by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – May 12, 2025 – Rainbow of Diamonds had not had a race in 2025 but came into Remington Park sparkling like the Hope Diamond in her trial for the Grade 2, $300,900 Heritage Place Oaks. When the seven-race trial series ended early Sunday night, she was easily the fastest qualifier.
The Heritage Place Oaks is a 400-yard race set for the final night of the Remington Park spring season, Saturday, May 31. The event is part of an all-stakes evening, Champions Night, with the richest purses of the season on the line, topping $2 million overall.
Rainbow of Diamonds, a 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred filly by Apollitical Blood, from the Tres Seis mare CC Seis, didn’t blink an eye coming off a layoff from Oct. 27, 2024 to May 11, 2025. Trainer Victor Rodriguez-Flores had her set on ready and jockey Francisco Calderon had the pedal to the metal in this speedy trial. She raced in the second trial of seven and put up a time of :19.286, earning a speed-index of 105 over the fast track. Rainbow of Diamonds did that with a 13-mph tailwind on an 80-degree day in Oklahoma City. The wind did die down under 10 mph in the later trials.
Calderon was tied on and burst down the track when Rainbow of Diamonds won by a visually impressive 2-1/2 lengths. She was sent off at 4-5 odds as the prohibitive favorite and paid $3.80 to win, $3 place and $2.10 to show.
Rainbow of Diamonds won for the fourth time in her career, racing for owner Valeriano Racing Stables (Sammy Valeriano) of Odessa, Texas for the first time in this Heritage Place Oaks trial. As a 2-year-old she competed for Xcel Farms of Asher, Okla. and trained Ed Hardy.
Rainbow of Diamonds has now started nine times with four wins, and two thirds for earnings of $78,893. She was a $22,000 purchase from the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale in 2023. Her breeder in Oklahoma was Danny Joe Miller.
Rainbow of Diamonds has shown an affinity for Remington Park. As a 2-year-old last year, she won a Heritage Place Futurity trial but broke 10th in the $1 million final, never giving herself a shot at winning that cornerstone race, finishing ninth.
The other nine qualifiers for the Heritage Place Oaks on Sunday were (with their jockey, trainer, trial number (race number), times and speed index) were:
- 2) Js Freightrain, Juan Pulido, Cristian Alcala, trial five (race eight), :19.377, 102
- 3) Apollitical Muse, Juan Pulido, Jed Vane, trial one (race four), :19.483, 99
- 4) Bold N Beautiful, Ali Rivera, John Stinebaugh, trial one (race four), :19.577, 96
- 5) Catchn Southern Rays, Cristian Esqueda, Stacy Charette-Hill, trial six (race nine), :19.605, 96
- 6) Flying Bandida, Ramiro Garcia, Jason Olmstead, trial five (race eight), :19.623, 95
- 7) Sheza Fearless Eagle, Jorge Torres, Fernando Manriquez, trial one (race four), :19.637, 95
- 8) DK Marney Jess, Nestor Duran, Al Watson, trial four (race seven), :19.639, 92
- 9) Candy Flood, Mario Delgado, Dee Keener, trial six (race nine), :19.679, 94
- 10) Jo Cash Run, Jonathan Dominguez, Tammy Johnson, trial two (race five), :19.693, 93
Remington Park racing continues Thursday through Sunday, May 15-18. The first races on Thursday and Friday, May 15 & 16 are at 6pm. Saturday racing on May 17 begins early at Noon with the Preakness Stakes featured via simulcast at 6pm. Sunday racing on May 18 starts at 4pm. All times are Central.
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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 $1,161,010 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.