by Richard Linihan
📸: Dustin Orona Photography
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – May 31, 2025 — House of Lords was the only Heritage Place Derby finalist that broke the 100-mark in the speed-indexes during the qualifying trials for the race on May 10 with a 101. That effort was no mirage as he measured his competition Saturday and cruised to an easy win in the derby at Remington Park.
The Grade 2, $244,000 Heritage Place Derby final on Saturday was a much easier task, it turns out, than the trials for House of Lords. Even though the 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelded son of Flying Cowboy 123, out of the Okey Dokey Dale mare This Candys Okay, was the fastest qualifier of the bunch, he only won his trial by a neck over Toastin Heros. In the final, he drew away under jockey Francisco Calderon to win by a widening 1-1/4 lengths, covering the 400-yard distance in a time of :19.344 over fast track. In his trial, he ran it in :19.422 over a fast surface.
Calderon booted House of Lords home for owner Valeriano Racing Stables (Sammy Valeriano) of Odessa, Texas, and trainer Victor Rodriguez-Flores, who ended the meet, sending out horses for four starts and he won all four of those races. House of Lords has come a long way from finishing dead last in last year’s Heritage Place Futurity finals.
“All I can say is he has matured,” said Valeriano. We’ve been looking at him since he was a 2-year-old and we just really thought he was a really good horse.”
The early money, often called smart money, drove the odds for House of Lords down so low he was the heavy favorite at one point, but Valeriano just brushed off the late money coming in on Kiss My Maruska that sent House of Lords up to 7-2 at post time. He was asked if his horse had been ignored by the bettors at the end.
“I don’t know what they did,” said Valeriano, “but whatever they did, that’s on them. We will send House of Lords to the mountain (Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico) for the Rainbow Derby (trials).”
Despite the easy win for House of Lords over runner-up Kiss My Maruska, it was no cake walk for the winner and Calderon. They were running in fourth position halfway through the race.
“The first 200 yards, he was not having trouble with the ground, but just getting comfortable with himself,” Calderon said. “That last part of the race, he got straightened out and he went on with it.”
At post-time, Kiss My Maruska, had been bet down to 6-5 odds. House of Lords, however, proved his trial was for real, and paid a generous return to the backers of the fastest qualifier. He paid $9.20 to win, $3.60 to place and $3 to show. Kiss My Maruska was another half-length ahead of third-place finisher Nine One Won (15-1).
The rest of the order of finish in the Heritage Place Derby was Curls Magic Wagon (8-1) fourth, Church Spire (42-1) fifth, Apolitical Time (26-1) sixth, Relentless Purrsuit (23-1) seventh, Toastin Heros (13-1) eighth, Heavens Uncle (4-1) ninth, and Hez My Hero (52-1) 10th.
House of Lords earned $102,480 for his owner and improved his career mark to nine starts, five wins and one second for earnings of $161,412. He was bred in Oklahoma by Buck Way Ranch.
It was the fourth year in a row that Calderon has won the Heritage Place Derby. His other victories came aboard SC Time to Run (2024), Take a Swig of This (2023) and Whizkey Glasses (2022). Those three winners all came from Dunn Ranch. This was the second win for Valeriano Racing Stables in the Heritage Place Derby as Sammy also celebrated this victory with Inaugurator in 2020. It was Rodriguez-Flores’ first win in the series.
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Remington Park has provided more than $380 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.