ESSAY RETURNS TO FORM AFTER BEING GELDED, WINNING REMINGTON PARK FEATURED SPRINT ALLOWANCE

Essay had not looked the same since breaking his maiden at first asking at Lone Star Park by 2-1/4 lengths on June 28. However, he returned to form Saturday night after being gelded and was an impressive winner in the featured allowance sprint at Remington Park.

The 2-year-old Texas-bred gelding had raced as a colt in his first three starts, winning that initial event and then followed that with a sixth-place finish on the grass at Kentucky Downs in his second start. In his first try at Remington Park, trainer Bret Calhoun entered him in the $75,000 Kip Deville Stakes on Sept. 29 and he ran a dismal eighth, losing by 17 lengths to Jolly Samurai, who is next expected to start in the $300,000 Springboard Mile on closing night, Dec. 13. After the Kip Deville, the decision was made to geld this colt and give him some time off.

Essay came back with a vengeance on Saturday night, winning this 5-1/2-furlong sprint against juvenile non-winners of two races by a half-length at 8-1 odds. Texas Creed (7-1) put the pressure on him all the way to the wire. Slades Tank (42-1) checked in third, another 2-1/4 lengths behind Texas Creed. The 1-9 heavily favored Medicine Dog could do no better than fifth as he raced third down the backstretch and began to fade as he turned for home.

Essay won the race in a time of 1:04.94 over the fast track after sitting second virtually the entire race. He was still three lengths back of the front-running Texas Creed as they came to the top of the stretch, but he was closing ground with every stride to the wire.

Essay, by Thousand Words, out of the Northern Afleet mare Annihilation, is owned by Collinsworth Thoroughbred Racing of Granbury, Texas. He was bred by Lori and Coy Mark Collinsworth. He earned $20,898 from the $35,000 purse and now sits at two wins from four starts for earnings of $49,598. Essay followed interior fractions set by Texas Creed of :22.15 for the first quarter-mile, :45.78 for the half-mile and :58.26 for five-eighths of a mile before gaining control. He paid $18 to win, $6 to place and $3.40 to show.

Essay’s win was one of three victories for the trainer/jockey combination of Calhoun and Alvarez. They also won with Speak Softly ($2.20 to win) in the third race, a $10,000 claiming event. Speak Softly is also owned by Collinsworth Thoroughbred Racing.

Calhoun and Alvarez completed their hat trick in the final race when they won with Krik Tak ($11) for owners Kat Kirk and Wayne Sanders of Dallas, Texas, in a one-mile turf allowance race. It was that filly’s third win in a row, his second straight this season at Remington Park. It was Alvarez’s 40th win of the season.

Remington Park racing resumes with a slightly altered schedule for the remainder of November, featuring Monday and Tuesday afternoon action. The first race on the Mondays and Tuesdays, beginning Nov. 18, is at 2:30pm. Friday and Saturday racing will take place at the normal 6:30pm time.

Remington Park has provided more than $363 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 when the $300,000 Springboard Mile tops the final night of the season. The major 2-year-old stakes race of the season, the Springboard awards valuable 2025 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. 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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