JOCKEY JAMES FLORES DOES WHAT HE DOES BEST, WINS FEATURE RACE ABOARD HR DESIRABLE

Voters weren’t wrong when they named James Flores the American Quarter Horse Association World Champion jockey for 2019. He won the feature race at Remington Park on Friday aboard HR Desirable and has long since clinched his third riding title in a row here.

HR Desirable was in a stakes-caliber field Friday, up against the winner of the $189,000 Speedhorse Futurity winner from Fair Meadows in Tulsa, Okla., Tempted Seis, the winner of the $172,000 Jim Bader Futurity at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa in Kiss Me Anywhere, and the favorite that had qualified for last year’s $1,008,000 Rainbow Derby, Tres Jazz. Flores basically said, So what. Watch what I can do with this 8-1 horse.

HR Desirable popped out of the starting gate on top and never was headed in the 350-yard race for optional $20,000 claimers. Flores got HR Desirable to the finish line a nose in front of Accountably, another horse at 8-1 odds that had been respectable in stakes-company. That horse had missed winning the $86,000 Indiana Championship at Indiana Grand in Shelbyville, Ind., last year.

Kiss Me Anywhere got up for third, just a head back of the runner-up. Tres Jazz, the 5-2 favorite, could do no better than sixth. Tempted Seis, the 7-2 second choice, checked in fourth.

At 8-1 odds, HR Desirable, a 4-year-old gelded son of Desirio, out the Ivory James mare Scentsy, paid $19, $9.20 and $6.20 across the board.

Ramon Mendoza put Flores up on this winner for the first time and it proved to be a winning move for owner John Yamaguchi of San Antonio. The gelding was bred in Oklahoma by Bobby and Vickie Hammer. HR Desirable hit the wire in 17.504 seconds over a fast track for a speed index of 91.

He earned $10,376 from the purse of $16,500 and improved his record to nine starts, four wins, one second and one third for a bankroll of $70,162.

Going into the final day of racing this meet on Saturday, Flores has 61 wins to second-place Cody Smith’s 33. Flores was named top jock in the country last year off his stellar year that included winning the 2019 All American Futurity, the sport’s richest race, at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico aboard Mr Jess Jenkins.

Eddie Willis has what appears to be an insurmountable lead in the trainers’ standings with 35 against his nearest competitor in second, Dee Keener with 28. It would be Willis’ second title win in a row and 11th at Remington Park overall.

In the owner’s race, Jose E. Gomez leads 14-10 over Darling Farms after winning with Haggard in race two on Friday night.

The Remington Park season concludes with a stakes-laden program of 12 races on Saturday, May 30. The first race is underway with a special time of 5pm-Central. There are nine stakes races overall, with five Grade 1 stakes events, led by the richest race of the year, the Heritage Place Futurity.

Tracked by more than 163,000 fans on Facebook and more than 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $242 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Remington Park is located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District.

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