LIVE MOONSHINE WINS BEAUTY CONTEST AND $45,350 NATIONAL COWBOY AND WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM STAKES
Live Moonshine always wins the beauty contest during the post parade prior to the race and most of the time he then wins the race. He did just that on Saturday at Remington Park, scoring the Grade 1, $45,350 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Stakes for Paints & Appaloosas.
Live Moonshine is as close as you can get to a solid black body with four high white stockings on his legs and then a white wrapping around his neck, that almost makes him look like he is wearing a shawl. The beautiful 5-year-old gelded Paint son of CRM Livewire, out of the Awesome Chrome mare PRP Sedona Sunset, breaks so quickly from the gate that he is always a length in front before his competitors know the race is on. Jockey Cody Smith booted him out of the gate in a hurry again Saturday in the 440-yard race and won going away by 1-1/2 lengths at the wire.
Live Moonshine, trained by Matt Whitekiller and owned by Dan and Kaye Jones of Kemp, Texas, earned $26,100 for the trip to the winner’s circle, improving the gelding’s lifetime mark to 24 starts, 14 wins, two seconds and three thirds for a bankroll of $236,273. He was bred in Texas by the owners. Bully Pulpit (6-1) was second, one length ahead of third-place finisher, the Appaloosa filly Queen for Cash (8-1).
It was the second year in a row that the connections had won this race with the same horse. Live Moonshine won the race last year in a time of :21.467; this year in, he won in :21.640 on the fast track for a 92 speed index. Overall, Smith has owned this race, winning it six times in the past eight years. He has won with Live Moonshine twice, Painted Turnpike three times from 2016-18, and with Major Tom in 2014. He won all those races for Whitekiller except the Appaloosa Major Tom’s victory with trainer Eddie Willis. It was the Joneses’ second victory in this race. Smith’s six trips to the winner’s circle and Whitekiller’s five victories are tops in this stakes race. Jockey G.R. Carter has four wins and trainers Brandon Parum and the late Lewis Wartchow had three each.
Live Moonshine was sent off as the prohibitive favorite at 1-5 odds and paid $2.60 to win, $2.10 to place and $2.10 to show.
Southern Electric, who constantly battles with this winner, also from Whitekiller’s barn, was scratched from the race.
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Stakes is named in honor of the famous attraction, and neighbor of Remington Park, in the Oklahoma City Adventure District.
The final racing program of the 2021 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season at Remington Park takes place on Sunday, May 30. The first race is at 1:30pm-Central.
Tracked by more than 167,000 fans on Facebook and 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $261 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 features live and simulcast horse racing, and the casino is always open! Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
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