MULTIPLE STAKES WINNERS GET FIRST WORKOUTS OF MEET OUT OF NEW BARN
Two multiple stakes winners, Run Slewpy Run and her half-sister Alternative Slew, made their first two appearances on the work tab under the guidance of a new trainer for them – Jayde Gelner.
Despite getting three stakes wins at Remington Park from Run Slewpy Run, under former trainer Jesse Oberlander, owner Mike Jones of Bristow, Okla. moved his pair of three-time stakes winners. Jones also placed the unraced Deb’s Blessing, a 3-year-old filly, with Gelner.
“I got a phone call or actually a text (from Jones) when I was at Lone Star Park and he was interested in my training Deb’s Blessing,” said Gelner, who turns 23 on Aug. 16. “I’ve had a really great year, winning six stakes races.”
Run Slewpy Run covered a leisurely half-mile on Wednesday morning in :50.14 handily and Alternative Slew did an equally unhurried :37.63 handily for three furlongs over the fast track.
Run Slewpy Run, a 5-year-old mare, has won the Bob Barry Memorial Stakes on the turf the past two years at Remington Park and also won the Oklahoma Classics Distaff Turf in 2021. All three times veteran rider Luis Quinonez guided this mare to the stakes victories. Quinonez is the second all-time leading rider at Remington Park, trailing only Cliff Berry, who has a clear lead.
In the 2021 Oklahoma Classics Distaff, Run Slewpy Run defeated Alternative Slew by three lengths. Both horses, now in Gelner’s stable, are out of the same dam, Imadancingslew. Run Slewpy Run’s sire is Den’s Legacy and Alternative Slew is by Alternation. Imadancingslew is a progeny of Evansville Slew.
Gelner now adds two winners to a stable that has already won six stakes for him this year. Ghost Hero, a 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred, has won two – the Will Rogers Stakes in Claremore, Okla., and the Lafayette Stakes at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana. That is now four stakes wins in Ghost Hero’s short career. He also captured two at Remington Park as a 2-year-old last year – the Oklahoma Classics Juvenile and the Don C. McNeill Stakes. His record coming into the Remington Park meet will be 10 starts, five wins and one second for $214,082 in earnings.
The other stakes winners that Run Slewpy Run and Alternative Slew will join in Gelner’s barn are 3-year-old filly Perfect Wish (Iowa Stallion Filly Stakes at Prairie Meadows in Iowa), who has won 3-of-6 starts lifetime; 2-year-old filly Divining Humor (Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity fillies division at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas) is undefeated after two starts; 2-year-old colt Strong Promise (Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity colts and geldings division) is undefeated after two starts, and 3-year-old filly Taylor’s Tap (Acadiana Stakes at Evangeline), who is 3-of-8 lifetime. Gelner has quickly built a stable with which to be reckoned.
Run Slewpy Run has raced 17 times, winning six, running second five other times and third twice for earnings of $306,556. Her half-sister, Alternative Slew’s record is 20-6-5-5 for $364,523.
Other significant works from Wednesday’s work tab came from a couple of juveniles from trainer Ray Ashford’s barn. Only Tuesday, Ashford was warning that he might have a stable of 2-year-olds that have a chance to score well at Remington Park, following in the footsteps…er…hoof-steps of Wildatlanticstorm, who won the most prestigious and cornerstone race for juveniles here last year, the Springboard Mile.
Ron Stolich, a multiple-stakes-winning owner for Ashford, told him he bought 15 juveniles from this year’s Ocala Breeders Sales for 2-year-olds-in training in Florida.
Then, as if on cue, Ashford sent out two youngsters to work under Stolich’s ownership – a 2-year-old gelding named All Saints and a 2-year-old filly named Sister Skye. The two juveniles tied for the fastest work of the day, the bullet, at three furlongs. They each worked :37.10 for their three-eighths of a mile, both under urging from their riders.
Chillaxification, a 4-year-old filly by Tale of Ekati, out of the Fashion Find mare Shezafashionista, worked the bullet move at four furlongs, covering the distance in :48.14, handily. She is a filly owned by Terry Westemeir of Broken Arrow, Okla., and trained by Scott Young. Chillaxification has started nine times, winning twice, running second once and grabbing three thirds for a bankroll of $70,525.
COUPLE OF NEW FACES, ONE RETURNING TO JOCKEY COLONY
The word from the racing office is that at least two new faces will appear in the jockeys’ quarters this year at Remington Park and one former mainstay will be returning. Rene Diaz and Isaiah Wiseman are expected to ride full time at Remington this fall and it’s in the wind that Lindey Wade will return.
Diaz has been riding at Del Mar on the West Coast near San Diego, Calif. His horses have not found much success as he has had 10 mounts, none of which has hit the board in first, second or third place. In his career, that started in 2021, he has had 854 mounts with 103 wins, 100 seconds and 114 thirds for $3,479,766 in horses’ earnings.
Wiseman will be moving his tack from Belterra Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has a lifetime record of 1,289 starts, 96 wins, 134 seconds and 166 thirds for $2,102,535 in horses’ earnings. He began his riding career in 2019. His best year was 2021 with $681,939 in earnings.
Wade last rode regularly at Remington Park in October 2021, but then moved his tack to Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Ariz., the remainder of that year. He had moved back and forth between Turf Paradise and Canterbury Park’s summer season, before declaring retirement late in 2022 while at Turf Paradise. After a few months off, Wade returned to action at Canterbury in Shakopee, Minn., where he currently is second in the standings with 29 wins.
Wade has 1,548 career victories and earnings of more than $30 million. He has 293 career wins at Remington Park.
The 67-date Remington Park Thoroughbred Season begins Friday, Aug. 18 and continues through Springboard Mile Night on Friday, Dec. 15.
Remington Park is located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District and has provided more than $325 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Remington Park presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
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