LANALUAH PULLS OFF MINOR UPSET IN SLIDE SHOW HANDICAP AS CYNDI LOPER EXPERIENCES FIRST LOSS

Leading rider Ramon Vazquez timed it perfectly and made his move with Lanaluah at the top of the stretch, pouncing on a tiring, undefeated Cyndi Loper for a minor upset in the $50,000 Slide Show Handicap on Friday at Remington Park.

This race is named for the great Oklahoma-bred filly Slide Show, who once won 11 races in a row at Remington Park in the 1990s, many times, defeating males in stakes competition. She is a member of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Remington Park.

After Cyndi Loper was a runaway winner in her first two starts, sprinting, the 2-year-old Oklahoma-bred filly by Atreides, out of the Maclean’s Music mare Spring Steen, was trying the one-mile distance for the first time. She was not able to carry her brilliant speed that far, tiring near the quarter-pole and watching Lanaluah pass her for the win.

“I just wanted to get out a little bit with my horse because we knew this was a nice filly we were chasing (Cyndi Loper),” said Vazquez.

Trainer Austin Gustafson bought Lanaluah at auction on behalf of her owners, including himself, Jerry Dixon and Don Ray Winter of Jones, Okla., for $45,000 in the Texas Thoroughbred Association 2-year-old in training sale in April of this year. She was bred in Oklahoma by Scott Pierce and Equine Futures.

“I was driving home when Scott Pierce called me and said I really needed to take a look at this filly,” said Gustafson. “So, I pulled up her workout on my phone while I was driving. That was probably illegal. I liked what I saw and Jerry Dixon is a big Beau Liam fan (Lanaluah’s sire). And we got it done.”

Lanaluah is from the Bernardini mare Stella Grace. Beau Liam won three of his four starts lifetime and ran second in the $300,000, Grade 3 Ack Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. in 2021 at one mile. Bernardini was a classic distance horse, getting two turns easily, and those bloodlines shone through with Lanaluah on this night. Bernardini won the Preakness, Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup, all Grade 1 events around two turns in 2006.

Lanaluah earned $30,000 for the win and improved her record to five starts, two wins and three seconds for a total bankroll of $151,660.

Lanaluah was sent off as the 7-5 second wagering favorite to the odds-on Cyndi Loper at 3-5. Lanaluah paid $4.80 to win, $2.20 to place and $2.10 to show. The final margin of victory was 1-1/4 lengths. Cyndi Loper was another 4-1/2 lengths in front of the third-place finisher Inca Code (10-1).

Lanaluah proved her worth and now has won nearly four times her purchase price.

“This is Don Ray’s first horse and if it were me, she would be his last,” said Gustafson. “She’s that good. I think we will give her a rest now and have her ready to come back next August.”

Lanaluah covered the mile distance in 1:40.37 over the fast main track. She cut into the interior fractions set by Cyndi Loper of :24.10 for the first quarter-mile, :48.84 for the half-mile, and 1:13.84 for three quarters of a mile. Lanaluah had taken over as she hit the seven-eighths mark in 1:26.71.

The rest of the order of finish for the Slide Show past the top three was Lil Miss Brisket (11-1) fourth, Easter Gift (26-1) fifth, Momacya (39-1) sixth and Miss Popularity (73-1) seventh.

Remington Park racing continues Saturday, Nov. 8 with the first race at 6pm-Central.

Remington Park has provided more than $399 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 Springboard Mile, a 2026 Kentucky Derby qualifying points race, takes place Saturday, Dec. 20, the final night of the Thoroughbred Season. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

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