MAZUMA PULLS OFF UPSET IN FEATURED ALLOWANCE, UNDER JOCKEY BELEN QUINONEZ

Mazuma has never won a stakes race, but that didn’t keep him from beating a field that included multiple stakes winners Saturday night in the featured allowance race.

This 5-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding had only raced in one stakes race in his life and the best he could do was finish fifth. That was in the Remington Green Stakes on Sept. 24, 2023. It might be time for owner Family Stone Racing (Leisha Gibson) of Edmond, Okla., and trainer Scott Young to consider trying him again in black-type company. The four horses that ran second, third, fourth and fifth in Saturday’s allowance race were all stakes winners and Number One Dude and Eldon’s Prince were multiple stakes winners.

It all comes down to an old adage. Horses can’t read the past performances. They don’t know they are not supposed to win a race. It certainly was true in this spot as Mazuma, running with his head high as he tried to negotiate the shadow roll across his nose, went to the lead with stablemate Number One Dude and it was the non-stakes-winner that held on down the stretch to win by 1-1/4 lengths at 5-1 odds under jockey Belen Quinonez.

It was an open allowance race at one mile over a fast track. The stakes winners behind him were Inca Empire (4-1), who was another three-quarters of a length ahead of third-place finisher Number One Dude (5-1). Running fourth was Calibrate (10-1), a half-length back of Dude, and fifth was Eldon’s Prince (4-1), one length behind Calibrate. The 5-2 betting favorite Release McCraken could do no better than sixth. Logical Myth (4-1) rounded out the field.

Mazuma earned $23,898 for the victory from the $40,000 purse and improved lifetime to 22 starts, eight wins, three seconds and four thirds for earnings of $237,647. Family Stone Racing made a nice claim of this horse for $30,000 at Remington Park on Aug. 24, 2023 from Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron Winchell). He was originally purchased at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2020 for $200,000.

It was the second win for Mazuma in his last three starts at Remington Park. He also won an optional $50,000 claiming race at 7-1/2 furlongs on the grass on Oct. 2. His other recent start saw him run second in another open $40,000 claiming race at 1-1/16th miles greensward. The gelding has shown versatility at different distances and different surfaces. This win was not a total surprise. He now has won four-of-seven starts on the dirt, although he has raced far more on the turf. His record on the grass is 4-of-15.

On Saturday, Mazuma and Dude dueled the first half of the race and the winner took over after a half mile while Dude settled in behind him. Inca Empire, the recent winner of the $131,000 Oklahoma Classics Cup on Oct. 18, closed to get second.

The early interior fractions of the race were :25.54 for the first quarter-mile, :50.39 for the half, 1:14.35 for three-quarters and 1:26.63 for seven-eighths. Mazuma’s winning time was 1:39.19. This gelding, a son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, out of the Gallileo (IRE) mare Moth (IRE), was bred by Orpendale, Chelston and Wynatt.

Live racing continues next week with a Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday schedule. First post time on those Mondays and Tuesdays will be 2:30 p.m. Remington Park returns to its regular live schedule of Wednesday-Saturday the first week of December.

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 when the $300,000 Springboard Mile tops the final night of the season. The major 2-year-old stakes race of the season, the Springboard awards valuable 2025 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. 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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