by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – May 12, 2025 – How the tables have turned in one year. The fastest qualifier Saturday at Remington Park for this year’s Grade 2, $244,000 Heritage Place Derby, House of Lords, finished 10th in last year’s $1 million Heritage Place Futurity.
Last year’s Heritage Place Futurity winner, Kempton, also ran in the Derby trials Saturday and was the 10th-fastest qualifier, almost knocked off the bubble in the final trial. According to these trials, these two quality 3-year-old American Quarter Horses have flip-flopped positions since last May.
House of Lords hit the finish line in the first of four trials on the night in a time of :19.422 seconds at 400 yards on a fast track under jockey Francisco Calderon, earning a speed-index of 101. This 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelded son of Flying Cowboy 123, out of the Okey Dokey Dale mare This Candys Okay, was the only finalist to break the 100-mark for a speed index. He won his trial by only a neck over Toastin Heros (5-1), who was another neck ahead of third-place finisher Curls Magic Wagon (1-2 post-time favorite). The fourth-place runner, Apolitical Time (18-1) was only a head back of Curls Magic Wagon. This blanket finish was so tight and fast that the top four horses in this trial were the four fastest horses of the entire night.
House of Lords, trained by Victor Rodriguez-Flores, was sent off at 7-2 odds and paid $9.20 to win, $4.60 to place and $2.40 to show. He earned $5,775 in this trial for owner Valeriano Racing Stables (Sammy Valeriano) of Odessa, Texas, and improved his lifetime record to eight starts, four wins, one second and $58,932 in earnings. House of Lords, bred by Buck Way Ranch, was purchased for $65,000 from the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale in 2023.
The Heritage Place Derby, is a 400-yard race for 3-year-old Quarter Horses scheduled to be run on the final night of the season, Saturday, May 31.
Past House of Lords, the other top nine qualifiers for the Heritage Place Derby were (with their jockey, trainer, trial number (race number), times and speed index) were:
- Toastin Heros, Christian Ramos, Clinton Crawford, trial one (race three), :19.471, 99
- Curls Magic Wagon, Ali Rivera, John Stinebaugh, trial one (race three), :19.508, 98
- Apolitical Time, Mario Delgado, Raul Ramirez, trial one (race three), :19.525, 98
- Kiss My Maruska, Nestor Duran, Bobby Pena, trial three (race five), :19.556, 97
- Nine One Won, Mario Delgado, Raul Ramirez, trial four (race six), :19.718, 93
- Relentless Purrsuit, Ramiro Garcia, Jason Olmstead, trial four (race six), :19.737, 92
- Heavens Uncle, Bryan Candanosa, Guillermo Valdivia, trial two (race four), :19.741, 92
- Church Spire, Christian Cardenas, James J. Gonzales III, trial one (race three), :19.743, 92
- Kempton, James Flores, James J. Gonzales III, trial two (race four), :19.745, 92
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Remington Park has provided more than $377 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 year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. The 2025 American Quarter Horse Season, features the $1,161,000 Heritage Place Futurity on May 31, the final night of this meet. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.