MISS CODE WEST POINTED OKLAHOMA CLASSICS DISTAFF, LETTA’S LEGACY POISED TO CHALLENGE

Remington Park’s Horse of the Meet for 2023, Miss Code West, tops the list of 21 nominees for the $145,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Handicap scheduled for Friday, Oct. 18.

The 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred filly by Code West, out of the Kipling mare Inca Miss, was the only horse to win three stakes races at Remington Park in 2023 and she is coming off an runner-up finish in the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks, where she stepping away from the state ranks into open company. She lost that night for the first time at Remington Park after five wins in a row here when the nation’s No. 3 trainer, Brad Cox, shipped in Alpine Princess to give Miss Code West her toughest competition ever at this Oklahoma City track on Sunday, Sept. 29.

Miss Code West, trained by Kevin Scholl and owned by Jeffry and Julie Puryear, lost by 9-3/4 lengths to Alpine Princess, but Miss Code West beat the rest of the field by 1-1/4 lengths in the process.

“I’m well pleased,” Scholl said. “We’ll go against older mares for the first time. I think she will be all right as long as she is back with Okie-breds. If she does well in the Classics, we’ll go in the Useeit Stakes (at Remington Park, closing night Dec. 13).”

Oklahoma Classics Night is Friday, Oct. 18, at Remington Park when the top Oklahoma-bred horses in training will vie for crowns in their specific divisional categories on a rich night for total purses at $1 million.

Miss Code West has raced 10 times, winning an seven and running second once for a bankroll of $294,334. She was bred in Oklahoma by Remington Park’s current leading owner Bryan Hawk.

Among the nominees for the Oklahoma Classics Distaff is a filly that ran second to Miss Code West last year when the Horse of the Meet was on her winning spree. That would be Letta’s Legacy, a horse owned, bred and trained by C.R. Trout of Edmond, Okla.

“Letta has really improved since last year,” Trout said. “I really think we can run with her this year.”

Letta’s Legacy, a 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred filly by Practical Joke, out of the Sunday Break (JPN) mare Sundayville Break, has won two races in a row this meet in three starts. She raced second in the other try. Should she go in the Oklahoma Classics Distaff Handicap, Letta’s Legacy would be stepping back into stakes company for the first time since running a dismal sixth in the Slide Show Stakes at Remington Park on Nov. 10, 2023. The filly ran second to Miss Code West, beaten two lengths in the $75,000 Oklahoma Classics Lassie for 2-year-old fillies on Oct. 20, 2023.

“She had some minor problems last year, but I think she has come back so much better,” Trout said. “She’s named for my late wife Arletta.”

Letta’s Legacy broke her maiden here this meet by six lengths, going 5-1/2 furlongs on the main track on Aug. 13. She came back on Sept. 27 and beat a first-level allowance at the same distance by 1-1/2 lengths. Both of those races came against Oklahoma-breds. The Oklahoma Classics Distaff Handicap is for Oklahoma-bred 3-year-olds-and-older, fillies and mares, going 1-mile, 70 yards on the main track.

The Slide Show was Letta’s Legacy only try in her career going a route of ground. Her record is now six starts with two wins and three seconds for $69,945.

The Oklahoma Classics Distaff Handicap and the rest of the Classics Night program will be compiled in the Remington Park racing office on Thursday, Oct. 10.

Elliott Reaches Million-Mark in Mount Earnings
Stewart Elliott is the runaway leader in the jockey standings at Remington Park, with 49 wins through the first 28 race dates. If he can continue winning at his current pace, he will wrap the season with 117 victories.

The three-digit win mark is a projection, what is real is the $1,170,594 in mount earnings Elliott has compiled before the halfway point of the season. He is the lone jockey to go over the seven-digit mark in mount earnings, and $489,242 ahead of Floyd Wethey, Jr. in that category.

Wethey is tied with David Cabrera for second in the win standings with 23, a whopping 26 victories behind Elliott.

Early Pick 5 Bonanza on Oct. 5
The early Pick 5 wager at Remington Park produced its high payoff of the season on Saturday, Oct. 5 when $29,440.95 was paid to the sole winning ticket.

The early Pick 5 winners on Oct. 5 featured Wilburnsclassylady ($18.80 to win) in race one, Slades Tank ($48.60) in race two, Light the Code ($6.20) in race three, Queen of Salsa ($6.20) in race four and Adios Muchachas ($13.20) to wrap up the wager in race five.

The previous season high for the early Pick 5 was $19,615.25 set on Aug. 23.

Warmer than usual weather continues into mid-October at Remington Park, with the turf course in as good a shape as it has ever been at this point in the season. This week’s racing is on the normal Wednesday through Saturday schedule, Oct. 9-12. The Wednesday program, Night 29 of the season, features nine races starting at 6:30pm. Races one, five and nine are over the firm turf.

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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