JUST A KOOL BOY MADE 5-2 MORNING LINE FAVORITE FOR REMINGTON PARK DERBY

Just a Kool Boy, the favorite in last fall’s Golden State Million Futurity at Los Alamitos, has been made the top 5-2 choice in the restricted Grade 2, $270,535 Remington Park Derby on Saturday night by morning-line maker Jerry Shottenkirk.

The 3-year-old son of Favorite Cartel, out of the One Famous Eagle mare Just Eagle, was sent off at 8-5 odds in the $1,112,000 Golden State Million on Halloween last year, but had trouble at the start of that race and then was bumped again. He could only manage a fourth-place finish.

The Remington Park Derby goes as the 11-of-12 races on the card, including eight stakes races. The final race Saturday evening is the feature, the restricted Grade 1 $973,665 Remington Park Futurity for 2-year-old Oklahoma-bred Quarter Horses, going 330 yards.

With a little luck, Just a Kool Boy, owned by Adina Baker of Stroud, Okla., could be on a four-race win streak. He broke his maiden at Los Al in California on Sept. 25 by 1-1/2 lengths impressively at 1-2 odds and then followed that up with a 1-1/4 length victory in the Million futurity trials as the odds-on 4-5 choice there. After losing the troubled trip in the Million, Just a Kool Boy shipped to the Remington Park six months later and made his 3-year-old debut a winning one, besting his competitors by 1-3/4 lengths in the Remington Park Derby trials on April 3 at 9-5 odds.

Jockey Jimmy Brooks has been aboard Just a Kool Boy for trainer Eddie Willis in all three career trips to the winner’s circle. The only race he hasn’t been favored to win was the first of his career when he made his debut in the All American Futurity trials at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico last August. Just a Kool Baby went off at 35-1 odds that day and ran third. His Remington Park Derby trial time on April 3 was :19.901 seconds for 400 yards over a fast track. He was bred in Oklahoma by Garrett Baker.

The second-favorite in the Remington Park Derby is Political Speed, who posted the fastest trial time of :19.867. He is a gelded son of Apollitical Jess, out of a Corona Cartel mare, Fast Prize Corona. Political Speed is 9-2 in the morning line in what appears to be a wide-open race. He is owned by Kim Paulsen and Tom Maher of Pierre, S.D. The speedy gelding was bred in Oklahoma by Weetona Stanley. Political Speed has been a horse with a nose for the wire, winning five of eight starts lifetime. He is trained by Jason Olmstead and will be ridden by regular rider Edwin Escobedo.

The third choice in the morning line at 5-1 odds is also the top money earner in the field, San Lorenzo Tay, who has banked $646,670. Most of that has come at Remington Park where the 3-year-old gelding by Ivory James, out of the First Down Dash mare Shes Dashin First, has won three-of-four races, including the $926,000 Remington Park Futurity as a 2-year-old.

Owned by Rogelio Marquez, Jr., of Rosenberg, Texas, and trained by leading conditioner Santos Carrizales, Jr., San Lorenzo Tay could only manage a second-place finish in his Remington Park Derby trial at 1-5 odds. He gets a rider change to leading jockey Juan Pulido, who won the riding title here last year. The gelding has won four-of-six starts. He was bred in Oklahoma by Bobby D. Cox.

The field of 10 looks like this with post position, horse, odds, jockey and trainer:
Pevs Charley, 8-1, Cristian Esqueda, Jerry Livingston
Docs Dusty Cartel, 15-1, Rolando Raudales, Stacey Capps
EM High Country, 15-1, Rodrigo Vallejo, Heath Taylor
Political Speed, 9-2, Edwin Escobedo, Jason Olmstead
Especially Jess, 10-1, Raul Ramirez, Jr., Trey Wood
Deutsch, 20-1, Francisco Calderon, Patrick Swan
Just a Kool Baby, 5-2, Jimmy Brooks, Eddie Willis
A Tres of Eagle, 12-1, Jhaciel Soto, Eddie Lee Willis
San Lorenzo Tay, 5-1, Juan Pulido, Santos Carrizales
Dreamsville, 6-1, Jesus Salazar, Dee Keener
The Remington Park Derby has an approximate off time of 10:30pm. There are seven other stakes events on the night with the total purses for the 12-races exceeding $1.7 million, making it the richest card of racing so far this season. The other stakes races are:
Race 5, 7:48pm: $68,000 Laico Bird, 2-year-olds, 330 yards (OK)
Race 6, 8:15pm: $68,000 Mr Master Bug, 3-year-olds, 350 yards (OK)
Race 7, 8:42pm: $100,000 Remington Park Juvenile, 2-year-olds, 330 yards (OK)
Race 8, 9:09pm: Grade 3, $75,000 Easy Date, fillies and mares, 3 and older, 350 yards
Race 9, 9:36pm: Grade 2, $50,000 Bob Moore Memorial, 3 and older, 300 yards
Race 10, 10:03pm; $100,000 Dee Raper Sooner State, 3 and older, 400 yards (OK)
Race 12, 10:57pm; $973,665 Remington Park Futurity, 2-year-olds, 330 yards (OK)
*(OK) denotes stakes races for Oklahoma-breds

Remington Park racing continues Friday and Saturday (April 15 and 16) with action beginning each night at 6pm. There will be no live racing on Easter, April 17. All times are Central.

Tracked by more than 169,000 fans on Facebook and 10,600 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $288 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 will feature the richest futurity for state-breds, the $973,665 Remington Park Futurity on April 16. Simulcast horse is racing featured daily at Remington Park where the casino is always open! Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

-30-