Wildcat Red installed as morning-line favorite in Oklahoma
Derby
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.
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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