WASCALLYWITTLEWABBIT WENT HUNTING, BAGGED VICTORY IN GRADE 1 REMINGTON PARK DISTANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Wascallywittlewabbit was hunting for game Saturday night and bagged his limit, beating seven other horses in the Grade 1, $65,120 Remington Park Distance Championship.
It was the second stakes victory in a row at Remington Park this meet for the 6-year-old gelded son of Heza Motor Scooter, out of the Rabbits Rainbow mare Rabbits N Diamonds. Just like in an old-fashioned Elmer Fudd cartoon, the rabbit, or in this case the Wascallywittlewabbit proved the best. He is well on his way to being voted distance champion this meet for horses racing at 870 yards.
Wascallwittlewabbit won the Grade 2 Pauls Valley Stakes on April 1 at Remington, beating former Distance Champion Ms Esther. He had lost to that mare in his first start of the meet on March 18 in a conditioned optional claiming race around the hook with a claiming tag of $20,000. Ms Esther won that event while Wascallywittlewabbit finished fourth, beaten five lengths. That table completely turned around in the next two hook stakes as Ms Esther ran third in the Pauls Valley and third, again, in the Distance Championship.
Jockey Benito Baca, who won his share of hook races this meet, was aboard for Wascallywittlewabbit (4-1 odds) as his regular rider and was supreme in winning by 1-1/4 lengths over runner-up Holy Storm (9-2), who was 1-3/4 lengths ahead of Ms Esther (2-1). The post-time favorite, Viva Le Don, at 2-1, checked in fourth, another 1-1/2 lengths behind Ms Esther.
The remaining order of finish in the Remington Park Distance Championship was Madewell (5th), Why Buy The Cow (6th), Illtakeyouforaride (7th) and Let There Be Sound (8th).
Trainer Michael Joiner conditions Wascallywittlewabbit for Rogers Farms of Clint, Texas. The gelding earned $38,238 for the trip to the winner’s circle and improved his record to 18 starts, eight wins and one second for a bankroll of $167,453. He has now won six of his last eight tries, including two stakes races at Remington and Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico. The victories in the mountains were the Zia 870 Championship and the Bill Reed Stakes.
The most impressive part of Wascallywittlewabbit’s win Saturday was the swift time of :44.873 on the fast track for a speed index of 99. He hasn’t shown that kind of speed since winning the Bill Reed on Sept. 5 last fall. His winning time in the Pauls Valley was :45.49. In his opening fourth-place finish at Remington this spring when he ran fourth, his running time was :46.09. With this kind of improvement, he may soon break the sound barrier.
Wascallywittlewabbit returned $10.40, $5.40 and $3.40 across the board to his backers. This gelding was bred in New Mexico by Mike Weatherly.
Baca won the second Remington Park Distance Championship of his career as he also triumphed in 2017 aboard Jess A Hilbily Bone. This was the first win in the race for the owner and trainer.
The final racing program of the 2021 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season at Remington Park takes place on Sunday, May 30. The first race is at 1:30pm-Central.
Tracked by more than 167,000 fans on Facebook and 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $261 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 features live and simulcast horse racing, and the casino is always open! Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
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