LEADING RIDER RAMON VAZQUEZ, AUSTIN GUSTAFSON EARN LIP CHIP JOCKEY, TRAINER HONORS AT REMINGTON PARK
Ramon Vazquez was just doing things that a leading rider does and Austin Gustafson ran first or second three times with only five starters this past week as the pair were honored with Lip Chip Jockey and Trainer of the Week.
With 17 mounts this past week, Vazquez ran first or second with 11 of them, but that’s nothing new for him. He is running away with the jockeys’ standings race, having won 61 times to second-place David Cabrera who has made it to the winner’s circle 35 with Stewart Elliott third at 33. Now, keep in mind that these aren’t run-of-the mill jockeys chasing Vazquez. Cabrera has won the riding title at Remington Park four times and Elliott is the two-time defending champion coming into this meet.
Vazquez’s biggest victory of the week came in the $50,000 Slide Show Handicap on Friday, Nov. 7 where he booted home Lanaluah in an upset stakes win. He timed it perfectly in his ride aboard Lanaluah, pouncing on a tiring, undefeated, odds-on favorite Cyndi Loper for the win. Cyndi Loper had been a runaway winner in her first two starts. Gustafson also benefited from Lanaluah’s victory for the Lip Chip honor as he is her trainer.
Lanaluah was the 7-5 second wagering favorite to 3-5 Cyndi Loper. Gustafson was driving home one night when he got a call from Lanaluah’s breeder Scott Pierce, who said the trainer needed to take a look at her. Gustafson pulled up her workout and liked what he saw. She now has won more than four times her purchase price at sale. The $30,000 Lanaluah won in the Slide Show boosted her to $151,660 in lifetime earnings. It was a call Gustafson and his co-owners will not forget.
Vazquez’s other two winners on the week were Big Muckity on Thursday in back-to-back victories for the horse and trainer Ray Ashford, and aboard Saltwater Taffy for Gustafson on Friday, both among claiming company. Gustafson’s second-place finish came with Beyond Grateful with maiden claimers. Gustafson now has 10 wins for the meet.
Remington Park racing continues Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 13-15, with the first post time nightly is 6 p.m.-Central.
Remington Park has provided more than $399 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 year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. The 2025 Springboard Mile, a 2026 Kentucky Derby qualifying points race, takes place Saturday, Dec. 20, the final night of the Thoroughbred Season. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
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