JOLLY SAMURAI REMAINS UNDEFEATED, SCORING CLEVER TREVOR STAKES AT REMINGTON PARK

Jolly Samurai is proving to be the buy of the century. The 2-year-old gelding, an $8,000 purchase at auction, remained undefeated after three starts at Remington Park with a victory in the Clever Trevor Stakes on Friday night.

Jolly Samurai, a Texas-bred son of First Samurai, out of the Paddy O’Prado mare Jolly Good, was purchased at that bargain-basement price at the Texas Thoroughbred Association Yearling Sale last year by owner Jake Brown of San Angelo, Texas. His juvenile star, trained by Danny Pish, earned $45,000 from the $75,000 purse and improved to three-for-three with a bankroll of $110,196, more than 13 times what Brown paid for him.

Pish said it was “highly likely” that Jolly Samurai would be pointed toward the $300,000 Springboard Mile. That is the cornerstone 2-year-old race of the meet every year that carries 2025 Kentucky Derby qualifying points for the top finishers.

Jockey Rene Diaz sat chilly on Jolly Samurai in the seven-furlong race as 6-5 wagering favorite Dominant Spirit chased the speed of Texas Creed until leaving the lone turn, taking the lead with a quarter-mile left. Jolly Samurai was five-wide around the turn, moving down the middle of the homestretch. Dominant Spirit put away a brief challenge by Medicine Dog with a furlong left but could not fend off Jolly Samurai who gained the advantage inside the 70-yard pole to score by a half-length.

It was the second stakes win in a row for the Jolly Samurai as he also scored in the $75,000 Kip Deville Stakes here on Sept. 29. He chased a hot pace that day that went :45.92 for a half-mile, but Friday he was sitting behind a :47.18 pace.

“It was a different story tonight with the pace so slow, but there was still no concern,” said Diaz. “He still did it like a pro. I just tried not to get in his way.”

Jolly Samurai had to close seven lengths to catch Dominant Spirit, but he was not to be denied.

“I have to give a tip of the hat to this horse,” Pish said. “What a nice horse. He just does his job with ease. He is a confident gelding who just likes his job. I never expect to win and I was sweating it as I watched the slower early fractions. They were moderate, but he showed his versatility in closing ground to get up for the win.”

Jolly Samurai was the early favorite before the race, going down to 3-5 odds at one point, but wound up as the 5-2 second choice as Dominant Spirit was pounded at the betting windows before the gate break. The winner, bred by David Cobb, cut into interior fractions of :23.47 for the first quarter-mile, :47.18 for the half-mile and 1:12.57 for three-quarters before finishing the seven furlongs in 1:25.22 over the fast track.

Jolly Samurai paid $7.40 to win, $2.80 to place and $2.40 to show.

As far as getting him for such a low price at sale, Pish said he would like to take credit for that but it was Brown who picked the horse out.

“Something scared (buyers) off of him, but I don’t want to know what it was,” Pish said. “I don’t want to have to start worrying about it.”

So far, so good on the concerns. There were only two things that gave Pish a worried brow at the beginning.

“He had bucked off several exercise riders when he was being broke,” Pish said, “and when I started training him, he was having a hard time changing leads.”

Pish called Jolly Samurai a great “Paul Harvey Rest of the Story” horse. The gelding was in New Mexico at Ruidoso Downs when fires and floods ravaged that part of the state. They were able to get him out of the area in a hurry before the bad stuff hit.

“I was always going to get this horse at some point because he is a Texas-bred,” said Pish, who is a Texas resident. “I just got him a little sooner.”

Soon enough to win three in a row at Remington Park and set his name down as the local to beat in the Springboard Mile.

The rest of the order of finish after the top two were Medicine Dog (7-1), 1-3/4 lengths behind Dominant Spirit in third, Hot Gunner (29-1) fourth, Trevaggio (14-1) fifth, Three Echoes (7-2) sixth, Texas Creed (32-1) seventh and Keeno (13-1) eighth.

The Clever Trevor Stakes is named after the great Oklahoma-bred who was the winner of the first Oklahoma Derby (1989) at Remington Park. Clever Trevor went on to become a millionaire in a career that ended in 1992. The gelding lived to age 30, passing in 2016 at Robin’s Nest Farm in Piedmont, Okla.

Remington Park racing continues Saturday, Oct. 26 with the first race at 6:30pm-Central.

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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