DA CHIEF, 24-1 LONGSHOT, UNDER JOCKEY KELSI PURCELL PULLS BIG UPSET IN REMINGTON PARK FEATURE

Da Chief was challenged to the hilt Thursday night in a battle to the wire with Waylon’s Guitar, but the 24-1 longshot prevailed, getting his nose down at the wire for jockey Kelsi Purcell in a huge upset among first-level allowance horses at Remington Park.

Da Chief, a 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelded son of Da Stoops, out of the Chief Seattle mare She Loves Me Now, won the five-furlong sprint on the main fast track against 3-year-olds-and-up, Oklahoma-breds. These were horses that had not won a race other than maiden, claiming or starter or had not won two career races.

Purcell put Da Chief near the lead early (third) before going to the front at the top of the stretch. They were all out to get to the wire as Waylon’s Guitar cut into his lead with each step to the finish with Iram Diego riding, engaging the winner over the final furlong, and the pair fought tooth and hoof the rest of the way.

The interior fractions were :22.02 for the first quarter-mile and :45.55 for the half-mile with the final winning at :58.24.

The winner is owned by Remington Park’s all-time winningest owner, Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Famer Danny Caldwell of Poteau, Okla., and is trained by Oscar Flores.

Da Chief won by a head and paid $50 to win on a $2 ticket. He returned $19 to place and $12.60 to show. This long-odds winner keyed a bunch of huge payouts that concluded with the ninth race. With 6-1 Waylon’s Guitar as the runner-up and Bijou Bear at 26-1 filling out the 50-cent trifecta, that top-three wager paid a whopping $2,054.95. The biggest payout from this upset came in the 50-cent late Pick 5 that returned a meet-high $23,677.80 to one lucky bettor who took down the entire pool. Da Chief was not the only longshot in the Pick 5 sequence. The winners were Dontcallitacomebak ($19.60) in the fifth, Flash Master ($8.80) in the sixth, Autie ($3.20) in the seventh, and Samantha Code ($26.80) in the eighth.

Bijou Bear was another 2-1/2 lengths back of runner-up Waylon’s Guitar for a third-place finish while Light the Code (11-1) checked in fourth. The 10-cent superfecta didn’t even break the $1,000 mark, paying $871.77. The late $2 Daily Double of $598.20 was also a meet-high in the last two races. Along with Da Chief on the back end, the 12-1 longshot first-time starter Samantha Code won the eighth race to boost the double.

It was the third win in 12 lifetime starts for Da Chief, but his long odds Thursday may have been the result of a poor showing last time out on Oct. 24 on a sloppy track, going 5-1/2 furlongs. He ran ninth, beaten 15 lengths. Da Chief was bred by Laura Atkinson and Sherry Wingfield. He earned $23,004 for the Thursday night victory and improved lifetime to 12-3-0-2 for a total bankroll of $49,051, almost doubling his earnings.

Remington Park racing continues Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14 & 15, with the first race nightly at 6pm-Central.

Remington Park has provided more than $399 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 year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. The 2025 Springboard Mile, a 2026 Kentucky Derby qualifying points race, takes place Saturday, Dec. 20, the final night of the Thoroughbred Season. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

-30-