Distaff matchup highlights Oklahoma Classics Night

The best matchup on the Oklahoma Classics Night card Friday at Remington Park arguably comes in the $145,000 Daily Racing Form Distaff, when She’s All Wolfe meets Hits Pricey Legacy. She’s All Wolfe is the state’s reigning champion female, while Hits Pricey Legacy became a Grade 3 winner last month in the Remington Park Oaks.

The Distaff is one of eight divisional stakes for Oklahoma-breds on the card. The races are worth a cumulative $1 million.

“Classics Night is always a fun night with all the Oklahoma-breds,” said Donnie Von Hemel, who trains She’s All Wolfe. “There’s usually a good turnout – and some surprise winners along the way.”

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There have been few surprises in the Distaff the last two years, with She’s All Wolfe winning the race in 2020 and 2021 in the tradition of her dam, She’s All In. She’s All In won four straight runnings of the Distaff, and also was trained by Von Hemel.

She’s All Wolfe, a 5-year-old who races for her breeder, Robert Zoellner, shares some other similarities with her dam.

“They both improved each year that they were racing,” Von Hemel said. “You don’t see that that often in dirt horses. It’s probably the thing that reminds me most of her mother.”

The Distaff drew seven, including multiple stakes winner Gotta See Red.

“It’s a tough race for sure, with She’s All Wolfe and several others in there,” said C.R. Trout, who bred, owns and trains Hits Pricey Legacy.

Hits Pricey Legacy will be looking for her third straight win at the meet, following victories in the Oklahoma Stallion Fillies and the Remington Park Oaks. The starts were her first since last December.

“She’s running good,” Trout said. “I think she’s just matured. She had some owies and other things the veterinarians just couldn’t pinpoint and so we gave her some time off. Whatever it was, she just fixed herself. She grew some, got thicker, a little heavier, and her attitude is a whole lot better. We’re excited about her.”

Hits Pricey Legacy will break from post 4 under Jose Alvarez.

Richard Eramia will be aboard She’s All Wolfe from post 7.

She’s All Wolfe enters off a win in an allowance Sept. 28 at Remington. It was a homecoming for the mare, who in June captured the Shawnee at Churchill after picking up checks in a series of graded stakes. The allowance was her first out since July.

“I think it’s what we were looking for,” Von Hemel said. “She hadn’t run in quite some time. We could have trained up into this one, but that race was there and we got out of it what we needed. I think she’ll move forward for this one.”

Classics juvenile stakes

Von Hemel and Trout both have notable 2-year-olds in stakes Friday.

Expensive Liasion, a half-sister to Hits Pricey Legacy, goes in the $100,000 Lassie. She is coming off a three-length win over maiden special weight rivals Sept. 23 at Remington.

Expensive Liasion is out of High Price Hit, who is a half-sister to Imahit, a two-time winner of the Oklahoma Classics Cup, and multiple stakes winner Hallelujah Hit.

“I have so many out of that line, and they all run good,” said Trout.

The chief threat could be Doudoudouwanadance, a half-brother to Okahoma Classics Cup entrant Number One Dude.

In the $100,000 Juvenile, the Von Hemel-trained Eakly owns the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 70.

“He just broke his maiden this last out,” Von Hemel said. “I thought he ran a good race that day. I think he probably learned a little bit from his three previous races. He’d run greenly in some of them.”

Eakly is by Caleb’s Posse, who won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile for his owner, Cheyenne Stables, and Von Hemel. There’s a little like father, like son in Eakly.

“He’ll bite you if you let him,” said Von Hemel.

Trout will counter with Runway Run Away, who is coming off a more than 15-length win over $30,000 maiden claiming rivals at Remington.

“He kind of went to waking up,” Trout said. “It seemed like every time we’d work him, he’d do a little better.”

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Oklahoma Classics Cup

Absaroka will meet a sharp Number One Dude in the $175,000 Classics Cup, which is for 3-year-olds and up over 1 1/16 miles. Last year, the horses finished one-two in the race. The field of nine includes 2020 winner Dont Tell Noobody.

Absaroka enters off a fifth-place finish in an allowance, which was his first out since December.

“He got tired on the end,” Trout said. “That’s just from lack of racing. He’s doing well.”

◗ Run Slewpy Run will be looking to improve her Remington turf record to 6 for 6 in the $130,000 Distaff Turf

◗ Sunday Flashback will attempt to turn the tables on Ragan’s Jet in the $130,000 Distaff Sprint.

◗ Shannon C will be looking to win the $130,000 Sprint for the second year in a row.

◗ Quarky must overcome a wide post in the $130,000 Turf.

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