TRAINER BRET CALHOUN PASSES KARL BROBERG, NOW FOURTH ALL-TIME IN WINS AT REMINGTON PARK

Bret Calhoun passed Karl Broberg and took sole possession of fourth place in the all-time trainers’ standings at Remington Park with 456 victories here when Victory for Vets won the featured allowance race Friday night.

Calhoun moved past Broberg as Victory for Vets cruised home a winner in a seven-furlong sprint on the main track, an open $40,000 allowance race.

Victory for Vets broke his maiden on June 4, 2023, at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, by seven lengths against Texas-bred maiden special weights. The son of Tapiture, out of the Smart Strike mare Diamondinthestream, then won again in the $111,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby on March 23 this year at Sam Houston Race Park. His third win was in an allowance race for non-winners of three lifetime at Lone Star with state-breds on June 21 this summer. On Friday night, Victory for Vets, was an easy winner under jockey Jose Alvarez.

Alvarez sent Victory for Vets after the three front-runners coming off the lone turn, Time for Truth, Kentucky Dawn and Mena, who set the early pace with fractions of :22.51 for the first quarter-mile and :44.97 for the half-mile. Victory for Vets had the lead when they hit the three-quarters mark in 1:10.12, and drew away to win by 1-1/2 lengths, stopping the timer in 1:23.13 over the fast track.

Victory for Vets paid $15 to win at 6-1 odds, $7.40 to place and $3.40 to show. Jockey Sofia Barandela kept her 9-1 longshot, Kentucky Dawn, in for second, a head in front of third-place finisher Willy D’s (5-2 second favorite) who charged through traffic in late stretch to find money. The 7-5 betting favorite, Time for Truth, faded from the front-running battle in the early going to last in this field of seven.

Victory for Vets lifetime record for owner James Stodola of Denton, Texas, improved to four win from 11 attempts, with one place and one show for $169,485 in earnings. He won $23,898 from this $40,000 purse.

Victory for Vets had been purchased twice at auction. He was bought out of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Yearling Sale in 2022 for $57,000. Stodola bought him for $70,000 when he was pin-hooked back into the TTA’s 2-year-olds-in-training Sale last year.

Only three trainers are ahead of Calhoun now in the overall standings – Steve Asmussen, Donnie Von Hemel and Joe Offolter – all members of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Asmussen has won 1,290 times at Remington Park with Von Hemel in second at 1,088 wins and Offolter third at 613 scores.
Broberg, of Mansfield, Texas, is still active as an owner, winning races under the umbrella of End Zone Athletics. He retired as a trainer in August, handing over his conditioning duties to long-time assistant Abel Ramirez-Rodriguez.

Remington Park racing continues Saturday, Nov. 23 with a nine-race program that starts at 6:30pm-Central.

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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