LONGSHOT AT 43-1 ODDS, EXPRESS TRAIN NO 9, UPSETS HEAVY FAVORITE VF JEDI RETURNS IN FEATURE RACE

VF Jedi Returns had won 8-of-14 races at Remington Park going into Thursday night’s feature race; Express Train No 9 was 1-for-9 here.

You can see where this express train is going as the 43-1 longshot pulled off an upset over the heavy wagering favorite in the 10th race. A sign that these two horses were not that far apart is that Express Train No 9 finished a neck behind VF Jedi Returns at Fair Meadows in Tulsa last summer in an open allowance race.

On Thursday night, this 5-year-old mare by Freighttrain B, out of the Whirling Fastball mare Wildfire Express Two, finally used the force on the Jedi and came out on top.

Jockey Daniel Torres rode with abandon in outfighting the favorite, who finished a close-up third, just back of Budderlicious, the runner-up in the race. The up-setter broke on top early and finished a neck in front of the second-place horse and another neck ahead of VF Jedi Returns who was at 3-5 odds.

At those boxcar odds, Express Train No 9 paid $89.40, $59.80 and $24 across the board. She is trained by Pedro Martinez, a winner of two races Thursday night. The exacta with Budderlicous getting up for second at 12-1 odds was worth $866.20 on a $2 play. The 50-cent trifecta returned $443.20 and the 10-cent superfecta, with Damn Strait fourth at 9-2 odds, paid a whopping $1,075.58.

VF Jedi Returns was two-for-three at 300 yards going into the race, but this was Express Train No 9’s night. The favorite had no excuse, getting a clean trip. The winning mare hit the wire in 15.404 seconds for a speed index of 90 over the fast track. Budderlicious ran it in :15.457 and VF Jedi Returns clocked in at :15.513.

Express Train No 9 was bred in Oklahoma by Kenneth Norman. She is owned by Jessica Perez of Oklahoma City.

Express Train No 9 earned $15,014 from the purse of $24,150 for open allowance horses, 3-year-olds-and-up, a few of them stakes winners. Express Train No 9 improved her record to 25 starts, five wins, one second and five thirds for a total bankroll of $92,194.

Remington Park racing continues, with no public spectators, on Friday with the Grade 1 Mister Lewie Memorial featured for Paints. The racing weekend also includes 11-race cards on Saturday and Sunday, May 16-17. Racing begins nightly at 6pm-Central.

Tracked by more than 163,000 fans on Facebook and more than 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $242 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 the 2020 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season through May 30. Visit remingtonpark.com for free racing selections for every program.

-30-