The 34th running of the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity trials is set to kick off tonight at Remington Park with the first of 20 trials to be contested over two days. The highly anticipated Grade 1 event is the highlight of the Quarter Horse meet at Remington Park, and is the first $1 Million event this season. Here are a few fun facts and key points of interest going into the trials.
SIRE STATS
Freshman sires represented in the trials:
5 Apollitical Jess
2 Ragazzo
Note: Ragazzo won the Heritage Place Futurity in 2009. Never before has a Heritage Place Futurity winner sired a Heritage Place Futurity winner.
Mr Jess Perry, Corona Cartel and First Down Dash are the top three sires represented by the numbers of starters.
24 Mr Jess Perry – Sire of 7, Broodmare Sire of 17
20 First Down Dash – Sire of 4, Broodmare Sire of 16
19 Corona Cartel – Sire of 10, Broodmare Sire of 9
STARTER STATS
172 Entries, 42 First Time Starters
Note: In 1993, Zipuino broke his maiden in his first start during the trials to the Heritage Place Futurity and came back to win the title. He is the only horse in the races thirty-three year history to accomplish this.
71 Fillies
51 Colts
50 Geldings
11 are coming off of wins in their last start.
2 have had two or more wins already this season.
16 previous starters are making their first start at Remington Park.
7 Stakes Finalists
2 Stakes Placed
3 Stakes Winners including:
PAINT ME PERRY– Winner of the Oklahoma Futurity
IM A FANCY PYC – Winner of the Remington Park Futurity>br>
COUNT DE MONET – Winner of the Remington Park Juvenile Stakes>br>
PURSE
$1,000,000-est. $15,000 Per Trial
BREEDER STATS
Breeders from 14 different states are represented, with Oklahoma leading the way.
83 Oklahoma
54 Texas
11 California
5 Colorado
3 Louisiana
3 North Dakota
2 Arkansas
2 Iowa
2 Kansas
2 Missouri
2 Utah
1 Kentucky
1 Maryland
1 New Mexico
SIBLING STATS
Siblings to past Heritage Place Futurity Winners:
Trial #1, Day 1 – Decorated For Valor (Valiant Hero-Bicoastal, Creole Dancer TB), brother to 2000 Heritage Futurity winner, Coastal Memories, a gelding by Leaving Memories.
Trial #8, Day 2 – Shes All Corona (Corona Cartel-Shes Takes All, This Snow Is Royal), sister to 2007 Heritage Futurity winner, Southern Takes All, a gelding by Southern Corona.
MARE STATS
Rdustys Chick is the only Heritage Place Futurity winning female to be represented by an offspring in the trials. Winner of the 2001 futurity, her Walk Thru Fire foal, Rwalkon The Wildside will start in Trial 9, Day 1.
Sunday, four trials to the Grade 2 Heritage Place Derby featuring several decorated stakes horses including recent winners, I Azoomed You Knew by Azoom, West Texas Derby winner in March, and Mister Big by Shazoom, Sam Houston Derby winner in April.
Stakes action with a trio of finals to the AQHA Challenge Race Series will wrap up Sunday’s card with the Grade 3 Red Cell Remington Park Distance Challenge, Merial Remington Park Distaff Challenge Stakes and the Grade 2 Bank of America Remington Park Challenge Championship. Each winner will receive a berth in their respective stakes to the Bank of America Challenge Championships at Prairie Meadows in October.
Remington Park’s American Quarter Horse & Mixed-breed Season races each week Thursday thru Sunday. Sunday afternoon racing starts at 1:30pm.