FLY TO THE BANK WINS THIRD TIME IN ROW, TAKING SECOND STAKES VICTORY IN SILVER GOBLIN
Leading rider Cristian Torres took over for the injured Obed Sanchez and continued the three-race win streak for Fly to the Bank, who captured the $70,000 Silver Goblin Stakes at Remington Park on Friday night.
Sanchez booted the 5-year-old gelding home first in an allowance race on Oct. 5 and then in the $114,800 Oklahoma Classics Sprint on Oct. 21 but a few race days later Sanchez and David Cabrera were involved in a spill that left the former with five broken ribs and almost a weeklong stay in the hospital. Sanchez has been recuperating ever since the fall on Wednesday, Nov. 2. He was, however, at Remington to watch Fly to the Bank win again.
“I’m very blessed to be here; I just came to watch my champion win,” Sanchez said in the winner’s circle afterward.
“This is a great horse,” Torres said. “OB has ridden him the whole meet and I’m just grateful I could pick him up from the owner and trainer for this. He is a war horse winning his third in a row. He gave me another gear down the stretch.”
Fly to the Bank, a gelded son of Euroears (Langfuhr), out of the Kingkiowa mare Take It and Fly, covered the 6-1/2 furlongs of the Silver Goblin in 1:17.09 over a good track. He won the Classics Sprint at six furlongs.
“I was a little bit worried about the 6-1/2 furlongs,” said trainer James Helzer’s assistant, Steve Martin. “But he got out in front and held them off. He rebroke when that other horse came up on him.”
The other horse was Salt Creek Kid (13-1) who was stalking the winner in the lane. Fly to the Bank was on even terms at the top of the stretch but finished 1-3/4 lengths ahead at the wire. Dicey (12-1), a mare running against males, was a game third, another 1-1/4 lengths back.
Fly to the Bank, the 9-5 wagering favorite, is owned by Juan Carlos Gallegos of Edmond, Okla., who earned $42,000 for the win. The gelding improved to 29 starts, eight wins, five seconds and four thirds for a bankroll of $336,117. It was the first trip to the winner’s circle in this series for all the connections.
Fly to the Bank is a home-bred for Helzer. He paid $5.60 to win, $3.60 to place and $3.80 to show. He set all the fractions in :22.51 for the first quarter-mile, :45.50 for the half-mile and 1:10.46 for six furlongs.
The Silver Goblin Stakes is named after the gray Oklahoma-bred millionaire who won multiple stakes races at Remington Park and numerous graded stakes events around the nation, in a career spanning 1993-1999.
Live racing at Remington Park continues Saturday with first race at 7:07pm-Central.
Tracked by more than 171,000 fans on Facebook and 10,600 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $308 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 features the $400,000 Springboard Mile, our top 2-year-old race on the final night of the season on Saturday, December 17. Remington Park also presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
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