by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, May 10, 2026 – Prior to Sunday night’s seven trials at Remington Park, qualifying the 10 fastest 3-year-old fillies for the finals of the Grade 2, $373,800 Heritage Place Oaks, Wera C’s claim to fame was winning last year’s $50,000 Oklahoma Juvenile Stakes here.
Virtually no one would have given this filly a chance to have the fastest time of the night in those seven trials, but that’s what she did. It was better than that of Toby Sis, a filly that won her trial and moved her career record to six wins in seven starts for earnings approaching $1 million in the process. Wera C had banked a little more than $100,000 coming into these trials.
Toby Sis won the first trial of the day with a 16-mph tailwind in race four over a sloppy and sealed track and her time of :19.414 for the 400 yards held up until Wera C hit the track in the eighth race, the fifth trial of the night. Wera C stopped the timer in :19.396, earning a Speed Index of 101. Toby Sis, a $12,500 supplemental entry into these trials, recorded a SI of 99. The kicker of it all? Wera C had a smaller tailwind of 11 mph in her win.
The Heritage Place Oaks final is a 400-yard race for 3-year-old American Quarter Horse fillies scheduled to be run on Saturday, May 30. The 10 fastest qualifiers from seven trials on Sunday made the finals.
Wera C, a sophomore Texas-bred daughter of Flying Cowboy 123, out of the One Dashing Eagle mare Pillow Talk, was ridden to victory in her trial by jockey Jesus Ayala. She finished a half-length ahead of Where is Queen B (5-2 odds), who was another two lengths in front of third-place finisher Honey in the Rock (42-1). Wera C was sent off as the 4-5 odds-on favorite and returned $3.80 to win, $2.40 to place and $2.20 to show. A Cowboys Chic was the second favorite on the toteboard at 2-1 odds, but lost all chance at the beginning of the race when she leaned back as the gate opened. Her gate was slightly closed because she was tied in with a flipping halter. When she sat back, it kept the gate closed for her for a just a split second and she broke well behind the field. She could only manage a fifth-place finish.
Wera C ran her record to eight starts, three wins, four seconds and one third for a bankroll of $113,769. She is owned by CH Horse Racing of Mission, Texas, is trained by Marco Chavez-Gutierrez, and was bred by Ellis H. Hank Bird. She was a $73,000 purchase at the Texas Quarter Horse Association Yearling Sale of 2024.
Toby Sis’ record now sits at 7-6-1-0, with earnings of $861,932. She was ridden to her win by Francisco Calderon. The California-bred daughter of Favorite Cartel, out of the Walk Thru Fire mare London Laura is owned by Valeriano Racing Stables (Sammy Valeriano) of Odessa, Texas, who paid the extra $12,500 to get his filly into these trials. She is trained by Jesus Nunez and was bred by Edward C. Allred. She was not sold at auction. Her biggest win came in the Grade 1, $2 Million Futurity on Dec. 14, 2025 at Los Alamitos in California. On this day, however, she had to settle for the second-best qualifying time to Wera C.
Here are the top 10 qualifiers from the Heritage Place Oaks trials (horse, jockey, trainer, time, speed index, trial number and race number):
- 1) Wera C, Jesus Ayala, Marco Chavez-Gutierrez, :19.396, 101, trial five, race eight
- 2) Toby Sis, Francisco Calderon, Jesus Nunez, :19.414, 99, trial one, race four
- 3) Emerald Bay, James Flores, Dee Keener, :19.426, 99, trial four, race seven
- 4) Sunshining, Roman Cruz, Chris Gandarilla, :19.460, 98, trial four, race seven
- 5) Where is Queen B, Christian Cardenas, James J. Gonzales III, :19.472, 98, trial five, race eight
- 6) Jess Want to Know, Miguel Ramirez, John Hammes, :19.477, 98, trial four, race seven
- 7) Chew Bac Cah, Ramiro Garcia, Jason Olmstead, :19.513, 97, trial three, race six
- 8) Honey Creek, Gilberto Linares, John Stinebaugh, :19.525, 97, trial one, race four
- 9) Mamma Im Leaving You, Noe Castaneda, Jose U. Lopez, :19.530, 97, trial six, race nine
- 10) Flying Policy 123, Mario Delgado, Justin Joiner, :19.549, 96, trial seven, race 10
Remington Park racing continues Thursday thru Sunday, May 14-17 schedule. First post time on Thursday and Friday, May 14 & 15 is at 6pm. Saturday, May 16 racing starts at Noon with the simulcast of the Preakness Stakes from Laurel, Md. featured after the live racing program. Sunday action on May 17 begins 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.