TRAINER STACY CHARETTE-HILL, JOCKEY CRISTIAN ESQUEDA COMBINE FOR WINNING TRIPLE
Trainer Stacy Charette-Hill’s barn is so hot, if she had roosting chickens in there, they’d be laying hard-boiled eggs.
She sent out five horses Thursday night, winning with three of them and running second with another. Jockey Cristian Esqueda was aboard for all five mounts. The red-hot streak began in the second race of the night when El Toriona ($36.60 to win) held on for a win by a head at 17-1 odds.
A 2-year-old gelded Paint by Lil Kool Wagon (QH), out of the Texas Hero mare Friona, El Toriona had raced only once before in a futurity trial March 4 at Remington Park, finishing fourth. He was 14-1 that night and was caught dancing in the gate as it opened. With the cleaner break at the start Thursday, he cruised home a winner in :15.566 for 300 yards on a fast track. He also dropped in class from the trial to a maiden special weight race for Paints and Appaloosas. The winner is owned by Charette-Hill and Mickey Johnson of Lexington, Okla. He was bred in Oklahoma by Mickey and Stanley Johnson.
Charette-Hill’s next winner came in the eighth race when first-time starter Miss Merlot ($6.20) dropped from her morning-line odds of 6-1 and went off at 2-1 as the favorite, scampering home a winner by a head. Esqueda had a nose for the wire, booting home this 2-year-old American Quarter Horse filly for owner M.C. Stucks of Edmond, Okla. She was bred in Oklahoma by Flag Ranch and is by the stallion PYC Paint Your Wagon, out of the Mr Jess Perry mare Mr Perrys Wine, didn’t have any fast workouts for her debut, but she caught the eye of these connections as she was purchased for $35,000 at the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale last fall. The 300-yard race was for juvenile maiden Quarter Horses. The filly’s winning time was :15.787.
Charette-Hill’s final win of the night came in the 10th race, an allowance event for Quarter Horses that had never won two races in their career. The field consisted of fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older. Her winning filly was Jess Give Mea Reason ($4.80), owned by Charette-Hill and Michael Pohl of Sallisaw, Okla. She is a 3-year-old filly that easily could have been two-for-two after her first two starts. This was only her third attempt.
The daughter of Good Reason SA, out of the PYC Paint Your Wagon mare Send Me This Wagon, won at first asking in a maiden race last spring on April 10, almost exactly a year ago. She was then laid off until March 10 of this year. She was sent to post in an allowance non-two event that night but she was pinballed at the start and never had a chance. Despite that, she was able to get up to fourth place, losing by only a half-length.
Jess Give Mea Reason was much the best Thursday night, winning by one length as the 7-5 favorite. She was bred in Oklahoma by Pohl.
Charette-Hill almost made it a four-bagger in the 11th and final race when Valiant Miss Priss ran second from the post-position 11, losing by only a neck. It was quite a night for this barn.
The three wins moved Charette-Hill from eighth in the trainers’ standings into fifth place. She now has 10 wins. Trainer Dee Keener, with one win Thursday night, moved into a tie for first place with Santos Carrizales at 16 wins. Twelve-time training title winner Eddie Willis also had a winner Thursday, giving him 13 for the meet. Sitting in fourth is Clint Crawford with 12.
In the jockeys’ race, Esqueda moved from eighth to sixth with 12 wins now. Juan Pulido, last year’s top rider here, moved back to the top with one win Thursday and 16 overall for the meet. He passed both Jorge Torres and Cody Smith, who are tied in second with 15. Rounding out the top five are Justine Klaiber and Francisco Calderon with 13 each.
Live racing continues Friday with a 12-race card on tap. There will be three Pick 4s offered during the program that starts at 6pm. Saturday racing is also underway at 6pm while Sunday’s card begins at 4pm. All times are Central.
Tracked by more than 168,000 fans on Facebook and 10,600 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $288 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 will feature the richest futurity for state-breds, the $973,665 Remington Park Futurity on April 16. Simulcast horse is racing featured daily at Remington Park where the casino is always open! Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
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