LOCAL OKLAHOMA-BRED STAR TAKE ME SERIOUS, BEATS GRADED STAKES SHIPPER FOR THIRD REMINGTON PARK SEASONAL WIN

Kentucky-bred filly Kinzie Queen had run third, beaten only two lengths in the Grade 2 Black Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore in May. Wednesday night at Remington Park, she couldn’t find the right gear to run down local Oklahoma-bred star Take Me Serious in an conditioned allowance.

It was Take Me Serious’ third win from her last four starts and she was only a half-length from winning four in a row. That loss came to two-time Remington Park Horse of the Meet, Miss Code West, in the $50,000 Bob Barry Memorial Stakes on Sept. 12, going 7-1/2 furlongs on the turf. A 5-year-old daughter of Munnings, out of the After Market mare Southern Equity, Take Me Serious was then sent back to the main track by Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer Joe Offolter the next out when she won the $145,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Handicap on Oct. 17 at 1 mile-70 yards.

On Wednesday night, the bettors didn’t acquiesce to Kinzie Queen, however. They remained loyal to Take Me Serious at 4-5 odds and she and jockey Richard Eramia did not disappoint. They took over off the second turn to take a strong lead into the stretch and never gave in to the closing Kinzie Queen. The fillies and mares were racing under second-level allowance conditions or non-winners of three lifetime on the main fast track.

Eramia pulled away with Take Me Serious to win by 2-1/4 lengths. The winner paid $3.80 to win, $2.40 to place and $2.10 to show. Kinzie Queen was sent off at 5-2 odds and pulled in second, another length and a half ahead of third-place finisher Bang Bang Fury (5-1).

Take Me Serious cut into early fractions of :24.70 for the first quarter-mile, :48.57 for the half-mile, and she had taken over in 1:13.69 for three-quarters of a mile. She covered the mile in a time of 1:39.03, sitting second off the shoulder of pacesetter Bang Bang Fury until that impressive turn for home.

Take Me Serious won $23,864 from the $40,000 allowance purse for Remington Park’s leading owner Bryan Hawk of Shawnee, Okla. Take Me Serious is a home-bred for Hawk and she improved her record to 24 starts, nine wins, eight seconds and four thirds for a bankroll of $395,330.

Eight of Take Me Serious’ last 10 starts came against Oklahoma-bred fillies and mares, giving her plenty of room to qualify for this race despite having eight wins lifetime. She had run second in those two races where she faced open company – an allowance/optional claiming race at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas in June and in the Wilma Mankiller Stakes at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla. in April.

Kinzie Queen also finished third in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks at Delaware Park in June before finishing last, beaten 28 lengths, in the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga in upstate New York in August. Despite Kinzie Queen’s strong credentials in graded races, the 3-year-old Kentucky-bred filly, trained by Greg Compton and ridden by leading rider Ramon Vazquez, had only won twice in her career. Regardless of the discrepancy in the win category, both Take Me Serious and Kinzie Queen came into the Wednesday allowance with career earnings of more than $300,000.

It was the second race in a row that Hawk and Offolter teamed up for victory. They also won the sixth race, prior to Take Me Serious’ win, with Cajun Stoops in allowance non-winners of two conditions for Oklahoma-bred 3-year-olds and older. Jockey David Cabrera was up.

Remington Park racing continues Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 4-6 with the first race nightly 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.

-30-