by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – May 12, 2024 – Jockey Ramiro Garcia and trainer Jason Olmstead were on their games Saturday night, qualifying the fastest qualifier, Cardiac Cowboy, and the third-fastest, Jess a Rednec Cowboy, in the Heritage Place Derby trials.
Those two were among the 10 fastest tonight that will race 400 yards on closing night, Saturday, June 1, in the Grade 2, $239,050 Heritage Place Derby for 3-year-old American Quarter Horses.
Also having a big night during the four Derby trials were jockey Justine Klaiber and trainer Eddie Willis. They combined to qualify three horses to the final 10 – Unrelentless, MFS Cheerio and Politiko – finishing fifth-fastest, sixth and ninth.
The Heritage Place Derby will be a part of a stakes-laden card on closing night that includes the Grade 1, $1,081,820 Heritage Place Futurity, the cornerstone race for some of the top 2-year-old Quarter Horses in the country covering 350 yards. The racing finale night will also include the final of the Grade 2, $296,940 Heritage Place Oaks for 3-year-old fillies racing 400 yards.
On Saturday night, in the second trial, Garcia stepped on the gas right out of the gate and never was headed to the wire with Cardiac Cowboy, a 3-year-old gelded son of Flying Cowboy 123, out of the Carters Cartel mare Southard Cartel. When all was said and done, Garcia had pushed to the front to win by two full lengths in his heat. That improved his record for owner Jo Rice of Pryor, Okla., to 11 starts, five wins, two seconds and one third for earnings of $217,453. Cardiac Cowboy was bred in Oklahoma by his owner. It was the gelding’s third win in seven starts in Oklahoma City. He finished fifth in the Remington Park Derby on April 29, his last out before Saturday’s trials.
Cardiac Cowboy has had some impressive wins and starts in his career and figures to be one of the top favorites in the Derby finals. He won the $204,000 Valley Junction Futurity at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, on Sept. 29, 2023 after qualifying for the Grade 1, $1 million Heritage Place Futurity at Remington Park, winning his trial here by 1-1/4 lengths. He ran a respectable sixth in that race last year with Garcia up.
The top 10 qualifiers for the finals of the Heritage Place Derby on Saturday were (with their jockey, trainer, trial number, wind speed, times and speed index) were:
- 1) Cardiac Cowboy: Ramiro Garcia, Jason Olmstead, trial two, 9 mph headwind, :19.667, 94
- 2) Dollar Bill: Nestor Duran, Juan Diaz, Jr., trial one, 10 mph headwind, :19.783, 91
- 3) Jess a Rednec Cowboy: Ramiro Garcia, Jason Olmstead, trial four, 8 mph headwind, :19.799, 91
- 4) Believe in Perry: Ali Rivera, John Stinebaugh, trial three, 8 mph headwind, :19.829, 90
- 5) Unrelentless: Justine Klaiber, Eddie Willis, trial four, 8 mph headwind, :19.830, 90
- 6) MFS Cheerio: Justine Klaiber, Eddie Willis, trial one, 10 mph headwind, :19.938, 87
- 7) KG See If I Care: Gonzalo Gutierrez, Kasey Willis, trial three, 8 mph headwind, :19.952, 87
- 8) SC Time to Run: Francisco Calderon, Jed Vane, trial three, 8 mph headwind, :19.955, 87
- 9) Politiko: Justine Klaiber, Eddie Willis, trial two, 9 mph headwind, :19.978, 86
- 10) JC Prince of Torts: Juan Pulido, Toby Keeton, trial two, 9 mph headwind, :19.987, 86
There was one horse in the trials on Saturday night that was declared a non-starter because his gate was opened a split second before the others in the race. Hamlyn jumped early and forced his stall doors open early, just before the field was released with the official start. The incident was in the third of four derby trials. All wagering tickets on the No. 2 horse, Hamlyn, in race six were refunded. His time that he recorded in his trial would not have been good enough to qualify for the final as he crossed the finish line fourth.
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Remington Park has provided more than $349 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 simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. The Remington Park 2024 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season continues through June 1 with the biggest racing program of the season. The Champions Night boasts total purses in excess of $2,000,000, led by the $1,081,820 Heritage Place Futurity. Parking and admission are always free. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.