by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – May 11, 2024 – When Kempton broke from the gates in his first career race, he was squeezed to the back of the pack and still won, which turned out to be a precursor to his magnificent win in Friday’s Heritage Place Futurity trials at Remington Park.
Kempton broke seventh in an Oklahoma Futurity trial on March 9 and was squeezed back badly. He appeared to have no shot to win, but he turned on the jets and passed all six horses that had broken better than him. Not only did he win, but he won by a full length, despite not qualifying for that futurity.
Kempton, a 2-year-old colt, sired by Kiss My Hocks, out of the Corona Cartel mare Charming Cartel, had clear sailing Friday night, breaking cleanly from the gate. He rocketed home easily under jockey James Flores as the fastest of any trial runners at 350-yards in :17.500 for a speed index of 94 over a fast track. He won by an amazing two lengths in his heat. The nearest time to his :17.500 was House of Lords’ :17.564 for a speed index of 93.
The Grade 1, $1,081,820 Heritage Place Futurity final is scheduled for Saturday, June 1, closing night of this season. The top five fastest qualifiers from Thursday and Friday night will compete for the top prize of $454,364. It is the cornerstone race for 2-year-old American Quarter Horses every year at Remington Park and one of the top juvenile races in the country annually.
Kempton is now two-for-two in his short career with earnings of $14,622 for owner Mario Lozano-Cantu of Mission, Texas. Kempton was bred in Texas by Tyler Graham/Namgis QHs. He was sent off as the 6-5 wagering favorite in his trial. Trained by James Gonzales III, Kempton was one of two horses that Gonzalez qualified on Friday. He also had the fifth-fastest with Im Missmerized in the third trial of the night with jockey Bryan Candanosa up.
The second-fastest horse Friday, House of Lords, gives 97-year-old owner Elizabeth Logan of Haskell, Okla., a chance to win this race twice in the past three years.
That’s not bad for a woman who grew up in California and was afraid of horses her whole life. Her late husband handled all the horse business before he passed away and she was left with them afterwards. Logan pretty much turned the horses over to trainer Dee Keener and he has done wonders for her. He won the 2022 Heritage Place Futurity for her with Tres Crystals as the 5-2 favorite and pocketed a first-place check of $467,225. Turns out it was a fairly smart idea to hold on to those horses in her 90s, even if she kept her distance from them in the winner’s circle.
Now she may have another Tres Crystals on her hands. House of Lords demolished his opponents in his trial by a dazzling 2-1/4 lengths. It won’t be easy, however, in this year’s finals, topping Kempton. There was only 13-thousandths of a second difference between House of Lords’ time and the fifth-fastest time of the night.
House of Lords is a 2-year-old gelded son of Flying Cowboy 123, out of the Okey Dokey Dale mare This Candys Okay. He was purchased at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale last year for $65,000.
Logan won the 2022 race with Candanosa aboard when he was 19-years-old. She will rely on Roman Cruz this year, who qualified House of Lords in impressive fashion.
When Tres Crystals won the Heritage Place Futurity, he had qualified as the second-fastest on the second night of trials, just as House of Lords did on Friday.
Wind on Friday night was not a factor for the entire evening with a slight northeasterly tailwind of 6mph for the start of the program. That disappeared to nothing once darkness fell.
The following were the five fastest qualifiers from Friday with horse, time, speed index, trial number (with windspeed), trainer and jockey:
- 1) Kempton, :17.500, 94, trial 11 (no wind), James “JJ” Gonzalez III, James Flores
- 2) House of Lords, :17.564, 93, trial nine (3 mph tailwind), Dee Keener, Roman Cruz
- 3) Curls Magic Wagon, :17.568, 92, trial four (6 mph tailwind), John Stinebaugh, Ali Rivera
- 4) Rainbow of Diamonds, :17.574, 92, trial one (6 mph tailwind), Ed Hardy, Angel Ramirez
- 5) Im Missmerized, :17.577, 92, trial three (6 mph tailwind), Gonzalez III, Bryan Candanosa
The following five fastest qualifiers from Thursday will join Friday’s top five to make up the final field for the Heritage Place Futurity.
- 1) Hott Temptation, :17.581, 92, trial six (8 mph tailwind), Cody Noel, Mario Delgado
- 2) Firey Eagle, :17:613, 91, trial eight (6 mph tailwind), Jed Vane, Francisco Calderon
- 3) A Line in the Sand, :17.637, 90, trial four (11 mph tailwind), Jason Olmstead, Edwin Escobedo
- 4) Joose Boxx, :17.658, 90, trial eight (6 mph tailwind), Juan Diaz, Jr., Nestor Duran
- 5) Kiss My Maruska, :17.660, 90, trial nine (6 mph tailwind), Juan Diaz, Jr., Nestor Duran
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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 $1,000,000 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.