Jockey Cliff Berry won five races on Thursday night at Remington Park and
managed to top himself on Friday night, winning all seven of his races at the
Oklahoma City venue. He set a new Remington Park standard for wins on one
Thoroughbred program in the process.
The perfect race-riding night betters the old mark of six wins on a card that
Berry shared with Tim Doocy. Berry had won six races on a single program three
other times. Doocy was the first jockey to achieve six wins on one card in 1993.
Orphan Brigade (Roar) wired the 10TH race to give Berry the record with his
seventh win. The nine-year-old gelding had won 23 career races coming into the
$7,500 claiming event at six furlongs, earning $756,345 in his career. Berry
felt his final mount of the evening could give him his seventh win if he was
ready to roll.
“I knew he was the best horse in the race,” the rider said. “He’s won over
$750,000 by doing something right for a long time. The only question was whether
he would break well and if he was feeling the part tonight. I knew he could do
it.”
Berry wasn’t expecting seven on Friday. He would have been happy to match his
Thursday effort and add a second consecutive five-win night after piling up wins
early in the program.
“I thought after I won the fourth time (with Crossfirehurricane [Eurosilver]
in the 6TH race) that I had a pretty good chance to win five races for the
second night in a row. Especially with three more mounts to go,” Berry said.
“The horses just kept running for me. I didn’t do anything different tonight
than I do any other night, it just kept happening.”
The seven wins for Berry came aboard I’m a Slew Man (Slew City Slew) the 2ND
race, Fleet Shopper (Afleet Alex) in the 3RD race, Chasin Gypsy (It’sallinthechase)
in the 5TH race, Crossfirehurricane in the 6TH race, Dixie Hearth (Stephen Got
Even) in the 8TH race, Going Okie (Burbank) in the 9TH race and Orphan Brigade
in the 10TH.
The flurry of 12 wins the past two nights have catapulted Berry clear of all
rivals in the jockey standings, giving him 73 wins and clinching his 13th
Remington Park riding title.
“Everything just fell into place tonight, I’m very happy,” Berry noted. “I’ll
come back (Saturday) night and try to do it again.”
Berry will be honored on Saturday after the 1ST race with his 13th Pat
Steinberg Memorial Award, signifying the riding champion during the Thoroughbred
season. It is his first title at Remington Park since 2007. The leading jockey
award is named after Pat Steinberg, who passed away after the 1993 Spring
Thoroughbred Season at Remington Park. He was the all-time riding leader in
Oklahoma City at the time of his passing.