Diodoro to unleash trio in Oklahoma Derby

Trainer Robertino Diodoro will attack the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby with three starters on Sunday: Inside Straight, Solve, and Way Striking. The horses will be part of an anticipated field of nine or 10 for the richest race of the meet at Remington Park.

“They’re all training well going into it,” Diodoro said Monday.

The Oklahoma Derby will anchor a card of 10 stakes worth a total of $1.3 million. The program has been expanded from a year ago, when it featured seven stakes worth $1 million. Remington Park also has set a later first post of 3 p.m. Central for this year’s Oklahoma Derby card. The 12-race card includes the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks, the $175,000 Governor’s Cup, and the $150,000 David M. Vance Sprint. Entries will be taken Thursday.

A flight bringing horses to town was to arrive Tuesday, said Don Thompson, stakes coordinator for Remington. The list of possibles for the 1 1/8-mile Oklahoma Derby includes Fish Trappe Road, Ready Dancer, Ready Intaglio, Secret Passage, Seeking Blame, Sticksstateleydude, and Texas Chrome.

There were 39 horses made eligible for the Oklahoma Derby, according to nominations that were released Friday.

Diodoro said Joe Talamo has the mount on Way Striking, Scott Stevens will be aboard Inside Straight, and Geovanni Franco is set to ride Solve.

Diodoro, who has a division of horses at Remington, will be looking for his second Oklahoma Derby win after taking the 2013 edition with Broadway Empire. Broadway Empire came into the race off a win in the Grade 3 Canadian Derby at Northlands Park, and both Solve and Inside Straight exit this year’s Canadian Derby. Solve was second by three-quarters of a length, and Inside Straight finished fourth.

As for Way Striking, he was a close fourth last out in the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby at Canterbury and has long been pointed for the Oklahoma Derby, said Diodoro.

Ready Intaglio, a winner of stakes in his last three starts, including the Canadian Derby, is on the grounds, according to Thompson.

Texas Chrome will vie for favoritism in the Oklahoma Derby off his win in the Grade 3, $400,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs on Sept. 10. Trainer J.R. Caldwell said Texas Chrome emerged well from the race and the plan is to keep things light leading up to the Oklahoma Derby.

“He’s fit,” Caldwell said Monday. “He just ran a mile and an eighth. There’s not a whole lot of heavy work that needs to be done.”

Caldwell said that C.J. McMahon, who rode the horse in the Super Derby, will have the mount on Texas Chrome in the Oklahoma Derby.

Remington plans to have an all-stakes pick four on Sunday with a guaranteed minimum pool.

Smack Smack is expected for the Governor’s Cup, which is for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles, while Ivan Fallunovalot has been preparing locally to defend his title in the David M. Vance Sprint.