Springboard Mile Field
$200,000 Springboard Mile, 1 mile • Friday, December 18, 2020
Race 12 – Approximate post 10:28pm
1 – Senor Buscador, 15-1
Owner: Joe R. Peacock, Jr. (San Antonio, Texas)
Trainer: Todd Fincher
Jockey: Luis Quinonez
This 2-year-old colt by Mineshaft, out of the Desert God mare Rose’s Desert, was impressive in his career debut, coming from dead-last in an eight-horse field to win by 2-1/2 lengths. He made up 10 lengths on the leaders from start to finish in the 5-1/2 furlongs sprint on Nov. 6 in maiden special weight company. Trainer Todd Fincher has had just a handful of horses this meet, but he has had them ready to go. Jockey Luis Quinonez is creeping up on second place, and retired Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Famer Don Pettinger, for most wins ever at Remington Park. Cliff Berry is first with 2,125; Pettinger has 1,419 and Quinonez is third with 1,412. “Luis Q” won this race in 2013 with Louie’s Flower for trainer Bret Calhoun. Senor Buscador was bred in Kentucky by Joe Peacock, Sr., and Joe Peacock, Jr. He is undefeated with just that one impressive career debut and earnings of $17,247.
2 – Number One Dude, 6-1
Owner: Terry Westemeir (Broken Arrow, Okla.)
Trainer: Kari Craddock
Jockey: Ezequiel Lara
This gelded son American Lion is three-for-three in his young career, including stakes wins in the Oklahoma Classics Juvenile on Oct. 16 and the Don McNeill on Nov. 13. The McNeill victory, at the Springboard distance of one mile, was his most impressive as he drew away to win by six lengths. Jockey Zeke Lara was aboard for that win and his maiden win. Lara was nursing an injury when Number One Dude won the Classics Juvenile. “Dude,” as he is called in the barn, has won his three races by a combined 14-1/2 lengths. His story is amazing. Westemeir wanted to buy a filly named The One For Fun and the seller said if he wanted that filly, he would have to buy her dam (mother) as well, Ebony Uno. Westemeir did and was rewarded with a the foal that dam was carrying, Number One Dude. Trying to become only the second Oklahoma-bred to win this race. Ted’s Folly won in 2011. Record 3-3-0-0, $126,082, third highest earnings in field.
3 – Vim and Vigor, 20-1
Owner: Hugh Moore (Arlington, Texas)
Trainer: Larry Stroope
Jockey: Walter De La Cruz
A 2-year-old gelded son of Vancouver (AUS), out of the Kitten’s Joy mare Do You Like Me Now, is running in his first stakes race, but he did break his maiden over this track, winning by two lengths, at the one-mile distance. It would be the first victory in the Springboard for all these connections. Vim and Vigor broke his maiden in his third try, by two lengths, on Oct. 24 and then lost last time out under allowance-optional claiming $75,000 conditions, but by less than a length to another member of this field, Red N Wild. That was on Nov. 21. Jockey Sophie Doyle was aboard Vim and Vigor for his maiden win, but will be riding Red N Wild back in this race.
4 – Gushing Oil, 15-1
Owner: Sam Sherman and John Middleton (Houston, Texas)
Trainer: Danny Pish
Jockey: Lane Luzzi
A 2-year-old gelding by Dialed In, out of the Justenuffhumor mare You Look Neigh, is a maiden winner bred in Kentucky by Stillmeadow Farm. He broke his maiden in a six-furlong sprint by two lengths with Luzzi, his regular rider, on Oct. 14. He then went into the Clever Trevor Stakes as the post time even-money favorite, only to finish last in a field of seven at seven furlongs. His sire is the No. 12 stallion in the country among the top sires for 2-year-old racehorses. Dialed In’s progeny have earned more than $1.1 million this year. Gushing Oil was purchased at the 2020 Ocala Breeders Sale for $50,000. He is racing without the bleeder medication, Lasix, for the first time. Gushing Oil’s record is 2-1-0-0, $17,043.
5 – Red N Wild, 12-1
Owner: Terry Eoff (Granbury, Texas)
Trainer: Terry Eoff
Jockey: Sophie Doyle
A 2-year-old colt by Bayern, out of the Distorted Humor mare Contrasting. He has been a bargain find for Eoff, buying this Kentucky-bred for a mere $9,000 at the 2019 Keeneland Sale in Kentucky. He has already earned $55,001. He was bred by Lunsford & Sikura Racing. Red N Wild broke his maiden on Aug. 28 in a 5-1/2 furlong sprint by 2-3/4 lengths with Luzzi up. Doyle took over in the Clever Trevor Stakes and just missed by a head to Game Day Play, a Springboard rival. Red N Wild got back on the winning trail when dropping in class and stretching out to a mile, but steps back up in company today. His dad, Bayern, won the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic at 1-1/4 miles. Red N Wild’s record 5-2-1-1, $55,001.
6 – Game Day Play, 10-1
Owner: Tom Durant (Grapevine, Texas)
Trainer: Bret Calhoun
Jockey: Lindey Wade
This juvenile son of Violence, out of the Cuvee mare Haley’s Lolipop, won the Clever Trevor Stakes last time out on Oct. 30, going seven furlongs at Remington Park. Finished a head in front of Red N Wild, another in this race. He is a Kentucky home-bred by his owner, Tom Durant. This gelding broke his maiden at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, by a head, sprinting 5-1/2 furlongs on Aug. 4. The Clever Trevor win was the first race with jockey Lindey Wade up. His sire, Violence, is No. 20 among the country’s top sires for 2-year-olds. His progeny have earned just under $1 million this year. Game Day Play’s record is 4-2-0-0, $61,672.
7 – Saffa’s Day, 10-1
Owner: L and N Racing and Clark Brewster (Tulsa, Okla.)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Iram Diego
Lightly race with two starts, this juvenile colt by Carpe Diem, out of the King of Kings (IRE) mare Shytoe Lafeet, has had two tries at Keeneland in Kentucky, winning one maiden race and then finishing a distant sixth in the Nyquist Stakes on Nov. 6, his last start. His maiden win was impressive at first asking, drawing off by 5-1/4 lengths. He had a bullet workout on Dec. 7, covering five-eighths of a mile in 1:07 seconds handily. Iram Diego gets in the irons for the first time after two races with Ricardo Santana up. L and N Racing had one of the favorites in this race last year with Rowdy Yates under Asmussen’s conditioning. Asmussen has won this race more than any other trainer with six, including the last two – Shoplifted in 2019 and Long Range Toddy in 2018. Racing on Lasix for the first time. Saffa’s Day’s record is 2-1-0-0, $42,834.
8 – Cowan, 4-1
Owner: William and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Madaket Stables and Spendthrift Farm (Houston, Texas)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Stewart Elliott
A 2-year-old colt by Kantharos, out of the Smart Strike mare Tempers Flair, has earned the second-highest amount of money with $295,877 bankrolled this year. The majority of that came from the $1 million, Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. He ran second in that race Nov. 6 at Keeneland in Kentucky to Golden Pal, losing by only three-quarters of a length. He was well-meant in that race, going off at 11-1 odds. He has hit the board in three consecutive stakes races, also running second in the $150,000 Indian Summer Stakes on Oct. 4 at Keeneland, and third in the $500,000 Juvenile Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 12. All three stakes races were on the grass. He worked the same day at Remington Park as Saffa’s Day’s bullet (1:00.07) and was the second-fastest at the distance of 5 furlongs in 1:00.73 handily. Elliott is Asmussen’s top rider at Remington Park and gets in the saddle after Santana rode him in the past three stakes. Cowan’s record is 5-1-2-1, $295,877.
9 – Outadore, 3-1 (morning-line favorite)
Owner: Breeze Easy (Mike Hall and Sam Ross), Ocala, Fla.
Trainer: Wesley Ward
Jockey: David Cabrera
This 2-year-old colt by Outwork, from the Tactical Cat mare Adore You, is the top money earner in the field, fresh off a third-place finish in the $1 million, Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, finishing three lengths behind Fire At Will. Outadore set the pace in that race at 9-1 odds before giving way in the stretch when he stayed on his left lead. He just missed second in that race by a neck. Jose Ortiz has been his regular rider but will move under jockey David Cabrera for this race. Cabrera is on his way to his third riding title at Remington Park, but has yet to win the Springboard. Some of the top riders in the country have – Victor Espinoza, Luis Saez, Jon Court, Jeremy Rose, Miguel Mena and Santana to name a few. Outadore was 2-for-2 going into the BC Juvenile Turf, having won the $500,000 Juvenile Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 12 by 1-3/4 lengths. He broke his maiden at Saratoga in upstate New York by 2-3/4 lengths. His three races were all on the grass. Outadore’s two victories came at 5-1/2 furlongs and 6-1/2 furlongs. Racing on Lasix for the first time. Outadore’s record is 3-2-0-1, $424,100.
10- Joe Frazier, 5-1
Owner: Ike and Dawn Thrash (Oak Grove, Miss.)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Richard Eramia
This 2-year-old colt by Distorted Humor, out of the Sky Mesa mare Third Dawn, is a lightly-raced youngster with only two starts, out of second-leading trainer in the country, Brad Cox’s barn. Cox is second to Asmussen among the nation’s top trainers in earnings this year (As of Dec. 14, Asmussen’s 2,193 starters had earned $19.7 million and Cox’s 862 starters had banked $18.7 million). This horse named after Hall of Fame legendary boxer Joe Frazier won his first out at Keeneland in a $150,000-maiden claiming race, scoring by three lengths with Joe Talamo up. Florent Geroux took over in his only other start when he finished third, beaten 6-1/4 lengths on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs. He gets local rider Richard Eramia for the Springboard, a jockey that won this race two years ago aboard Long Range Toddy. Joe Frazier will race on Lasix for the first time in this race. His record is 2-1-0-1, $33,900.
11 – Flash of Mischief, 15-1
Owner: Jerry Namy (Ft. Worth, Texas)
Trainer: Karl Broberg
Jockey: Ramon Vazquez
This 2-year-old by Into Mischief, the nation’s top sire for 2-year-olds in training this year, out of the Political Force mare Flashy Campaign, is a bit of a longshot after failing to break his maiden at Remington Park in his first try against the horse on the rail in this race, Senor Buscador on Nov. 6. He ran third that day, losing by 3-3/4 lengths. His next out, he won for the first time and raced on Lasix for the first time at Delta Downs in Louisiana. Travis Thornton was the winning jockey for trainer Karl Broberg, who was the top trainer in the country by wins from 2014-2019. Vazquez gets the mount for the first time on this colt and is in a battle for second place in the jockey standings this meet with Stewart Elliott. Through Dec. 11, Elliott had 63 wins to Vazquez’s 56. Flash of Mischief’s record is 2-1-0-1, $21,162.