DOUDOUDOUWANADANCE, OLIVIA TWIST HOPE TO MAKE IT TOUGH SLEDDING FOR SHIPPERS TRAPEZE AT REMINGTON PARK

The $100,000 Trapeze Stakes on the final night of the Remington Park season, Saturday, Dec. 17, will feature shippers that will have their hands full with a couple of the top 2-year-old undefeated fillies on the grounds – Doudoudouwanadance and Olivia Twist.

Both of those fillies have been more than impressive this fall at Remington Park. Doudoudouwanadance continued her dominance for owner Terry Westemeir of Broken Arrow, Okla., at Remington Park on Nov. 11 with her third win in a row to start her career. It also was her second stakes victory. That one was the $75,000 Slide Show Stakes and she had earlier made a trip to the winner’s circle on Oct. 21 in the $100,000 Oklahoma Classics Lassie. Trainer Kari Craddock has prepped this Oklahoma-bred daughter of Magna Graduate (Honor Grades), out of the Macho Uno mare Ebony Uno, to three wins by a combined margin of 18-1/4 lengths. Jockey Leandro Goncalves has been aboard for all three victories. The home-bred for Westemeir has earned $121,006. She is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Number One Dude.

In the Trapeze, Doudoudouwanadance will face open company for the first time, her toughest test to date in the one-mile race for 2-year-old fillies. A total of 24 fillies were nominated to the race, including nine by the nation’s fourth-leading trainer by money earned, Brad Cox, and three by trainer Steve Asmussen, the all-time winningest trainer in the sport’s history.

Doudoudouwanadance broke her maiden by eight lengths on Sept. 30 here and followed that with a seven-length win in the Classics Lassie. In the Slide Show, she only won by 3-1/4 lengths, but it was her first trip around two turns. Plus, she didn’t break all that great from the gate.

“No, the first jump wasn’t great,” said Goncalves. “But it turned out good. By the second or third jump, I got her to the outside and she relaxed. Down the stretch, she took off again.”

Ebony Uno was unraced but she has proven to be quite the broodmare for Westemeir.

“(Ebony Uno) went through a sale in Kentucky,” said Westemeir, but was not purchased. “She didn’t X-ray well at the sale, so she was turned out of the sale. She had little knee problem. Then she was actually forgotten as I understand it.”

When her owner, Scott Pierce, decided to move from Oklahoma to Kentucky, he didn’t really want to haul Ebony Uno with him. That’s when Westemeir stepped in and bought her privately. She was in foal at the time with Number One Dude and then produced Doudoudouwanadance.

Doudoudouwanadance covered the mile in the Slide Show in 1:39.66 over a track listed as “good” as the 2-5 wagering favorite.

Westemeir is a huge Beach Boys fan and his wife Leslie is a dancer, hence their filly’s name, originating from the group’s song, “Do You Wanna Dance.”

“I have two more named Surfer Girl and Give Me Excitation,” Westemeir said.

Olivia Twist, a Kentucky bred out of trainer Todd Fincher’s barn, had a bit slower time in her mile win of 1:40.63, but she was geared down in the stretch of her second victory over the Remington Park track in allowance company. We may not have seen her best even though she won under leading jockey Cristian Torres by 15 lengths in the allowance race on Nov. 21. The Trapeze would be her first start in stakes company. She broke her maiden here on Oct. 19 at five furlongs by 2-1/2 lengths.

Olivia Twist, a 2-year-old daughter of Mshawish (Medaglia d’Oro), out of the War Chant mare Twinkling, is owned by G. Chris Coleman of Farmington, N.M. She has won her two races by a total margin of 17-1/2 lengths and has earned $40,149.

Olivia Twist’s sire, Mshawish, was a Grade 1 stakes winner on the dirt and turf and won seven stakes races in his career. He was a decisive winner in the 2016 Donn Handicap, a Grade 1 event at Gulfstream Park in south Florida, with a huge speed figure in only his third start on the dirt. Previously he had won the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap in Florida in 2015.

One shipper that is listed by Remington Stakes Coordinator Don Thompson as probable for the race is Midnight Heiress, owned by New Farm, a multiple graded stakes winning organization based in New Jersey. Jerry Hollendorfer is the trainer of Midnight Heiress, a daughter of Midnight Storm (Pioneerof the Nile), out of the Wildcat Heir mare Heir Stream. This filly was the bridesmaid of New Jersey thus far this year, running second in all four starts at Monmouth and one at The Meadowlands, all against maiden company. Midnight Heiress finally broke through to the winner’s circle when Hollendorfer shipped her to Delaware Park on Oct. 22, her first trip around two turns on the dirt. She drew away by 6-1-4 lengths as the 3-5 favorite. She is a New Jersey homebred for New Farm.

Broodmare Heir Stream never won a stakes race but Midnight Heiress’ sire Midnight Storm was a multiple graded stakes winner and earned $1.7 million in his career. His victories include the Grade 1 Del Mar Derby near San Diego in 2014 and the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile in 2015.

The Trapeze is one of five stakes races on the undercard on Springboard Mile Night, at Remington Park. The $400,000 Springboard Mile, the top 2-year-old stakes race of the season, is a qualifying points race for the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

Remington Park will wrap the 2022 Thoroughbred season Wednesday thru Saturday, Dec. 14-17. The first race nightly is 7:07pm, except for Saturday when the Springboard program begins at 5pm. All times are Central.

Tracked by more than 172,000 fans on Facebook and 10,700 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $311 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 the $400,000 Springboard Mile, our top 2-year-old race on the final night of the season on Saturday, December 17. Remington Park also presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

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