LEADING RIDER STEWART ELLIOTT ENJOYS HUGE LEAD IN ATTEMPT TO GET HIS SECOND TOP JOCKEY TITLE AT REMINGTON PARK

Jockey Stewart Elliott has pushed his way to a commanding lead in the standings for leading rider at Remington Park this meet, winning for the 50th time on Wednesday night in the seventh race aboard heavy favorite Atlantic Strike.

He has more than twice as many victories this meet as second-place Floyd Wethey, Jr., who checks in with a healthy 24 wins. Some might say that it can be attributed to Elliott’s riding for leading trainer Steve Asmussen, but that would not be the whole story. Elliott has almost twice as many wins as Asmussen this meet, who won his 29th of the meet on Wednesday night, also with Atlantic Strike. Plus, Asmussen has won with other jockeys as well.

Last year, in his fifth year at Remington Park full time, Elliott ran away with the top jockey honors, winning 74 times, blowing away the field as Lindey Wade was second with 46 trips to the winner’s circle. Oddly enough, Elliott had not been leading rider in his previous four years at Remington Park. This trophy was special to him despite winning more riding titles back East than he can count because he had not won it before. He also managed to be leading jockey in the same season when he won the Oklahoma Derby for the first time with longshot How Did He Do That.

One of the most amazing facets of Elliott’s incredible lead this year is that he was coming into this meet off a painful injury that sidelined him at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. This 59-year-old rider had incurred a fracture near his tailbone and was off about two months. He wasn’t even 100 percent ready when he started working horses at Remington Park before the meet started.

“The doctor cleared me, so I was ready to go,” he said.

Elliott was the leader in stakes wins here last year with six trips to the winner’s circle and leads again this meet, already with four victories of black-type races.

Atlantic Strike’s win on Wednesday came in a 5-1/2 furlong sprint on the fast main track against $20,000 claimers, fillies and mares, 3-years-old-and-older. Stewart took her gate-to-wire and won by 2-1/4 lengths, covering the distance in 1:04.86. The 6-year-old Kentucky-bred mare, also owned by Asmussen, set interior fractions of :22.20 for the first quarter-mile, :45.84 for the half-mile and :58.22 for five-eighths of a mile.

Atlantic Strike paid $3 to win, $2.10 to place and show. Sexy Brown (7-2 third betting
favorite) ran second, a neck in front of third-place finisher Do You Bileve (22-1, longest shot in the field).

Atlantic Strike, a daughter of Dominus, out of the Stormy Atlantic mare Madrilena, was bred in Kentucky by Spendthrift Farm. She earned $14,400 from the $24,000 purse and improved lifetime to 23 starts, eight wins, three seconds and three thirds for $211,767 in her bankroll.

Asmussen claimed her for $12,500 at Turfway Park in Kentucky on Feb. 17 this year. Since the claim, she has won three of six starts.

Oklahoma Classics Draw Thursday
The 2024 edition of the Oklahoma Classics will be drawn in the Remington Park racing office on Thursday morning. The full-night of divisional stakes racing for the top Oklahoma-breds, will be contested on Friday, Oct. 18 with total purses at $1 million.

This will be the 32nd Oklahoma Classics at Remington Park, conducted every year since 1993.

Remington Park racing continues Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 10-12, with the first race nightly 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. The Oklahoma Classics Night of stakes racing for top Oklahoma-breds takes place on Friday, Oct. 18. 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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