HERNANDEZ WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF 1,000 WINS, BARGAIN HORSE COMES THROUGH FOR TEAM ASHFORD

Remington Park jockey Harry Hernandez starts the new racing week with 994 career victories in the United States. He started his career in this country in 2015 after leaving his native Puerto Rico.

Hernandez needs six wins to reach 1,000. He has just four mounts on the Wednesday night card at Remington, riding in race two aboard Old Seventeen (20-1 morning-line odds) then Catale Hurrycane (15-1) in race five. He wraps up his short night with Rocking Rocket (8-1) in race six then We’ll Do It Live (5-2 morning-line favorite) in race eight.

The Right Horse for the Right Price
The winner of the first race on Friday, Oct. 11 at Remington Park, Waylon’s Guitar, is not the most expensive horse at the track but he is quite a story for the Ashford family.

Waylon’s Guitar won a maiden special weight race at five furlongs on the turf with Leandro Goncalves in the saddle for trainer Tristan Ashford and owner Karon Ashford, Tristan’s mom. Dad Ray is the only one apparently left out in the cold on this story. Despite being the family member who noticed this 2-year-old gelding at a sale and felt some divine intervention was involved in putting him on the trailer from the auction and bringing him home.

Ray and his wife of 22 years, Karon, were at the Texas Thoroughbred Association Yearling Sale last year and bought Waylon’s Guitar for $1,000. The horse is named for the late, great Country singer Waylon Jennings. It took him five races and a switch from the dirt to the turf course to get his first win Friday night. Waylon’s Guitar, an Oklahoma-bred son of Atreides, out of the Sky Mesa mare Souper Bianco, actually wasn’t sold under gavel at that sale, however.

“That’s kind of a funny story,” Ray said. “I was down there looking at horses and every time I’d look at another horse, this gelding was messing with me, trying to get my attention. I kind of liked the way he looked, but when he went into the ring, no one bid anything on him. I told the guy I like him and he gave me the bargain basement price of $1,000 in a private sale.”

Ashford worked this son of Atreides (who went four-for-five in the winner’s circle in his racing career with $120,176 in earnings) three times at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, to get him ready for his first race at Remington Park.

“At that point (after the workouts), Karon came to me and asked me, ‘How’s MY horse doing?’ I said, ‘Your horse?’ So she owns him now,” he laughed.

How about when he and his son Tristan, who also trains at Remington Park, and Karon are together at a sale and all like the same horse, who gets to train that purchase, son or Dad?

“Of course I’m (left) out,” he said. Being the son apparently trumps 22 years of marriage.”

Waylon’s Guitar, a winner at 3-1 odds, earned $20,196 for Karon and now has a record of five starts, one win, one second and one third for earnings of $35,751. Not bad for a bargain basement buy. He was bred by Eureka Thoroughbred Farm of Fredericksburg, Texas.
Some of the sting for Ray was alleviated in race after Waylan’s Guitar won, when a horse he trains for owner Donnie McKinley of Yukon, Okla., won that event with jockey Iram Diego up. That put money in the pockets of all the Ashfords after only two races on the night.

Ashford had claimed his race two winner, El Blaze, out of $10,000 claiming race on Sept. 19 from trainer Steve Martin’s barn and previous owner Georgia Martin and put him back into a $10,000 claiming race on Friday night. The Martins bought back the 5-year-old Oklahoma-bred Friday and he goes back to his old stall on the back side for them.

The nine-race Remington Park card tonight, the 33rd race date of this 2024 season, begins at 6:30pm-Central. Races one and nine are over the turf. The track is fast, the turf is firm.

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.

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