by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – May 8, 2026 – A combination of Mother Nature and the talent in the red-hot barn of James J. Gonzales III led to the trainer getting the fastest qualifier of the night on Friday at Remington Park. Fall Classic put up the top time for the second night of trials for the Grade 1 ,$1,158,940 Heritage Place Futurity.
The Heritage Place Futurity, the richest horse race in Oklahoma, is the featured event on the final night of the Remington Park season, Saturday, May 30.
With a little help from a storm that was moving through the Oklahoma City area just as the first race and first trial of the night went off, Fall Classic took full advantage of a brisk 13mph tailwind to post a time of :17.517 for 350 yards, the fastest time of the night that held up for 12 more trials. The racetrack had been sealed before the races in anticipation of the storm. The track condition was fast for only the first trial. After the storm and brief rain, the track was labeled muddy for the remainder of the night.
Soon after the storm moved through, the wind died down to a 6-mph tailwind in the second race and then switched directions, forcing the rest of the competitors to run into a slight headwind, at 2-7mph. Still, the evening never saw another tailwind in any trial after the second race as the storm moved through in a matter of just a few minutes.
Not to take away anything from Fall Classic, a 2-year-old Missouri-bred gelded son of Cyber Monday, out of the Mr Jess Perry mare Lady Bellaqua, as he remained undefeated after two career starts. Jockey Christian Cardenas has booted this juvenile American Quarter Horse home an easy winner in both starts. He won Friday night by 1-1/4 lengths, earning a speed index of 92. His first trip to the winner’s circle came after a 1-1/4 length win against a maiden allowance bunch at Remington Park on March 22. The only other horse to reach the 90-mark on Friday came out of the 12th race when the wind had virtually become non-existent. Demarus, another undefeated competitor after two starts, scored a 90 speed index in that heat.
Fall Classic was bred by Jim Streelman and Bill Dale and was purchased at the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale of 2025 for $47,000. In two starts now, the gelding owned by Christopher A. Villatoro of Crandall, Texas, has won $22,215. That number could grow exponentially in the finals from the biggest purse of the season in these finals.
Fall Classic was the second horse from Gonzales’ barn to qualify for the finals of the million-dollar-plus futurity. Gonzales also qualified the third-fastest runner on Thursday night in Bett the Limit. Cardenas will have to make a decision on which horse to ride in the finals. No other trainers qualified more than one horse for the finals.
Among the jockeys, only one other rider qualified more than one – Francisco Calderon. He brought in the fastest qualifier of the night on Thursday with Curls Favorite Jet for trainer John Stinebaugh and also with the fourth-fastest from Friday with El Huracano V for trainer Jesus Nunez, a shipper in from Los Alamitos on the West Coast.
On Friday night, Fall Classic was sent off as the 1-5 wagering favorite in his trial and was in control of the race every step of the way. He paid $2.60 to win, $2.10 to place and $2.10 to show.
Here are the five fastest qualifiers from Friday night’s 13 trials with horse, jockey, trainer, time, speed index and trial number:
- 1) Fall Classic, Christian Cardenas, James J. Gonzales III, :17.517, 92, trial one
- 2) Demarus, Edwin Escobedo, Fernando Manriquez, :17.596, 90, trial 12
- 3) Centrafuge, Ramiro Garcia, Jason Olmstead, :17.605, 89, trial 13
- 4) El Huracano V, Francisco Calderon, Jesus Nunez, :17.608, 89, trial nine
- 5) One Fancy Cowboy, Bryan Candanosa, Jose Lopez, :17.667,88 , trial four
The following were the five fastest qualifiers from Thursday. They are listed by horse, jockey, trainer, time, speed index and trial number and will join Friday night’s five fastest:
- 1) Curls Favorite Jet, Francisco Calderon, John Stinebaugh, :17.708, 86, trial three
- 2) Ivorys Version, Mario Delgado, Hernesto Ramirez, :17.737, 86, trial 10
- 3) Bett the Limit, Christian Cardenas, James J. Gonzales III, :17.762, 85, trial eight
- 4) Kiss My Nine Eleven, Jonathan Dominguez, Elferrelaureano Broom, :17.838, 83, trial nine
- 5) Light Her Up, Fernando Fonseca-Soto, Haley Hobbs, :17.842, 83, trial seven
Remington Park racing continues Saturday, May 9 with 12 races on tap, including trials for the Grade 2, $335,800 Heritage Place Derby. The first race is at 6pm. On Sunday, May 10 there will be trials for the Grade 2, $373,800 Heritage Place Oaks with the first race going off at 4pm. All times are Central.
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Remington Park has provided more than $411 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. The $1,000,000 Heritage Place Futurity takes place on the final night of the spring season on Saturday, May 30. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.