Wildcat Red installed as morning-line favorite in Oklahoma Derby

Wildcat Red installed as morning-line favorite in Oklahoma
Derby

Wildcat Red appears the class in Sunday’s Oklahoma Derby (Leslie Martin/Adam Coglianese Photography) A full field of 14 has been entered to go 1 1/8 miles on Sunday in the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park, headed by 5-2 morning-line favorite Wildcat Red. If all actually start, it will be the largest field in the Oklahoma Derby since 1991 when Queen’s Gray Bee won the race, known then as the Remington Park Derby. Sunday’s contest is the feature event on a day that also includes six other stakes contests. Remington Park odds-maker Rick Lee tabbed Wildcat Red as the favorite for the Oklahoma Derby while also noting the solid race overall. “A field with plenty of talent and 14 horses should make for a tremendous betting race,” he said. Wildcat Red is looking to rebound in this spot following just his second unplaced run last out in the King’s Bishop at Saratoga. The Jose Garoffalo trainee took on the Triple Crown trail over the spring, racking up wins in the Fountain of Youth and Hutcheson while placing in the Florida Derby and Gulfstream Park Derby, all at Gulfstream Park.

He shipped to
Churchill Downs off a neck second in the Florida Derby but was unable to
factor in the Kentucky
Derby following a disastrous race trip. Given plenty of time to recover, the
D’wildcat colt returned with a 10-length romp in the Quality Road on June 28 at
Gulfstream before once again traveling out of town to take on the Haskell
Invitational at Monmouth
Park. He stumbled at the start of that contest but recovered to track the
pacesetting Bayern before eventually finishing third on the wire.

Stabled and training at Remington Park since September 17, Wildcat Red will
be getting a jockey switch on Sunday to Edgard Zayas, who piloted him to victory
in his initial two starts last fall.

Just arriving at Remington Wednesday night was Tonito M. for Jerry
Hollendorfer. The Rock Hard Ten colt was joined on the trip by others who have
been entered for the undercard stakes.

Tonito M. is seeking his first U.S. stakes win in the Oklahoma Derby after
placing in the Lazaro Barrera,
Los Alamitos Derby and
Los Alamitos Mile thus far. The bay colt also ran eighth in the Woody Stephens
and fifth in the La Jolla Handicap, and will keep jockey Rafael Bejarano aboard
at 8-1 on the morning-line.

Charge Now (inside) just missed by a head to next out Travers winner V. E. Day in the Curlin (Adam Mooshian/Adam Coglianese Photography) Bill Mott pupil Charge Now arrived at Will Rogers World Airport just after noon on Thursday from his Belmont Park base for Sunday’s race. The bay son of Tiznow was seventh in the Travers at the Spa in his last start in August but just missed by a head in the Curlin prior to that. Junior Alvarado retains the mount Early second favorite status falls to Away Game, who has earned nice enough numbers to be considered a threat from the rail for Richard Violette Jr. The Lemon Drop Kid sophomore broke his maiden in an off-the-turf Aqueduct contest in April and has since scored a pair of allowance/optional claiming victories at Saratoga. Mike Luzzi has the call on the 3-1 morning-line second choice. Ibaka is 6-0-1 from eight career starts thus far, and is currently riding a five-race win streak. The Bret Calhoun trainee is a three-time stakes winner in Texas and will try to move his game north of the border under Lindey Wade. Others in with a chance Sunday include Super Derby runner-up Declan’s Fast Cat, Canadian Derby romper Edison and Even Echo, a 5 1/4-length maiden scorer last out who was cross-entered to a one-mile allowance Thursday night at Remington.

One race after the Oklahoma Derby, nine sophomore fillies will line up for
the $200,000
Remington
Park Oaks going 1 1/16 miles. America will be cutting back in class in this
spot after facing some of the best of her crop in the Alabama, Coaching Club
American Oaks, Mother Goose and Black-Eyed Susan in her past quartet of starts.
Also entered is Dream Spinner, who ran third in the Iowa Oaks on June 28.

Wine Police, Alsvid and Okie Ride finished 1-2-3, respectively, in the

Remington Park Sprint Cup 12 months ago and return for another go at the
$150,000, six-furlong affair. Broadway Empire captured last year’s edition of
the Oklahoma Derby and will switch over to Remington’s turf course for the
$100,000

Remington Green at 1 1/8 miles.

The six-furlong, $75,000
Kip
Deville for juveniles kicks off the stakes action at the track Sunday
afternoon and is joined on the undercard by a pair of $50,000 stakes — the

Flashy Lady for distaffers sprinting six furlongs and the

Ladies on the Lawn sending fillies and mares 7 1/2 furlongs over the grass.

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