GUNFLASH RECORDS SECOND-FASTEST SIX-FURLONG TIME OF REMINGTON PARK SEASON, TURF COURSE CLOSES

Gunflash came extremely close to putting up the fastest time of the Remington Park season on Saturday, Nov. 16 at six furlongs, winning an allowance race by a neck in 1:09.38 over a fast track.

The fastest time of the meet came in the top stakes for sprinters – the David M. Vance on Sept. 29. Jaxon Traveler won that open event in a blazing 1:09.19.

Gunflash, at 6-1 odds, was pushed to the limit by runner-up General Shipman (11-1) and both of them outran 1-9 odds-on favorite U.S. Army, who ran third, another 2-1/2 lengths behind the runner-up.

Gunflash is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by Gun Runner, out of the Political Force mare Flashy Campaign. He races for owner Jerry Namy of Fort Worth, Texas, and is trained by Abel Ramirez-Rodriguez. He took over for Karl Broberg when the latter retired as a trainer in August. Harry Hernandez was in the irons for the win aboard Gunflash. He had Gunflash in an eyeball-to-eyeball battle with General Shipman and his jockey Isaac Castillo from the top of the stretch to the finish.

Gunflash paid $15.80 to win, $9.40 to place and $2.20 to show across the board. Heaven only knows what the show prices would have been had Hello Hot Rod (68-1) finished third instead of 1-9 U.S. Army, who had the bulk of the show-wagering pool bet on him.

Gunflash earned $22,749 from the $38,000 allowance purse and improved lifetime to 22 starts, six wins and three thirds for a bankroll of $201,212.

OKLAHOMA OWNER ENJOYS CLAIMING CROWN SUCCESS AT CHURCHILL DOWNS WITH FORMER REMINGTON PARK REGULAR

Terry Westemeir, a long-time owner at Remington Park, sent Spankster, in co-ownership with Jade Cunningham, to Churchill Downs in Louisville on Saturday and the 47-1 longshot picked up a third-place check on the Claiming Crown Day. The afternoon features horses who have regularly competed in claiming events, in lucrative starter-allowance races.

Westemeir, from Broken Arrow, Okla., has campaigned multiple stakes winners Number One Dude and Doudoudouwanadance at Remington Park.

He and Cunningham ran Spankster in a Starter Allowance for 3-year-olds-and-older that had started for a claiming price of $25,000 or less in 2023-24. They were going 5-1/2 furlongs on the turf. Spankster, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred horse by Mastery, out of the Blame mare Spank, was bred by Wedgewood Farm. He finished 2-3/4 lengths back of 33-1 winner Voodoo Zip. With those two horses sandwiching a 7-1 horse in second, Spycraft, that 50-cent trifecta paid out $2,272.46.

“(Jade) knew this horse when she was an assistant with D. Wayne Lukas,” Westemeir said. “She called me to say she wanted to buy him, but needed help with the purchase price. I said, ‘Sure.’”

Spankster is also trained by Cunningham who started her career in racing at Remington Park while she was attending the University of Oklahoma. After working with the Hall of Famer, Lukas, she has started her own training stable and has been competing in Kentucky, Indiana and Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.

Spankster picked up a $17,000 check for the third-place finish from the $172,766 purse and now has a lifetime record of 29 starts, five wins, two seconds and three thirds for $415,383 earned. A field of 11 traveled 5-1/2 furlongs on the turf in this race.

“He has earned more than $150,000 since we bought him,” said Westemeir.

Westemeir has entered Number One Dude in the featured allowance race on Saturday, Nov. 23 against stakes-caliber horses. It will go as the eighth race that evening.

Number One Dude, a 6-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelded son of American Lion, out of the Macho Uno mare Ebony Uno, has won or run second in 20-of-34 starts lifetime for earnings of $560,028. He is a five-time stakes winner at Remington Park. His 10 trips to the winner’s circle include Remington Park stakes wins in the 2022 Red Earth Stakes, the 2021 Jim Thorpe Stakes, the 2021 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes, and the 2020 Don McNeill and Oklahoma Classics Juvenile. Westemeir is also the breeder of Number One Dude.

Remington Park Turf Racing Finished for Remainder of 2024
There was one turf race scheduled for today’s first Monday program of the season. However, thunderstorms and more than an inch of rain have forced that race to the sloppy main track. With that, the Remington Park turf course is closed for the rest of 2024.

A total of 107 races were contested over the turf through the first 52 race dates this season, 15 more than the 92 held on the course during the 2023 season.

Thanks to warmer weather than usual, the turf course competitions extended until Nov. 16 this season, five days longer on the calendar than in 2023 when the last turf race that year was run on Nov. 11.

The first Monday afternoon card takes place starting at 2:30pm-Central today. The 53rd race date features nine races, all now on the sloppy main track.

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 when the $300,000 Springboard Mile tops the final night of the season. The major 2-year-old stakes race of the season, the Springboard awards valuable 2025 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. 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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