SCHOLL PLEASED WITH MISS CODE WEST’S RUNNER-UP FINISH IN REMINGTON PARK OAKS
Last year’s Remington Park Horse of the Meet, Miss Code West, made her trainer Kevin Scholl proud even with the first loss of her career at Remington Park in the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks on Sunday, Sept. 29. Prior to that race, Miss Code West was five-for-five in races in Oklahoma City, including multiple stakes wins.
“I’m well pleased,” Scholl said. “We’ll go in the Oklahoma Classics next ($145,000 Distaff Handicap) against older mares for the first time. I think she will be all right as long as she is back with Okie-breds.”
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 purses at $1 million.
The third-leading trainer in the nation by earnings, Brad Cox, made it awfully tough for Miss Code West in the Remington Park Oaks. Alpine Princess drew off to win by an impressive 9-3/4 lengths, but Miss Code West beat the rest of the field by 1-1/4 lengths, running second.
“Brad Cox did the same thing to me at Fair Grounds when I ran (Miss Code West) there,” said Scholl. “He shipped in a filly who beat us all by a mile.”
That was on Jan. 20 this year when West Omaha won the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes by five lengths. Miss Code West ran fourth at 5-1 odds. She went off as the 2-1 second favorite in the Remington Park Oaks.
“If she does well in the Classics, we’ll go in the Useeit Stakes (at Remington Park, closing night Dec. 13),” Scholl said.
Flat Hanby Upset with Derby Effort More Than Connections
Trainer Boyd “Jobie” Caster thinks his top 3-year-old, Flat Hanby, was sadder about his fifth-place finish in the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby than all the horse’s connections were.
Flat Hanby, an Oklahoma-bred gelded son of top Oklahoma sire Flat Out, from the Ocean Terrace mare Jealous Ellis, had won the Canterbury Derby, the Iowa Stallion Stakes and the Oklahoma Stallion Handicap at three different tracks. The Oklahoma Derby is a whole different animal, though. Flat Hanby would be facing some top 3-year-olds from the best barns around the country. Only two Oklahoma-breds have ever won the race – Clever Trevor and Shotgun Kowboy, both winners of more than $1 million in their careers and Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame members.
Sometimes you just have to find out how good your Oklahoma-bred is.
“(Flat Hanby) bled a little in the race; we scoped him after,” said Caster, “but that didn’t cost him the race. Might have cost him fourth. We only got beat a few lengths for fourth.”
Caster said he has no regrets about running the local hero in the Derby at all. He was just sad for his big gray sophomore runner.
“I think he was way more disappointed than we were,” Caster said. “His owners (Joe and Theresa Moore of Tontitown, Ark., JT Stables) have been around for years and years and years and have never had a horse that could enter the Oklahoma Derby. They understand. I had a feeling putting him in the Derby would be like me trying to block J.T. Watt in the NFL. I knew he’d try.”
Third-ranked trainer in the country, Brad Cox, won the race with Most Wanted, his unprecedented fourth winner in this series, passing Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Famer Donnie Von Hemel, for most Oklahoma Derby victories by a trainer.
“The next day, I came in and I could tell he was down. They know and act like they let you down. He was fine after I gave him a few carrots.”
The next logical step for this Oklahoma-bred might be in the $175,000 Oklahoma Classics Cup on Friday, Oct. 18, but Caster wasn’t sure about running against the likes of the older horse, Number One Dude, the top Oklahoma-bred veteran runner in training for Terry Westemeir of Broken Arrow, Okla., and trainer Scott Young.
“I don’t know; those are older Okie-breds,” Caster said. “I’ll nominate him, but we’ll see.”
Tonight is night 25 of the Remington Park Thoroughbred Season features 10 races with races one, five and 10 over the turf course. Main track is fast, turf is firm. The first races is at 6:30pm-Central.
Remington Park has provided more than $357 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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