LEADING TRAINER STEVE ASMUSSEN WINS TWO INCLUDING FEATURED ALLOWANCE RACE WITH FEE

Horse racing’s all-time winningest North American trainer and 17-time title winner at Remington Park, Steve Asmussen, added two more victories to his tallies Friday night to stretch his margin in the standings.

He did this despite being without his top rider at the meet, Stewart Elliott. Elliott leads the jockeys’ standings 40-20 over second-place rider Floyd Wethey, Jr., but Asmussen’s No. 1 guy took off his mounts Friday night. Richard Eramia stepped in the gap and took the two winning mounts for Asmussen, including taking the allowance feature race aboard heavy 2-5 favorite Fee.

Eramia won aboard Cottonwood (7-5) in the fifth race, the first Asmussen winner of the night. That 4-year-old gelded son of Street Boss, out of the Songandaprayer mare Colarful Song, won a 7-1/2 furlongs race on the turf for 3-year-olds and up that had not won three races lifetime. Cottonwood earned $12,945 for owners Chad and Josh Christensen of Auburn, Wash., and improved to 13 starts, three wins, one second and two thirds for $64,585 in earnings. It was the third win in a row, all on the grass. He broke his maiden at Louisiana Downs greensward on Aug. 21, followed by two wins at Remington, this one and his first of the meet on Sept. 23.

Cottonwood paid $4.80 to win, $3 to place and $2.60 to show and his winning time was 1:31.02 over the firm course. He was bred in Kentucky by Charles H. Deters.

Fee made it a double for Asmussen and Eramia in the eighth race, when she held on by a nose from the late-charging other Asmussen horse in the race, Perilous Life (2-1). Jockey Luis Fuentes Perilous Life rolling like a hungry bear in the final strides but just missed at the wire. Perilous Life did, however, complete the Asmussen exacta in the race. Fee held sway for the hard-driving Eramia and paid $2.80 to win, $2.10 to place and $2.10 to show.

The 3-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, out of the Speightstown mare In It For the Gold, and her stablemate were another 3-1/4 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Peek Factor (13-1).

Fee got her first win since taking a $50,000 allowance-optional claiming race for non-winners of two at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, on June 8 with Elliott in the irons. Fee earned $21,549 for owner e Five Racing Thoroughbreds of Boca Raton, Fla. She improved her record to 12 starts, three wins, one second and three thirds for a bankroll of $99,691. She was bred in Kentucky by Fifth Avenue Bloodstock. This allowance for non-winners of three was won at six furlongs on the main track.

Asmussen’s two wins put him five ahead of second-place and last year’s top trainer here, Karl Broberg, 21-16. Broberg won one Friday night. The top five in trainers are rounded out by Ronnie Cravens III with 14, Mindy Willis 12 and J.R. Caldwell and Austin Gustafson tied for fifth at 11.

Eramia advanced into a tie for third in the jockeys’ standings with the injured David Cabrera, who each have 18 for the meet. Lindey Wade, with one win Friday night, sits alone in fifth with 16 wins.

Big Payoffs Becoming the Norm at Remington Park
The Remington Park Thoroughbred Season continues to yield large payoffs to players hitting the right wagers.

On Thursday night, Oct. 5, the largest exacta and largest place prices in North American happened at Remington Park. The third race had both prices as Runnin Boots paid $62.60 to place as the second-place finisher behind winner Cat Tale Sky. That exacta was worth $683.60.

Through the first 27 dates of the Remington Park season, there have been 60 wagers that paid more than $1,000 to the winning ticket holders. Through the same amount of dates in the 2022 Thoroughbred Season, only 47 such wagers had taken place.

Friday night the early Pick Five ($1,856.65) and the Premier Pick Four ($1,423.65) made the total 60 for the current season.

Remington Park racing continues Saturday, Oct. 7 with the first post at 7:07pm-Central.

Remington Park has provided more than $331 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 is home to the Oklahoma Classics, the top night of racing in the state for Oklahoma-breds, on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. Remington Park presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Parking and admission are always free. 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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