STORMIEIS BLUE SETS OFF BELLS, WHISTLES ON TOTEBOARD AS 54-1 WINNER OF OKLAHOMA CLASSICS DISTAFF HANDICAP

It was like fireworks on the Fourth of July on the toteboard as Stormieis Blue stormed to victory Friday night at 54-1 odds in the $111,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Handicap at Remington Park.

When all was said and done, the 7-year-old gray mare had collared the 9-5 wagering favorite, Da Prairie Girl, in deep stretch and moved past her for the three-quarters of a length win. Stormieis Blue paid $111.20 to win on a $2 ticket, the fourth-highest payout for a win ticket in Oklahoma Classics history.

Stormieis Blue, a daughter of Moro Tap, out of the Borrego mare Borrego’s Treasure, early on looked like she might run to her longshot odds, sitting in eighth, well back of the front-runners. But halfway through the 1 mile-70 yard race on the main track, she decided to kick into another gear under jockey Richard Bracho to run the race of her life. She blew past Da Prairie Girl in the final strides to get up for the victory by three-quarters of a length.

Since the race was a handicap, by rule, these fillies and mares were allowed to race on Lasix and that may be an underlying cause for Stormieis Blue’s upset win.

“She has had some issues in the past with bleeding, so when we saw this was a handicap and could run her on Lasix, we opted for this race instead of the starter,” said trainer Sarah Davidson. “We made the decision to go for the gold and it paid off.”

When digging into Stormieis Blue’s past performances, they aren’t as poor as they first seem. She ran seventh, beaten 14-1/2 lengths in a starter allowance on the turf at five furlongs, not exactly her cup of tea. Also, she had one of the worst trips of any horse this meet in that race.

“We had a horse fall right in front of us in that race,” said Bracho. “That’s what happened there.”

The race before that she was a competitive third, running against the boys, and multiple winner at Remington Park, Salt Creek Kid. Still, she had only won once in 20 starts in Oklahoma City, so the odds probably were warranted. Try, however, to tell that to Bracho.

“I knew at the quarter pole that we were going to catch (the favorite),” he said. “My filly had been very good in the morning.”

The best part of this story may be the amazing $10,000 claim Davidson put in for her at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, on May 7 this year. On Friday night, Stormieis Blue earned $66,600 from the purse for new owner Henry Witt, Jr., of Waco, Texas. Her big win on Friday improved her running lines to 52 starts, four wins, six seconds and seven thirds for $282,474 in earnings lifetime.

Da Prairie Girl was 9-1/2 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Mucho Mia (27-1). The huge longshot winner combined with the longshot Mucho Mia keyed a 50-cent trifecta payout of $1,641.65.

Stormieis Blue stopped the timer in the 1 mile-70 yards in 1:44.54 on the fast track. She cut into early fractions of :23.53 for the first quarter-mile, :47.55 for the half, 1:13.33 for three-quarters and 1:40.20 for the mile. The early front-runner was Okie Attitude, who faded late.

The completed order of finish was Fightingtemptation (12-1) fourth, Okie Attitude (5-1) fifth, Gotta See Red (7-2 second favorite) sixth, Doudoudouwanadance (7-1) seventh after hitting the gate at the start, Kachina (8-1) eighth, Do You Bileve (20-1) ninth, and When Judy Calls (9-1) 10th.

Stormieis Blue was bred in Oklahoma by Leslie Clemmer. It was the first win for all connections in this race. The victory was also the first stakes win in the training career for Davidson.

Remington Park racing continues Saturday, Oct. 21 with a first post time of 7:07pm-Central.

Remington Park has provided more than $331 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 is home to the Springboard Mile, a Kentucky Derby points-qualifying race, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. Remington Park presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Parking and admission are always free. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

-30-