WORLD CHAMPION EMPRESSUM VOTED HORSE OF MEETING FOR 2026 REMINGTON PARK SPRING SEASON

Tuesday, June 9, 2026
by Richard Linihan

By virtue of his victory over a field of some of the greatest American Quarter Horses assembled in the 2026 Debbie Schauf Remington Park Championship, Empressum has been voted Horse of the Meeting for the recently concluded spring season.

Empressum, an 8-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding by Apollitical Jess, out of the First Down Dash mare Crazy Down Corona, is nationally considered one of the greatest runners in Quarter Horse history. He was crowned 2022 World Champion Racing American Quarter Horse and has won five other champion titles in his career.

The Empressum victory in the Grade, 1 $256,160 Debbie Schauf Remington Park Championship was a win over 11 others, many of them champions in their own right. The field included two All American Futurity winners in KJ Desparado and Cowboys Gun Z and a total of four millionaires in career earnings. The toral earnings for the field of 12 entering the race was $12,440,372.

The victory was not easy over the 440 yards, but Empressum got the last bob for the trip to the winner’s circle over KJ Desparado, who won the Grade 1, $3 million All American Futurity in 2021. When the two horses hit the wire together, Empressum had won the Debbie Schauf over the all-time top money earner in the sport of Quarter Horse racing.

Empressum, trained by Fernando Manriquez and ridden to the win by Rodrigo Vallejo, has now won 26-of-42 starts lifetime for earnings of $2,701,248. KJ Desparado’s second-place finish in the race improved his record to 34 starts, 18 wins and 10 seconds for a bankroll of $3,441,637, which still stands as the pinnacle in the sport.

Empressum, owned by the Guthrie, Okla., partnership of Steve Holt and Jeff Jones, also beat millionaire Lethal Cowboy 123 and last year’s Debbie Schauf winner, Hooked N Gone, in this meet’s edition of the race. In the process, the Horse of the Meet earned a staggering 105 speed index in the race, covering the distance in :21.307 seconds over a fast track. His victories in Oklahoma City also include the 2021 Remington Park Derby. He was bred by his owners.

Empressum also won Champion Older Male in the voting of champions.

The Parade of Stars voting for the Remington Park season included ballots from various industry media outlets covering the season, as well as Remington Park racing management and track handicappers.

Fall Classic – Champion 2-year-old
This young Missouri-bred gelding by Cyber Monday, from the Mr Jess Perry mare Lady Bellaqua, went through the meeting undefeated in three starts, including a win in the cornerstone race for juvenile Quarter Horses – the Grade 1, $1,158,940 Heritage Place Futurity, Remington Park’s richest race of the year. He finished just a head in front of runner-up El Huracano V in the state’s richest racing event. That win, under jockey Christian Cardenas, for trainer James J. Gonzales III, kept the gelding unbeaten in three starts at Remington Park this meet. He also won a maiden race and his Heritage Place Futurity trial. He is owned by Christopher Villatoro of Crandall, Texas, and was bred by Jim Streelman and Bill Dale. Fall Classic’s record now is 3-3-0-0, $508,970. He won $486,755 of that in the Heritage Place Futurity.

Point Blank Range – Champion 3-year-old Male
This sophomore Oklahoma-bred gelding by Tell Cartel, out of the Bodacious Dash mar Fannie Blankers, also was undefeated in three starts this meet. His three victories for four-time top trainer Dee Keener culminated in his winning of the Grade 2, $335,800 Heritage Place Derby on closing night. He also won his trials for the Remington Park Derby and Heritage Place. His time was not fast enough for the Remington Park Derby final.

Ridden by Jockey Roman Cruz, Point Blank Range broke on top and went gate to wire in the Heritage Place Derby, winning by a full length. It was one of the more impressive wins on Champions Night. The meet’s top owner for the second year in a row, 918 Bloodstock, has seen their gelding win three-of-five starts lifetime, earning $159,631. He was bred by J. Garvan Kelly and J. Lloyd Yother.

Chew Bac Cah – Champion 3-year-old Female
This sophomore Iowa-bred daughter of Apollitical Jess, out of the PYC Paint Your Wagon mare Paint Or More, won the Grade 2, $373,800 Heritage Place Oaks on Champions Night, her trial for that final, and an allowance race for three trips to the winner’s circle this meet.

With jockey Ramiro Garcia in the saddle for trainer Jason Olmstead and owner Lunderborg LLC (Bruce Lunderborg) of Gibbon, Minn., Chew Bac Cah won the Oaks by a half-length at 21-1 odds, the biggest upset on the final night of the season. She has now improved to a lifetime record of 11-7-0-1, $296,586.

Catchn Southern Rays – Champion Older Female
This 4-year-old Oklahoma-bred daughter of Apollitical Jess, from the PYC Paint Your Wagon mare Mary Paintyourwagon, won two-of-four tries at this meet, including the prestigious Grade 1, $107,120 Junos Request Stakes for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older, on May 30. With jockey Cristian Esqueda up, she caught everyone’s eye by starting sixth out of the gate and flying up on the outside to win by a head, beating all those that beat her out of the gate.

The champion filly is owned by her breeder, Leann J. Burns of Edmond, Okla., and has now won 8-of-19 starts for earnings of $388,799. Catchn Southern Rays also won this meet in tough stakes-caliber allowance company. She is trained by Stacy Charette-Hill.

Handin Out Candy – Champion Distance Runner
This 7-year-old Alabama-bred gelded son of Jess Good Candy, from the Dash Ta Fame mare Ole Auntie Em, was voted the American Quarter Horse Association 2025 Distance Champion. He can now add another championship to his list as top distance runner at Remington Park for 2026.

An 870-yard distance specialist, Handin Out Candy won two stakes races at the meet with two different jockeys. He won the Grade 2, $40,018 Remington Park Distance Challenge Stakes with regular rider Omar Iturralde in the saddle. When Iturralde couldn’t make it for the Grade 2, $51,360 Pauls Valley Stakes, James Flores stepped in to get the job done. Both of those stakes came around the hook at 870 yards. His only loss came to Wynnchester in the Remington Park Distance Championship, a horse he had beaten in the Pauls Valley and the Remington Park Distance Challenge.

Handin Out Candy is trained by Paul Sedillo and is owned by Emilio Perez of Arlington, Texas, and was bred by Paris Wixon. He improved his overall record this meet to 12 wins in 40 races for earnings of $364,090. This horse is not only a big factor in any hook race, but he is also huge on the scales, weighing in at more than 1,330 pounds.

Big Rotney – Champion Oklahoma-bred and Champion Paint
This 2-year-old Paint, trained by Matt Whitekiller and ridden by Cody Smith, won more races than any other horse at the meet, making it to the winner’s circle an astounding five times in six tries.

The Oklahoma-bred gelding is sired by multiple World Champion Painted Turnpike, out of the CRM Livewire mare CRM Country Girl and is owned by Apple R Racing (Tim Reid) of McAlester, Okla. The gelding won the Oklahoma Paint and Appaloosa Futurity and the American Paint Classic earlier in the season and was favored to win all three futurities for his breed until he lost in the prestigious Speedhorse Graham Futurity on Champions night.

Bred by Whitekiller, who sold him privately to Reid with the caveat that Whitekiller got to name him. He said the Paint is named in tribute to a basketball player Whitekiller used to play against and to Reid’s son, who is named Rodney. Whitekiller is the second-leading all-time trainer in mixed-breed racing behind Keener, and Smith is the all-time winningest jockey in this genre.

Big Rotney’s record ran to 6-5-0-0 by the end of the season, earning $143,257.

RCR Dice Run – Champion Claimer
This 4-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelded son of BP Run Cartel Run, from the American Runaway mare Throw Th Dice, won the most hotly contested category as five horses were up for the award who had all won two races during the meet. RCR Dice Run won the close vote by going two-for-two at Remington Park this meet and running his win streak to four in a row for owner Palomino Trucking and trainer Gerardo Quinones-Sarmiento. He had won two races at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla., coming into Remington Park’s meet. RCR Dice Run won a $10,000 claiming non-winners of three race in Oklahoma City and a starter allowance event following that win.

RCR Dice Run nosed out four others in this category – Apollitical Dancer, IBA Pas Boy, Famously Innocent, and Vexing Queen (Paint). The winner, who was bred by his owner, ran his lifetime record to 13-4-1-4, $52,601.

Knockouts Eyes – Champion Appaloosa
This 2-year-old Oklahoma-bred Appaloosa daughter of Cyber Monday, out of the Mr Eye Opener mare Eyesa Knockout, won two-of-four starts including the inaugural running of the Appaloosa Futurity, restricted to her breed. Her other win came in the trials to qualify for that futurity final. She was ridden to victory by Mario Delgado for trainer Keener and owner Wishbone Partnership. The filly was bred by Gary Vaughan, a prominent figure in mixed-breed racing. Knockouts Eyes improved her record to 4-2-0-1, $20,383.

Remington Park has provided more than $414 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. The 2026 Thoroughbred Season at Remington Park will begin on August 21. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

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