CAPPELLUCCI WEEKLY TRAVELS INCLUDE RECENT HIGHWAY SCARE
One of the fears of horse racing owners, trainers and jockeys has long been what can happen in their many hours of driving from track to track. Remington Park owner-trainer Dick Cappellucci learned that sometimes those fears turn into huge scares when he thanked the Lord above for keeping him out of a horrendous accident.
“A couple of weeks ago, I was driving from Oklahoma City to Albuquerque (N.M.) because I have horses running in both cities and I tend to drive a little too fast,” he admitted. “It had been raining and I hit some water on I-40 West and began to hydroplane sideways.”
Cappellucci’s truck was soon into the grassy median, totally out of control. By the time he stopped, he found himself on I-40 East, heading the other direction.
“At that speed, I can’t believe the truck didn’t roll when it went sideways,” he said.
Luckily for him, it was early in the morning before rush hour traffic on I-40, and there were very few vehicles on the road at the time.
“I don’t think my heart has ever beat that fast,” he said. “There were a few cars on the other side of the highway where I finished, but they saw it happening and came running to me after I stopped. They wanted to see if I had a heart attack and asked me if I was OK. I said I was, but you know what, I really don’t know how I’m still here after that. So fortunate.”
Through 25 race dates at Remington Park, Cappellucci has 10 wins as an owner, just one behind leading Bryan Hawk, of Shawnee, Okla. Cappellucci is tied for second in the trainers’ race with 11 trips to the winner’s circle, sharing the spot with Joe Offolter. Both conditioners are 14 behind Steve Asmussen who leads with 25.
Notable Workout for Ship of Dreams
The horse, Ship of Dreams, that got the bullet work at five furlongs (:59.06 handily) on Tuesday, Oct. 1 is a filly that created a lot of intrigue when she won her first career race in just her second start at Remington Park, a year ago.
The 4-year-old Oklahoma-bred filly by Midshipman, out of the Muktaddim mare Ginger My Love, was going for her second race in the fall of 2023 at Remington Park after running second in a field of 12 on Oct. 14, 2023. In her career debut she was the runner-up but beat the rest of that field of 12 by 8-1/2 lengths as the beaten heavy favorite.
Ship of Dreams did not disappoint on Nov. 14, 2023 when then-trainer Bret Calhoun sent her out to try for that first win again. Despite losing the first time out, the public loved her even more. Ship of Dreams, with jockey Jose Alvarez up, was bet down to 1-9 in this race at six furlongs on the main track. It was like a walk in the park for Alvarez as the filly drew off and won by a county block, 13-1/4 lengths in that special maiden win.
Here’s where the intrigue comes in. The horse racing public would not see her again for 10 months. Ship of Dreams was laid up until Sept. 12 this year when she showed up at Remington Park in an allowance race for non-winners of two lifetime. The filly, racing for owner-breeder Forrest Hills Farm, still had the public’s backing at 3-5 odds, regardless of the long layoff, going six furlongs on the dirt. It would be her first race against winners. There was something different, she was now in the barn of trainer Alan Williams and would be ridden by Leandro Goncalves.
Ship of Dreams finished fourth, 5-1/4 lengths back of winner Angel Kiss, who won the race by four lengths.
Ship of Dreams may have needed the race off the long layoff and should benefit from it because she looked even better on the track when she worked out Tuesday morning. She had the fastest time of the day of eight horses that trained at five-eighths of a mile and was the only one to break the one-minute mark.
As an Oklahoma-bred, could she be pointed toward Oklahoma Classics Day on Friday, Oct. 18? Stay tuned.
The 26th night of the Remington Park season features nine races with races one, six and nine over the turf course. The track is fast and the turf is firm. The first race is at 6:30pm-Central.
Remington Park has provided more than $363 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 Oklahoma Classics Night of stakes racing for top Oklahoma-breds takes place on Friday, Oct. 18. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
-30-