Ghostzapper Racing’s Montana Native got back on the winning track Sunday
on Remington Park’s Oklahoma Derby Day undercard as she gutted out a nose
decision in the $200,000
Remington Park Oaks for trainer Kenny McPeek.
The bay miss entered the race off a fifth-and-last placing in the Alabama at
Saratoga last month, and was the winner of a race-long duel with runner-up Gold
Medal Dancer on the wire of the Oaks. After setting splits of :23 2/5, :46 4/5,
1:11 and 1:36 4/5, Montana Native stopped the clock in 1:43 3/5 for 1 1/16 miles
on the fast dirt when getting the winning bob with Terry Thompson in the irons.
Gold Medal Dancer was easily best-of-the-rest, 5 1/4 lengths clear of Sister
Ginger while 4-5 favorite and dual Grade 1-placed Marathon Lady filled the
fourth spot. Touch Magic came next and was followed under the line by Satin Gold
and Legal Mind.
Montana Native broke her maiden by 8 1/2 lengths in February at Gulfstream
Park but wouldn’t visit the winner’s circle again until taking an optional
claimer at Churchill Downs in late June. The well-traveled daughter of Yes It’s
True next showed up at Saratoga to take her stakes bow in the July 24 Broom
Dance by 3 1/2 lengths but was unable to factor in the Alabama last out.
Montana Native nearly doubled her earnings to $276,198 with Sunday’s win. Her
career line now stands at 9-2-3-3.
One race before the Oaks, J. Kirk and Judy Robison’s Wine Police dueled for
the opening half-mile of the $153,000
Remington Park Sprint Cup before taking command at the eighth-pole and
holding for a three-quarter length victory over defending champion and 3-5
favorite Alsvid.
The Speightstown gelding was the 5-2 second choice and ran six furlongs on
the dirt in 1:09 2/5 under jockey Enrique Gomez.
Wine Police was making just his third start for new trainer Henry Dominguez
after beginning his career with Steve Asmussen. The chestnut sat out all of 2012
after taking the Distorted Humor and placing in the Amsterdam at Saratoga in
2011. He opened his five-year-old campaign with an optional claiming win at Del
Mar in August and was only 2 3/4 lengths back in fourth in the Pat O’Brien 24
days later at that track.
Wine Police improved his scorecard to read 11-5-1-2 with Sunday’s stakes win
and has now earned $337,037 lifetime.
Cathy and Bob Zollars’ Daddy Nose Best posted his third straight win right
before the Oklahoma Derby, rallying from the back of the $100,000
Remington Green to score by 3 1/2 lengths with Ricardo Santana Jr. holding
the reins. He stopped the clock in 1:41 1/5 for 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf.
The Scat Daddy four-year-old had some winning experience over the course,
having captured the Edward J. DeBartolo Memorial Handicap on August 24 after
shipping in following an allowance victory at Indiana Downs. The
Asmussen-trained bay actually ran in last year’s ungraded Oklahoma Derby,
finishing a well-beaten sixth on that occasion, but has definitely taken to
Remington’s turf.
Daddy Nose Best is a two-time Grade 3 winner thanks to victories in the
Sunland Derby and El Camino Real Derby from his sophomore season, and his resume
now stands at 21-7-3-2, $818,989.
Asmussen also sent out Marc Wexler’s Aarons Orient to wire the $75,000
Kip
Deville by 3 3/4 lengths in his stakes debut. The juvenile son of Orientate
lived up to his even-money favoritism when crossing under the wire in 1:09 2/5
for six furlongs on the main track.
Aarons Orient had a jockey switch in the Kip Deville to Santana after being
ridden by Joel Rosario in his other two career races. The bay colt broke his
maiden at Saratoga on August 15 in his second career start, and pushed his
record to 3-2-0-0, $97,000, on Sunday.
Interestingly enough, Aarons Orient finished fourth in his debut in a maiden
special weight at the Spa behind Corfu. That one was running second in the
Futurity at Belmont Park on Sunday at nearly the same time as Aarons Orient was
winning the Kip Deville.
B.J. Richter and breeder Richter Family Trust’s Okie Nova got the stakes
action underway with a 2 3/4-length win in the $50,000
Ladies on the Lawn, which
was restricted to Oklahoma-breds. With Clifton Berry aboard, the Ken
Nolan-trained filly caught the pacesetting In the Band to finish 7 1/2 furlongs
on the turf in 1:30 3/5.
Okie Nova, a four-year-old daughter of Cavvy, earned her first stakes win
this spot, having previously finished third in last October’s Oklahoma Classics
Distaff Turf. This was actually her first victory since breaking her maiden in
May 2012. The filly now boasts a 2-2-2 mark from 11 starts and $74,472 in career
earnings.
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