For Immediate Release
Friday, Oct. 28, 2011
Ransom Roberto wins Oklahoma Classics Cup
OKLAHOMA CITY – The state’s biggest night for thoroughbred racing, the Oklahoma Classics, showcased top state-breds throughout Friday evening at Remington Park with Ransom Roberto coming away with the top prize, the $165,800 Oklahoma Classics Cup, presented by the Chickasaw Nation.
Owned
by Steve Martin of Morrison, Okla., a winner of two Classics
races on the evening, Ransom Roberto is trained by Wilson
Brown and was ridden expertly by Jose Medina. The
5-year-old gelding waited at the back of the nine-horse field in
the 1-1/16 miles race before making his big move going into the
final turn. He powered through rivals and was second at the top
of the stretch with a quick move achieved in just over a
quarter-mile.
Once in the lane, Ransom Roberto passed the defending Cup champion J J’s Indy and pulled away to win by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:44.14 over the fast track. A late bloomer, he has made exceptional progress in 2011, winning five of his nine lifetime victories this year.
“He really didn’t mature right away so we took our time with him,” Brown reasoned, explaining Ransom Roberto’s recent success. “We had to try and teach him how to relax. He’s a big old stout horse, I call him ‘jughead.’ He’s a much better horse now, this year than he was last year. He’s a pretty good ‘jughead’ now!”
Ninilchik set a blistering early pace in the Classics Cup, handling a quarter-mile in :22.59 seconds, a half-mile in :45.29 and six furlongs in 1:10.84 before tiring and fading quickly to last. J J’s Indy was the first to pounce, grabbing the lead briefly out of the final turn before the winner eventually took over.
Ransom Roberto won his second straight race of the season and has moved up the competition ladder throughout the year, running for a $7,500 claiming price as recently as June. He was the heavy wagering favorite at 4-5 odds and paid $3.80 to win, $2.40 to place and $2.10 to show. J J’s Indy could not win his second straight Classics Cup, holding second to return $3.40 to place and $2.40 to show. Evansville Storm was up for third, 4-1/2 lengths behind the runner-up, paying $3.40 to show.
An Oklahoma-bred gelding by Rojo Dinero from the Here We Come mare Here Comes Roberta, Ransom Roberto was bred by Steven Caldwell of Weatherford, Okla. The chestnut has now won nine career races from 27 attempts with four of the wins coming at Remington Park. The winner’s share of the Classics Cup, $97,280, moves his lifetime earnings to $239,865.
It is the first Classics Cup win for all of the connections but not their first Oklahoma Classics win of the night as the main event came in the final race. They had already enjoyed success earlier by winning the $79,050 Oklahoma Classics Juvenile, presented by the Choctaw Nation, with Ted’s Folly.
Martin,
Brown and Medina started their owner, trainer, jockey winning
double in the sixth race as the 2-year-old gelding rallied from
well back in last, just getting up to win by a neck.
Ted’s Folly was over 17 lengths behind the pace-setting Geronimos Cadillac after the first two furlongs of six had been contested in :22.44 seconds. Still last after a half-mile in :45.82, Ted’s Folly then began his run after Geronimo’s Cadillac and the others.
Medina had the dark bay rolling in the lone turn, putting him fourth as the field straightened out at the top of the stretch. Gaining ground with every stride, Ted’s Folly angled out to get around traffic in the stretch, running down Star’s Valentino who had taken a brief lead with a sixteenth of a mile left. The final time in the Juvenile was 1:10.64.
Despite being so far back, Medina was confident in his charge throughout the Juvenile.
“I know my horse. He has a little speed but I’m not going to use him on the backstretch,” Medina said. “I let him make his one move. My horse likes to fight. He saw the other horse (Star’s Valentino) and he wants to fight and ran him down. He gets in front for the cash.”
The 2-1 wagering favorite, Ted’s Folly paid $6 to win, $3 to place and $2.60 to show. Star’s Valentino returned $5 to place and $3.60 to show. Z Rockstar, who made a bid in the stretch but settled for third, paid $3.20 to show.
Ted’s Folly has now won four straight races during the Remington Park season, representing all of his career triumphs from six attempts. He made $46,230 for the Juvenile to run his overall earnings to $110,454. Bred in Oklahoma by Harmony Stable, Ted’s Folly is by Wild Tale from the Sword Dance (Ire) mare Tricksword.
Ted’s Folly provided the first Classics Juvenile win for Martin and Medina. Brown won the Juvenile last year with Smile Ahead, a horse he also owned. Brown has now won five Oklahoma Classics races overall.
She’s All In Repeats in Distaff
The only repeat Oklahoma Classics winner from 2010 to this year was She’s All In, who was successful in an encore performance to take the $128,500 Distaff, presented by Remington Park.
Owned
by Robert Zoellner of Tulsa, Okla., the versatility and
class of She’s All In was on dazzling display when the
4-year-old daughter of Include appeared beaten at the top of the
stretch. Heavily favored at 1-5 odds, She’s All In was expected
to be an easy winner of her second-straight Oklahoma Classics
Distaff when she settled just a few lengths back off the pace in
key striking position under jockey Glen Murphy. However,
longshot Okie Blonde slipped through at the rail with just two
furlongs from home and appeared headed for glory.
Despite giving up ground at the top of the stretch, She’s All In surged by the longshot to win by one length and cover the 1 mile & 70 yards in 1:37.96 while paying $2.60 to win, $2.20 to place and $2.10 to show. Okie Blonde paid $4 to place and $3 to show. Lesley Be Judged was in contention early but was no match and finished third, paying $4.40 to show.
Following the race, winning trainer Donnie Von Hemel noted how age has benefitted the two-time winning Distaff filly. “She’s All In has progressed nicely as she’s gotten older and I think she may have her best ahead of her as a five-year-old.”
No trainer has won more Oklahoma Classics races than Donnie Von Hemel, who currently has 20 Oklahoma Classics wins. Former Remington Park trainer Steve Hobby is next with 10 Classics wins. She’s All In earned $75,400 for the win and now has lifetime earnings of $393,122. Four of her nine lifetime wins have come at Remington Park.
Now I Know Remains Perfect with Spectacular Lassie Display
The money continues to come fast and easy for Now I Know, as the 2-year-old Oklahoma-bred filly by Pure Prize romped to an eye-catching 9 ¼-length win.
Currently
undefeated in four lifetime starts, the Don Von Hemel-trained
filly recorded her fastest six-furlong time of 1:09.74 in
winning the $81,300 Oklahoma Classics Lassie Stakes,
presented by the Kaw Nation.
The precocious filly is known to buck her exercise rider off during morning training hours and has previously pitched her jockey Perry Compton, who has ridden her to all of her impressive wins. “She’s got her little routine and as long as you don’t crowd her and let her relax she’s fine. She’s still writing her story so we don’t know yet how good she is,” said the 59-year-old native of Fort Pierre, South Dakota.
Now I Know is co-owned and bred by Don Von Hemel and Wayne Stockseth, a partnership of Hot Springs, Ark. The pair have enjoyed success together in the Midwest and Mid-South for decades.
Now I Know, the 4-5 wagering favorite, paid $3.80 to win, $2.80 to place and $2.60 to show. 31-1 longshot Peeker was close for awhile before finishing second to pay $17.60 to place and $11.20 to show. Another longshot, 26-1 Valid A.J., ran third to pay $9.00 to show.
Now I Know earned $47,580 for the Lassie to move her career tally to $116,721. She gave all of her connections their first Classics Lassie win and their first Oklahoma Classics win overall.
Gleaming Shine in Distaff Sprint
The $113,700 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Sprint, presented by the Cherokee Nation, was won with an assertive performance by Gleaming.
Owned
by Wayne Sander and Larry Hirsch of Dallas and trained by
Bret Calhoun, Gleaming was ridden by Cliff Berry who
took over the all-time lead for jockeys in the Oklahoma Classics
with his 22nd victory in the series.
The 4-year-old filly handled her seven rivals in the six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and older, running wide yet clear of hindrance throughout to win by 1-1/2 lengths over a closing Vertical Vision. Miss Natalie rallied for third in the event handled in 1:10.06.
Berry had a plan for Gleaming from the start that played out perfectly.
“I was hoping the 8, CJ Jones, would clear us to the front so I could get outside of her in the catbird seat, clear,” Berry explained. “She doesn’t like to get a lot of dirt thrown back in her face so I kept her in the open and she came on to make her run.”
Gleaming was basically in the three-path off the rail for most of the Distaff Sprint, moving to the middle of the stretch of the turn when she took the lead from the pace-setting Approved Bluff.
The 8-5 wagering favorite, Gleaming paid $5.20 to win, $2.80 to place and $2.40 to show. Vertical Vision paid $3.40 to place and $3 to show. Miss Natalie returned $2.80 to show.
Bred in Oklahoma by the John James Revocable Trust, Gleaming is by Dehere from the End Sweep mare Cupid’s Comet. She won for the sixth time in a dozen career races with five of the victories here at Remington Park. The first-place check of $66,700 pushes her lifetime money to $202,566.
Gleaming gave her connections their first win in the Classics Distaff Sprint. It is Calhoun’s third career Classics win.
Okie Ride Continues Winning Run in Sprint
The $111,100 Oklahoma Classics Sprint, presented by RPDC, was won by Okie Ride who dominated the race from the start and cruised under the finish 2-3/4 lengths ahead of a closing Rite To Rule.
Owned by the Richter Family Trust of Perkins, Okla. and trained by Kenny Nolen, Okie Ride was ridden by Floyd Wethey, Jr. He covered six furlongs in a crisp 1:09.51 after making every pole a winning one.
“I
talked with Kenny Nolen before the race and we didn’t think
there was as much speed in here tonight as in some of his other
races this season,” Wethey pointed out. “I just waited as long
as I could before I really let him go. From the top of the
stretch he took control of it and it was over from there.”
A winner of three straight races this season and five of his last six overall, Okie Ride was the 2-5 wagering favorite, paying $2.80 to win, $2.20 to place and $2.10 to show. Rite To Rule returned $6 to place and $2.80 to show. Steal Your Face, winner of the Sprint in 2008, was third and paid $2.10 to show.
Bred in Oklahoma by the Richter Family Trust, Okie Ride is a 4-year-old gelding by Candy Ride (Arg) from the Geiger Counter mare Tic Tic. He has now won six career races with four of them at Remington Park. The Sprint winner’s share of $65,140 moves his lifetime bankroll to $223,154.
Okie Ride provided his owner and trainer with their first Classics Sprint win. Wethey won the race for the second time as he piloted Steal Your Face to victory three years ago.
Long Shot Capture The Flag Posts Turf Upset
The highest priced stakes winner of the night came in the $114,350 Turf, presented by the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma, when Capture The Flag battled to win by a head in the one-mile event over the yielding course.
Owned
by Tuscany House Stables of Oklahoma City and trained by
Joe Offolter, Capture The Flag was ridden by Luis
Quinonez. The 4-year-old gelding sat in second, just off the
early pace of Don’s Okie Luck, for the first six furlongs of the
mile, a strategy that worked for Quinonez after fractional
splits of :24.60 for a quarter-mile; :48.96 for a half-mile and
1:13.48 for three-quarters of a mile.
“I know this horse doesn’t like to make an early move but they were walking up front so I had to let him go to stay close,” Quinonez said. “He made the lead in the stretch and held on at the end.”
Don’s Okie Luck faded in the stretch when Capture The Flag made his bid. Okie Slew came through on the inside while Concerned Okie was flying outside to set-up a three-way photo finish at the line. Okie Slew was second with Concerned Okie third. Capture The Flag handled the mile in 1:38.31.
Away at 13-1 odds, Capture The Flag paid $29 to win, $11 to place and $5.40 to show. Okie Slew paid $9.80 to place and $10.40 to show. Concerned Okie paid $7.80 to show.
Strategic Leader, the three-time defending champion of the Classics Turf, was the wagering favorite at 2-1 odds. The 8-year-old finished fourth, a little more than two lengths from the winner.
Just the third career win from 22 attempts, Capture The Flag won for the second time at Remington Park with both scores taking place this season. Bred in Oklahoma by Larry Hoffman, Capture The Flag made $68,610 for the Turf triumph, running his career money to $149,277.
Capture The Flag gave all of his connections their first win in the Classics Turf.
Winning Music Played by In The Band in Distaff Turf
The one dimensional running style of In The Band was tested but not tackled in the $115,000 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Turf Stakes, presented by the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. With the similar approach that earned horse and rider a third-place finish in this same race last year, jockey Luis Quinonez once again allowed In The Band to rush to the front and assume her typical leading position.
With similar fractional times compared to the 2010 running and over a course rated yielding, just as it was for last year’s Oklahoma Classics turf races, In The Band coasted through quarters of :23.85, :48.14 and 1:12.29, for a final time of 1:30.67. But this year, the 6-year-old Oklahoma-bred mare by Prospector’s Music, proved much stronger and carried her speed the whole way to earn $67,480.
“She
ran a great race. Today I waited a little longer to ask her than
in her other races this season when she was getting caught late.
It made a difference tonight,” said the 44-year-old Quinonez, a
native of Sinaloa, Mexico.
Trainer Brent Charlton is also the breeder and he co-owns her with Red Head Racing, whose principal is Oklahoma City resident Tim Denny. In The Band, 5-1 in the wagering, paid $13.40 to win, $6.60 to place and $ 5.80 to show. Miranda Diane was ridden off the pace and was beaten three-quarters of a length to pay $4.40 to place and $3.80 to show. Varna closed late to finish third and pay $8.60 to show.
Skedee, the defending two-time winner of the Distaff Turf, was the wagering favorite at 6-5 odds but finished an unthreatening sixth.
In The Band, from the Rich Cream mare Cindy Kate, won her seventh career race from 35 attempts, and her fourth at Remington Park. She made $67,480 in the Distaff Turf to move her lifetime earnings to $211,218.
In The Band her ownership group their first win in the Distaff Turf. However, it was Charlton’s second training win in the race, having won in 2002 with Rhyeliz who he owned alone. It was the first Distaff Turf score for Quinonez who now has eight Oklahoma Classics wins in total.
Remington Park Thoroughbred racing continues Saturday night at 6:30pm.
Open daily at 10am for casino gaming and simulcast racing, Remington Park also features Henry Hudson’s on the first floor, which opens for lunch at 11am. Admission, general parking and valet parking are always free at Remington Park.
Remington Park is Oklahoma City’s only Racetrack & Casino, located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. For more information, reservations and group bookings please call 405-424-1000, 866-456-9880 or visit remingtonpark.com.
Photo Credits: Dustin Orona Photography
For more information, contact:
Dale Day
405-425-3215, 405-326-7496 (m)