WARRANT VICTORY IN OKLAHOMA DERBY GIVES TRAINER BRAD COX THREE IN ROW, TYING DONNIE VON HEMEL WITH MOST EVER HERE

The second-leading trainer in the country, Brad Cox, won his third Oklahoma Derby in a row at Remington Park on Sunday with Warrant, tying Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Famer Donnie Von Hemel with most derby wins here.

No one has ever won three in a row in this race. Cox’s win in this year’s edition of the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby followed victories in 2020 with Shared Sense and in 2019 with Owendale. Cox’s three derby wins were with three different jockeys. Joel Rosario was the winner aboard Warrant on Sunday. Richard Eramia won last year for Cox and Florent Geroux the year before. Von Hemel’s trips to the winner’s circle came with Going Ballistic in 2007, Queen’s Gray Bee in 1991 and Clever Trevor in the first edition in 1989.

Warrant, a 3-year-old son of Constitution, out of the First Samurai mare Whisper Number, was cruising under Rosario after three-quarters of a mile in second during the 1-1/8 miles race. He was the 3-1 third choice in the betting and trailed only front-running 20-1 longshot Flash of Mischief in the stretch. They fought to the wire before Warrant finally prevailed by 1-3/4 lengths. The 2-1 wagering favorite, Super Stock, who had won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., and the Ellis Park Derby in August, broke in the air at the beginning of the race. He managed to finish third, 2-1/4 lengths behind the winner after weaving in and out of traffic in the lane.

“It was a perfect trip,” Rosario said of Warrant’s race. “The more I asked him, the more he gave me.”
Rosario is the top rider in the country in horses’ money earned with $23,265,077, according to Equibase statistics. Cox is second in the nation, behind Steve Asmussen in a tight race, Asmussen with $24,447,196 to Cox’s $22,747,876.

Rosario looked like the top jock as he rode Warrant flawlessly, covering the distance over a fast track in 1:50.76. He paid $8.40 to win, $4 to place and $2.60 to show. The interior fractions were :23.56 for the first quarter-mile, :47.95 for the half-mile, 1:12.25 for three-quarters of a mile and 1:37.55 for the mile. Warrant won the $300,000 Texas Derby at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, on May 31 and then was laid off until Aug. 7 when he raced in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby. Mr. Wireless got the best of Warrant that day but couldn’t get a sniff Sunday, finishing fifth a little more than 8-1/2 lengths behind.

Warrant is owned by Twin Creeks Racing Stables (Randall Gullatt) of Versailles, Ky. The connections’ only true concern for their horse was his racing under the lights.

“It didn’t seem to bother him, though,” said Rosario. “When we dove to the inside, he settled in and seemed very happy.”

This was the first Oklahoma Derby win for Rosario and for owners Twin Creeks Racing.

Warrant earned $240,000 from the purse for the win and improved his career record to seven starts, three wins, three seconds and one third for $634,700. He was bred by Twin Creeks Farm in Kentucky. The rest of the derby field finished in this order: Team Merchants (4-1) in fourth, Mr. Wireless (3-1) fifth, Defeater (5-1) sixth, Dial in for Lute (53-1) seventh and Parrot Head (73-1) eighth.
Remington Park racing continues next week with a Wednesday-Saturday, Sept. 29-Oct. 2 schedule. First post time is 7:07 p.m. nightly.

Tracked by more than 167,000 fans on Facebook and 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $272 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 for the $1,000,000 Oklahoma Classics Night, an evening of stakes racing to celebrate Oklahoma-breds, on Friday, Oct. 15. Simulcast horse racing featured daily, the casino is always open! Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

-30-