Remington Park: Texas Bling sets sights on Oaklawn's 3-year-old series

Dustin Orona Photography

Texas Bling paid $259.60 to win Sunday when he captured the Springboard Mile.

Texas Bling emerged from his 128-1 upset of the $300,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park in good order and is now pointing to Oaklawn Park’s series for 3-year-olds, trainer Danele Durham said.

Texas Bling paid $259.60 to win Sunday when he captured the Springboard Mile. He won by 1 3/4 lengths after bursting from between horses in the stretch. Texas Bling was ridden by Erik McNeil. The horse earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 80. Texas Bling’s score set a season-record for a win payoff at Remington, the Oklahoma City track that wrapped up its meet Sunday. He shipped to Oaklawn on Monday.

“We have the 3-year-old series in mind for this colt,” Durham said.

She said Texas Bling could run next in either the $150,000 Smarty Jones on Jan. 21 or the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest on Feb. 18. Both races are at a mile at Oaklawn, and his status will be determined by how he bounces back from his effort in the Springboard, Durham said.

Texas Bling came into the race off a close sixth-place finish in the $75,000 El Joven at Retama Park on Nov. 10. The El Joven was run on turf, the surface over which Texas Bling won his maiden at Remington on Oct. 11. But the move back to dirt was not a concern because he had trained so well at Remington, Durham said.

“He gobbled up the surface,” she said.

Durham trains Texas Bling for his breeder, Hall’s Family Trust. The ownership, based in Aledo, Texas, is led by Lewis Hall Jr. Durham will have a stable at Oaklawn for the first time this winter, with 11 horses on the grounds. She won at a more than 20 percent clip this meet at Remington.