MR MICHEL WINS SLM BIG DADDY STAKES AS FAVORITE AT REMINGTON PARK

Mr Michel won his seventh stakes race in his last 10 tries against black-type company when he romped home a winner in the Grade 2, $53,200 SLM Big Daddy Stakes Sunday at Remington Park.

The 6-year-old gelded Indiana-bred son of Kiss My Hocks, out of the Likenothinyoueversaw mare Lovemelikethat, was making his first start at Remington Park after winning six stakes races, all at the Horseshoe Indianapolis, going back to the summer of 2023. Jockey David Alvarez, Jr., had galloped this horse, but had never ridden him in a race until booting him home a winner for trainer Cristian Alcala in this 550-yard event.

“I saw that six horse (Js On Fire) in front of me and halfway down the lane, I wasn’t sure we were going to catch him,” said Alvarez. “Thank God we did.”

Mr Michel’s list of stakes wins included the $113,000 Indiana Championship Stakes last time out on Oct. 26 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The long layoff didn’t have much of an effect on this winner with an indication that he might fire fresh after his Feb. 23 workout here, getting the bullet (fastest time of the day) at 330 yards, covering that distance in :15.91 seconds.

Mr Michel was sent off as the 8-5 favorite and returned $5.40 to win, $3.40 to place and $2.80 to show. He hit the wire three-quarters of a length in front of runner-up Js On Fire (9-2), who held on for second, another 1-1/2 lengths ahead of third-place finisher One Fabulous Boy (8-1). Mr Michel covered the 550 yards in a time of :26.656 for a speed index of 106. His winning time was four-tenths of a second off the track record set by Rock About It (:26.258), which has stood since May 20, 2018.

“He really loves the 440-yard distance, so I was really excited about the 550,” said Alcala. “The owner said we should try it. He is a classy horse.”

The winner earned $29,625 for owner Alberto Valadez of Addison, Ill. Mr Michel improved his record to 26 starts, 14 wins, five seconds and one third for a total bankroll of $561,300. It’s beginning to look like Valadez got the steal of a lifetime when he purchased this horse for $17,500 from the QHRAI Speed Sale in 2020.

Mr Michel was bred by Mark Michel. Alvarez became the 19th different jockey to win the SLM Big Daddy Stakes in the 19 editions of the race. It was the first win in this series for all the connections.

The rest of the order of finish past the top three were Tempting Cowboy (37-1) fourth; defending champion in this race, Stolin Eagle (5-2) fifth, Rock Ya Later (5-1) sixth, Kool Man Kenny (33-1) seventh, Kg See If I Care (24-1) eighth, Louies Hightime Dash (25-1) ninth, and Rays a Rebel (20-1) 10th.

The stakes race is named in honor of one of the greatest American Quarter Horses ever to compete at Remington Park. A fan favorite during his races here in the late 1990s, SLM Big Daddy was a multiple stakes winner locally and a two-time AQHA World Champion who earned more than a million dollars in his career.
Lindsey Mitchell-Pruett, the owner of SLM Big Daddy, was on hand at Remington Park to present the stakes trophy to the winning connections.
Remington Park racing continues Thursday-Sunday, March 13-16 with the first race nightly at 6pm. Sunday racing begins at 4pm. All times are Central.

Remington Park has provided more than $376 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 American Quarter Horse Season, features the historic 84th edition of the Oklahoma Futurity on Saturday, March 22. 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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