Cabrera looks poised for big night on Oklahoma Classics card

Remington Park leading rider David Cabrera has mounts in seven of the eight stakes making up Friday night’s $1 million Oklahoma Classics, chief among them Welder, the reigning Oklahoma-bred of the year who goes in the $130,000 Sprint, and Shotgun Kowboy, who is looking for a record fourth win in the featured $175,000 Classics Cup.

The races on the program are all restricted to Oklahoma-breds.

Welder has been Cabrera’s signature horse since he first teamed with the 12-time stakes winner last September. The pair has gone 8 for 10 together for Ra-Max Farms and trainer Theresa Luneack, and enter the six-furlong Sprint off a 3 1/4-length victory over open company in the $150,000 David M. Vance on Sept. 29 at Remington.

“That day, to me, the horse ran one of the best races he has run,” Cabrera said. “It was the best race he’s run to this moment, I think, since I’ve been on him.”

Welder withstood pace pressure while setting fast fractions and went on to cover six furlongs in a stakes-record time of 1:08.13. The track record is 1:08.10, set in 1991 by Smoke of Ages. Welder’s win was his second at the meet. He opened his local season with an allowance score in 1:08.74.

“If he runs like he can, he should be pretty live in there,” Cabrera said.

Welder will go favored over seven others, including Sladens Dream and Mr. N, who ran a respective second and fifth last out in the Remington Park Turf Sprint, and Fast Breaking Cash, a 3-year-old who was fourth in the David M. Vance. Welder will break from post 8.

“I really like that,” Cabrera said of the draw. “If somebody wants to go rolling out there, if we need to, we can sit back and make our move whenever we want to.”

Welder is a 6-year-old gelding by The Visualiser who was bred by Center Hills Farm. He boasts a 9-for-13 record over the main track at Remington.

“For some reason he really likes this track,” Cabrera said. “You can just tell by the way he runs. He sure runs big here.”

Shotgun Kowboy is 8 for 13 on the main track at Remington. The 7-year-old horse has won the Classics Cup at the ages of 3, 5, and 6. He will break from the rail Friday night in the 1 1/16-mile race, which will be his first since finishing fifth to Mocito Rojo in the Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile on April 28 at Lone Star Park.

Shotgun Kowboy’s breeder, owner, and trainer, C.R. Trout, has long pointed the horse to the Classics. Shotgun Kowboy has been working regularly at Remington, among his drills five-eighths in 59.60 seconds on Oct. 5.

“I’ve been working him for quite a while now, since the meet started,” Cabrera said. “He’s training really good. He’s doing it nice and easy, showing he’s ready. I think he’s doing tremendous.”

Trout also has been pleased with Shotgun Kowboy up to the Classics Cup.

“Put him on top,” he said.

Shotgun Kowboy, who has earned $1.4 million, is part of a field of 10 that includes Parx Racing invader Deal Driven. A 14-time winner, Deal Driven is coming off a victory in the $60,000 Parx Hall of Fame Starter Handicap. Adventist finished fifth in the race and came back in his next start to win the Grade 3 Greenwood Cup at Parx. As for Deal Driven, he is making his first start at Remington.

Cabrera and Trout also will team together in the $130,000 Turf Classic with Hallelujah Hit and the $130,000 Distaff Sprint with Create a Star. The Turf Classic is competitive race that also drew Grade 3 winner Ezmosh and multiple stakes winners Perfect to Please, Ibaka, and Pacific Typhoon. In the Distaff Sprint, the full sisters Three Chords and Jackson Hill are part of a field led by Okie Diva.

Cabrera’s first stakes mount comes in the $100,000 Juvenile aboard Fly to the Bank. The horse won at the six-furlong distance last month when he defeated open company in the Kip Deville at Remington. The horse to beat is Rowdy Yates, a stakes winner who exits a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill. Dennis’ Moment, who won that race, is bound for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Cabrera’s other stakes mounts include Inagoodway, who is looking to win the $130,000 Distaff for a second time while taking on stakes-winning 3-year-old fillies She’s Shiney and Lady Orchid. Cabrera also will be aboard Gp’s Amazing Grace in the $100,000 Lassie.

The Lassie’s most accomplished entrant, Catchacougar, will not start, trainer Phil Hall said Wednesday. He said a shipping incident will lead to her scratch, but he hopes to invade for the Slide Show on Nov. 15. Catchacougar, a multiple stakes winner who was shipping in from Hastings, is regrouping in Arizona.

The $130,000 Distaff Turf drew the top three finishers from the local prep, the Bob Barry Memorial – Alternative Slew, Hawaiian Typhoon, Sunday Night Miss.