LEADING TRAINER EDDIE WILLIS QUALIFIES TWO FOR GRADE 1 HERITAGE PLACE FUTURITY FINAL

(Valiant Hero – Eye Popping by Mr Eye Opener) bred/owned by Bobby D. Cox, trained by M. Heath Taylor, ridden by Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo. *

OKLAHOMA CITY – May 9, 2020 – Leading trainer Eddie Willis snatched two of the five spots for qualifiers in trials Friday night for the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity. The rich race for 2-year-olds will be conducted on the closing day of the season, May 30 at Remington Park.Neither of the two from the Willis barn was the fastest qualifier, however. Shott Gun (*Heritage Place Sale Graduate) and Coronados Lady (*Heritage Place Sale Graduate) in trials two and four, respectively, tied for the fastest time at 350 yards, hitting the wire in 17.641 seconds in each heat.Willis, a 10-time trainer title winner at Remington Park, qualified HR Princess Jess (*Heritage Place Sale Graduate) and Contender, the third- and fourth-fastest qualifiers over the 10 trials Friday night. The fastest from Friday and the five quickest in Saturday’s 10 trials will make up the field for the final on May 30.Shott Gun, a 2-year-old gray gelded colt by Valiant Hero, out of the Mr Eye Opener mare Eye Popping, won the second trial of the night and earned an 87 speed index, sharing the best SI with Coronados Lady. Shott Gun is trained by Heath Taylor and owned and bred by Bobby Cox of Fort Worth, Texas. The gelding was ridden to victory by Rodrigo Vallejo, who got him up by a half-length.Shott Gun was a longshot at 11-1 odds and paid $25.80, $13.20 and $7.60 across the board. The beaten favorite, at 8-5 odds, in trial two was Jess Kiss Me who finished sixth.Coronados Lady won the fourth trial by a half-length with Daniel Torres in the irons for trainer Jonathan Chavira and owner Angelica Gil of Newcastle, Okla. A 2-year-old filly by Coronado Cartel, out of the Separatist mare Rose Colored Lady, was bred in Oklahoma by E.D. Calvert. Coronados Lady, at 5-1, paid $12.40, $4.80 and $2.80 to win, place and show. The post-time favorite was Jess Is the Boss at 3-5 and checked in third.The following were the five fastest qualifiers from Friday, with jockey, trainer, time, speed index, and trial number:

  • Tied 1) Shott Gun, Rodrigo Vallejo, Heath Taylor, :17.641, 87, trial two (*Heritage Place Sale Graduate)
  • Tied 1) Coronados Lady, Daniel Torres, Jonathan Chavira, :17.641, 87, trial four (*Heritage Place Sale Graduate)
  • 3) HR Princess Jess, Jimmy Brooks, Eddie Willis, :17.661, 86, trial five (*Heritage Place Sale Graduate)
  • 4) Contender, Justine Klaiber, Eddie Willis, :17.669, 86, trial three
  • 5) Coronados Chick, Raul Valenzuela, John Stinebaugh, :17.707, 85, trial two
Remington Park racing resumes Saturday, with no public spectators. There will be another 10 Heritage Place trials conducted, seeking five more finalists. The 2020 Heritage Place Futurity program is worth a total of $1,022,260 (including trial purses, Heritage Place Juvenile and the final). The purse the field will compete for in the Heritage Place Futurity final will be $826,260. Saturday night racing begins at 6pm-Central.
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Tracked by more than 163,000 fans on Facebook and more than 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $242 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 the 2020 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season through May 30. Visit remingtonpark.com for free racing selections for every program.