TWO-TIME KENTUCKY DERBY WINNING TRAINER DOUG O’NEILL SEEKS FIRST SPRINGBOARD MILE SCORE

Doug O’Neill has entered Dr Ruben M in the $300,000 Springboard Mile on Friday, Dec. 13, the final night of the Remington Park season.

O’Neill, who won the 2016 Derby with Nyquist and in 2012 with I’ll Have Another, also won five Breeders’ Cup races – 2015 Juvenile (Nyquist), 2013 Dirt Mile (Goldencents), 2007 Filly and Mare Sprint (Maryfield), 2006 Sprint (Thor’s Echo) and 2005 Juvenile (Stevie Wonderboy).

As is evident by his trips to the winner’s circle in the Run for the Roses, O’Neill has been a magician with 2-year-olds on the Kentucky Derby trail. The Springboard Mile, the cornerstone race for juveniles at this Oklahoma City track, carries 2025 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers.

O’Neill, a 56-year-old conditioner born in Dearborn, Mich., has earned his stripes in training on the West Coast. His father, Patrick, took him to the races when he was 10 years old at Santa Anita Park. He sends out Dr Ruben M for the Springboard, a maiden winner, who won by three-quarters of a length at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., on Oct. 14, at the one-mile distance of the Springboard. It was his fourth try to beat maidens. That was Dr Ruben M’s last race and he will have nearly two months off when he makes his attempt here. O’Neill has named veteran West Coast jockey Edwin Maldonado to ride his colt.

Dr Ruben M is a 2-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by Vino Rosso, out of the Majestic Warrior mare Xoxo. He has run no worse than second in three of his four races with a record of four starts, one win, and two seconds for $59,700 earned. He is owned by The Del Mar Group and was bred by Malibu Farm. O’Neill bought Dr Ruben M from the Keeneland September Yearling Sale last year for his ownership group. The price was $150,000.

Early on, O’Neill had pre-entered Dr Ruben M toward for Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar on Nov. 1, but did not move forward with that.

O’Neill also entered Fowler Blue in the Jeffrey A. Hawk Memorial Stakes for older horses going one-mile, 70 yards on closing night. Fowler Blue, a 5-year-old California-bred gelding by Curlin, out of the Unusual Heat mare Joni, has earned $204,368 in his career with wins in 4-of-24 starts for owner William A. Branch. Maldonado has also been named on Fowler Blue.

Fowler Blue will get into this field off a fresh win in his last start at Del Mar near San Diego when he won a $20,000 claiming race by a neck at one mile as the 5-2 favorite. His last workout at Del Mar covered five furlongs on Dec. 1 in a time of 1:00.2 handily.

Benny Landeros Recovery Continues
Remington Park’s No. 6 all-time winningest jockey, Benny Landeros, has had a bit of a setback in his recovery from an accident that occurred during morning workouts here on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Landeros was in the hospital from Nov. 2-6 and was diagnosed with some fractured ribs and a small fracture in his neck. Medical tests were performed on his spinal column to determine why he was having trouble moving his arms and having pain when he tried. Within a day, Landeros was up walking the hallways of the hospital with in a neck brace. He left the hospital on Nov. 6 and attended the races at Remington Park later that week.

Landeros’ wife Lisa gave an update on his condition on Wednesday, Dec. 4, saying, “Benny is doing better. He is getting around better, but it looks like after the first of the year, he is looking at surgery to fuse his C3 and C4 vertebrae. He has a spot on his spinal cord that is not protected if something were to happen again. They want to fuse those bones to help protect the cord from a severe injury.”

Landeros currently sits at 701 wins at Remington Park, 26 behind the late Pat Steinberg, in fifth with 727. Cliff Berry is the leader with 2,125 all-time victories here.

Landeros was working a horse around the turn when his mount tossed him to the ground.

Remington Park racing continues tonight with the 62nd program of the season starting at 6:30pm-Central. The track is fast.

Remington Park has provided more than $370 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 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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