ASMUSSEN SENDS OUT REMINGTON PARK OAKS POSSIBLE, LEMONESSE, FOR TUNE-UP WORKOUT

The big horses have yet to get revved up on the work tab at Remington Park for the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby and the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks, set for Sunday, Sept. 29. However, one filly who may go in the Oaks was out for a handy work on Monday.

Lemonesse covered five furlongs, handily, in a time of 1:01.86, and she set the second fastest time of the morning, behind only Unload, who already has won the $100,000 Governor’s Cup Stakes here on Aug. 16. Unload worked 1:01.09, handily, Monday morning. Both Lemonesse and Unload are trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds.

Lemonesse is one of 25 fillies nominated to the Oaks on Sept. 29 and she looked flashy getting her work done Monday. She comes under the umbrella of the same connections as Unload and was victorious at Remington Park in her first try here among allowance horses on Aug. 24 by a nose as the 4-5 favorite in a one-mile race on the dirt. She is a 3-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Gun Runner, out of the Tapit mare Taxable. Her lifetime record is three starts, three wins for $110,307 earned. She is a home-bred for Winchell.

$100,000 VANCE DRAWS 22 NOMINATIONS, 12 OF THEM STAKES WINNERS
The top sprint race of the Remington Park meet for open company, the $100,000 David M. Vance on the Oklahoma Derby Day undercard, has drawn 22 nominations that include 12 stakes winners. One of those is a past competitor in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. The Vance has also attracted several stakes-placed horses, one near winner of the biggest 2-year-old race here, the Springboard Mile, and one horse that appears on the verge of breaking through in a black-type event.

Of the stakes winning nominees, a couple of these sprinters have won top-notch black-type races around the country and here. Among them are Jaxon Traveler, winner of the Grade 3 Whitmore Stakes on March 16 this year. The 6-year-old gelding is a Maryland-bred son of Munnings, out of the After Market mare Listen Boy. He races for owner West Point Thoroughbreds and is trained by 18-time training title holder at Remington Park, Steve Asmussen. Jaxon Traveler’s record: 32 starts, 10 wins, eight seconds and five thirds for $957,798. A win in the Vance would make him a millionaire.

Local trainer Ray Ashford has nominated Run Classic, the winner on Feb. 24 in the $125,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint in Hallandale Florida. The Kentucky-bred son of 2015 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Runhappy races for owner Tom Durant of Grapevine, Texas. Run Classic’s record: 14-5-3-1, $445,367.

Trainer Brittany Russell (currently No. 20 in the country with horses’ earnings of $5,171,897) has thrown one into the nom mix with Prince of Jericho, winner of the $100,000 Concern Stakes at Laurel in Maryland in 2023. The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by Munnings, out of the Medaglia D’Oro mare Golden Review, races for owners Michael Dubb and Morris Bailey. Prince of Jericho’s record: 15-5-5-2, $384,450.

Tahoe Sunrise is another prominent sprinter nominated by trainer Sam Wilensky for owner Paterpop Racing. The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred gelded son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, out of the Tale of the Cat mare Koodori Dawn, won the $125,000 Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar, near San Diego, Calif., in 2023. His record: 9-3-1-3, $183,740.

Another West Coast stakes winner nominated is Tapalo, who is conditioned by John Sadler, a multiple-graded stakes-winning trainer who was top trainer at the major California tracks a dozen times. Tapalo captured the $100,000 Laz Barrera Stakes on May 12 this year at Santa Anita in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. This sprinter is a New York-bred son of Tapiture, out of the Empire Maker mare Agent Romanoff and races for Hronis Racing. His record: 9-2-2-2, $192,520.

Another top horse being considered for the Vance is former Breeders’ Cup Sprint fourth-place finisher in 2020, Empire of Gold. He also is a past runner-up in the Vance. Empire of Gold, 7-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Goldencents, is trained by Terry Eoff and owned by Johnny B. Evans and Eoff. His record: 46-8-11-7, $626,218.

The 2022 Springboard Mile winner, Wildatlanticstorm, has been nominated for this race, but trainer Ray Ashford expects to run him in a Prairie Meadows stakes race instead. Wildatlanticstorm is an Iowa-bred. The Springboard Mile is the cornerstone race for 2-year-olds at Remington Park each year that includes Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

Among others nominated are Jeffrey Hawk Memorial Stakes winner from 2023, U.S. Army; Springboard Mile runner-up in 2021 Osbourne; and Media Mogul, who just won a conditioned allowance race at Remington by an open two lengths.

The entries for Oklahoma Derby Day, including the Oaks and Vance, will be taken on Saturday, Sept. 21.

Remington Park racing continues tonight with nine races, with two over turf. The first race is 6:30pm-Central.

Remington Park has provided more than $357 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. The Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby takes place on Sunday, Sept. 29. 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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