JESS ROCKET MAN EEKS OUT WIN BY A NOSE IN THURSDAY FEATURED ALLOWANCE AT REMINGTON PARK

Five horses hit the finish line together in the featured open allowance race Thursday night at Remington Park. When the photo came down, Jess Rocket Man won by a nose over a fast-closing runner-up.

Jockey Armando Alvidrez was able to boot home the winner by the shortest of noses over Imaginacion, the 2-1 wagering favorite. Jess Rocket Man, a 7-year-old Minnesota-bred gelded son of Apollitical Jess, from the PYC Paint Your Wagon mare Paint Or More, won for the 14th time in his career in 30 starts. He blazed home for trainer Jason Olmstead in a time of :17.319 seconds at 350 yards for a speed-index of 98 over a fast track.

The next three horses shadowed the top two at the wire, causing quite a lengthy review of the five-horse finish. Imaginacion was a head in front of third-place finisher Racys Pilot (17-1), who was a nose ahead of fourth-place Uncle Eds Idea (9-2). The fifth-place runner, Sir James (9-2) was another head back. One blanket could have covered those five runners; hence the term blanket finish.

Jess Rocket Man earned $18,465 from the $35,230 purse and improved his career mark to 30 attempts, 14 wins, four seconds a pair of thirds, earning $250,648 for owner Lunderborg LLC (Bruce Lunderborg) of Gibbon, MN. He is a home-bred for the owner.

Jess Rocket Man paid $26.20 to win, $6.80 to place and $5.80 to show. The winner was coming off a layoff from Sept. 27, 2024 to May when he last raced at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa. He had a poor performance there, running eighth in the Grade 3, $50,000 Two Rivers Stakes at that time. Prior to that, Jess Rocket Man showed his talent in his home state of Minnesota, winning the $20,000 Bob Moorehouse Stakes for Minnesota-breds on July 10 last summer and then running third in the $20,000 Cash Caravan Stakes for Minnesota-breds, beaten only a half-length. Both of those black-type races came at Canterbury Park.

Pulido Continues Remington Park Dominance with Another Triple
The Lip Chip Jockey of the Week the past two weeks, and Remington Park’s leading jockey by many, apparently has decided to shoot for three weeks in a row for that award. Juan Pulido began this week with a riding triple Thursday night. It was the fifth night of live racing in the past six that Pulido has won at least two races on a card.

Last week, Pulido became the first rider to win four races in one night for a second time when he got his horses in front with the quad on a special Wednesday night of racing. Four of five racing nights last week, Pulido had multiple win nights. Amazingly, he won 12 of 26 mounts last week for a 46 percent winning ratio. Thursday he won with three of his four mounts Thursday night for 75 percent to start this week.

Pulido cruised to the win in race two aboard PYC Fancy Legacy ($6 to win) for trainer Jose Gamez, aboard a first-time starter for owner Rito Sosa of Blanchard, Okla. His second victory came in race five in the irons of Hitting the Ivory ($4.60) for trainer Cristian Alcala and owner Alcala Ranch of Jones, Okla. To complete the riding triple, Pulido won the seventh race with Jessika James ($2.80), another first time starter, this one for Alcala and owner JSM Quarter Horses and Alcala Ranch, a San Antonio, Texas partnership. The only race he didn’t win that he participated in was the fourth when his mount Blaze of Jess, the 3-5 betting favorite, broke very slowly.

Pulido increased his margin in the jockeys’ standings to 11 over second-place Francisco Calderon. Pulido has 37 to Calderon’s 26. It was only two weeks ago that Calderon had the riders’ lead. That’s how Pulido has been in taking over the standings.

Remington Park racing continues Friday through Sunday, May 2-4, with the normal 6pm post time on Friday. Saturday, May 3 features the simulcast of the Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs, so Remington Park action will begin that day at Noon. Sunday racing starts at its usual 4pm. All times are Central.

Remington Park has provided more than $377 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 American Quarter Horse Season, features the $1,000,000 Heritage Place Futurity on May 31, the final night of this meet. 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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