia Park in New Mexico and then ran third against allowance horses that had never won two lifetime. He tried that class level again last time out at Remington Park and was a winner by a full length at 400 yards on April 19. That race obviously impressed trainer Marco Chavez-Gutierrez.
“He is a very good horse,” said Chavez-Gutierrez. “We knew he was special when he ran fifth last year in the Heritage Place Derby. He’s definitely a Grade 1 winner now. He should go in the Debbie Schauf (Remington Park Championship on closing night, May 30).”
Church Spire pulled away from some strong graded stakes winners impressively and paid $53.80 to win, $19.40 to place and $10.80 to show. He stopped the timer in :19.403 on the fast track for a speed index of 100.
Lethal Cowboy (8-1), coming off a nose loss in the Grade 1 Brad McKinzie Stakes at Los Alamitos on the West Coast in March, checked in second, just barely squeaking out the place spot over Shakers No Secret. The 3-5 wagering favorite, Hard to Politic broke from the post-position five and got mixed up in the traffic jam in the first yards of the race and was shuffled back to last.
It was the first win in the Leo Stakes for all the connections. Church Spire won $61,800 for owner Rancho Garambuyo (Santos Lopez) of Denver, Colo., and improved lifetime to 15 starts, three wins, two seconds and two thirds for earnings of $143,638. He was bred by Kelly Yother Equine and was bought for $26,000 from the Heritage Place Winter Mixed Sale this year in Oklahoma City.
This victory by the longshot winner keyed some nice payouts in the exotic wagers that included Church Spire. The $2 exacta returned $531.40. The 10-cent superfecta with Lightning Strikes running fourth paid $1,354.51. The 50-cent trifecta was worth $577.20. The late Pick 4 with Church Spire as the anchor rewarded his backers with a payout of $615.10.
The rest of the order of finish was Scoops Dynasty fifth, Holy Pete sixth, Cowboys Gun Z seventh, Big Bang Rocket eighth, Decision Made ninth and Hard to Politic 10th.
The Leo Stakes is named in honor of one of Quarter Horse racing’s foundation sires. Leo, an AQHA Hall of Fame member, stood the bulk of his long stallion career in Perry, Okla., where a life-size statue commemorates him to this day. Leo was owned for the final decades of his life by Bud Warren.
Remington Park racing continues Sunday at 4pm-Central.
Remington Park has provided more than $410 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. The $1,000,000 Heritage Place Futurity takes place on the final night of the spring season on Saturday, May 30. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
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