Heritage Place Futurity and Derby Trials May 8-10, 2015 at Remington Park
Track Magazine – May 4, 2015
If you like to see American Quarter Horses run, you really need to be at Remington Park this week.
Trials for the $1.1 million Heritage Place Futurity G1 are scheduled for Friday and Saturday evenings.
And then on Sunday afternoon every mother can celebrate Mother’s Day by watching eight trials for the Heritage Place Derby G2.
At $369,910, it will be the richest Heritage Place Derby ever. This will be the 32nd running of this race that has propelled more than a half dozen horses to Champion hardware awarded by the American Quarter Horse Association. Leading sires such as Valiant Hero and PYC Paint Your Wagon both won this race.
The owners of AJS High, BP Cartels Policy and Cuz Ima Success each made a $12,500 supplemental payment to run in Heritage Place Derby trails.
In Friday night’s trials for the futurity, there are 109 two-year-olds seeking one of first five spots in the May 30 finals. There are 92 maidens among those 109 head, 37 of which have never started.
Friday’s favorite has to be Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Futurity RG2 winner Regard With Respect $340,000, the nation’s leading money earner. The gelded son of Chicks Regard is undefeated in two outs and is in the fourth trial with Oklahoma Futurity G2 finalist VF Floosie $30,000.
Other notables in Friday are two-time winner Mr James Quick $23,000 in the second; Remington Park Futurity finalist BV Midnite Express $50,000 in the sixth; Remington Park Futurity finalist A Tres Of Paint $26,000 in the seventh; Remington Park Futurity finalist One Sweet Marie $61,000 in the eighth; stakes finalist Arolla The Dice $23,000 in the tenth; Oklahoma Futurity finalists Carter Jr $22,000 in the eleventh with Oklahoma Futurity Juvenile finalists Masterati B $11,000 and Queen Catherine $6,000.
Saturday evening’s overwhelming favorite has to be Oklahoma Futurity G2 winner Tee Chic $170,000, who is in the eighth race with seven maidens. The gelding son of Jumpn Chic is undefeated in two outs.
Other notables in Saturday and seeking one of the five highly coveted spots in the nation’s first $1 million race of 2015 are The Charm Of Corona $81,000, who won the Laico Bird Stakes on April 18; Celtic Emblem $83,000, who was fourth in the Remington Park Futurity; and Shakem James $16,000, who has a first and a third in as many outs.
Of the 111 starters on Saturday, 96 are maidens and 31 of those 96 have never started.
It’s always hard to understand why the Heritage Place Derby is rated as a Grade II race. And if one looks at the race records of the 71 horses in the Sunday’s eight trials you will probably also believe it should be a Grade I event.
The richest race thus far this year for horses three and older has been the Hialeah Derby $417,575. That race was won by Seize The Win $271,000, who is in the first derby trial.
Joining Seize The Win are stakes winners Nkhoots $133,000 and Cartel Rosie $116,000 plus G1 placed BV Travelin Soldier $205,000 and Rattle N Battle $26,000 (who was dethroned from his win in the Dash For Cash Futurity G1 after a positive test). In the second is stakes winner First Prize Dive $151,000, graded stakes placed L Diablo $46,000, stakes finalist Jody Pops Lil Wagon $26,000 and graded stakes finalist Marys Coronitas $39,000. The third has this year’s impressive Oklahoma Derby winner Politicaly Correct $152,000, graded stakes finalist First Ginlark $71,000, stakes finalist Dashing Tee $8,000, graded stakes finalist Chrome Hussy $24,000 and stakes placed Gee Whit $57,000. The fourth has stakes finalist Clouds A Dancin $34,000, last year’s Heritage Place Futurity G1 finalist Notavailableinstores $76,000; stakes finalist JK Hard Times $34,000, last year’s Juvenile Challenge Championship G2 winner and this year’s Oklahoma Derby winner AJS High $260,000, this year’s Sunshine State Derby winner Premier Ethics $63,000 and stakes placed winner Big Kids Birthday $47,000. The fifth has stakes placed PV Ima Sparky Too $73,000, Grade I placed Count De Monet $189,000 and 3-time stakes placed winner A Black Zipper $152,000 with Grade I finalists Lethal Strike $44,000, Painted Summer $101,000 and graded stakes finalist Beyond Gold Medal $34,000. The sixth has stakes winner Run Cartel Run $123,000 and stakes placed winners Hit With Force $59,000, Play Harder $54,000, The Big Time $24,000 and BP Down South $157,000 and stakes finalists Honeymoon Candy $35,000, Hey Hey Hey Hey $38,000. The seventh has stakes winner BP Cartels Policy $96,000 with last year’s Texas Classic Futurity G1 runnerup Bay Eagle Glory $196,000, Heritage Place Futurity finalist Apolitical Pac $76,000, stakes placed winner Im A Lucky Corona $49,000 and Tzunami Is Okay $31,000 with multiple stakes finalist Rpainted Wagon $27,000. The final trial has stakes winners Viento Negro $57,000 with stakes placed winners Candy Cartels Cat $51,000, GW Specialrose $12,000 and JMF Shazoomer $39,000.
After that set of very tough derby trials, last year’s Champion Distance Horse Wahoo $164,000 will take on Painted Josy $76,000, Pepper Chew $66,000, stakes winner BF Farm Boy $237,000, Jess A Hilbily Bone $23,000, SRD Bobwirebob $95,000, CJS Rocksolid $96,000 and Jess Twice Cash $29,000 in the $50,000 Zoetis Remington Distance Challenge G3.
The leading money earner in the $40,000-added Merial Oklahoma Distaff Challenge G3 is Echoes Of Love $104,000, who won her trial. Others include Thrill My Baby $44,000, fastest qualifier and Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity G1 finalist Dash Through Fire $71,000, stakes winner Sooner Country Babe $72,000, stakes winner Zoomin Daphne $59,000, stakes winner Rock Princess $65,000 and stakes placed winner Kateillac $69,000.
Fastest qualifier Rockin Disco $148,000 heads the field for the 440-yard Bank of America Remington Park Challenge G2, which has a $100,000 purse.
Other toughs include the well-traveled stakes veteran Charvet $157,000, Grade I winner Rock You $638,000, stakes winner I V Gone $106,000, All American Derby G1 finalist Down Side Magician $67,000, stakes winner Testing The Ice $375,000 stakes winner One Valiant Hero $388,000 and River Wind $163,000, who placed in this meet’s Eastex Stakes G2.
It’s hard to imagine a better day of racing if you like American Quarter Horses.