Purse hike should help Remington continue to draw full fields
Remington Park has established itself as a venue that offers horseplayers full fields, and its reputation should remain intact during the 67-date meet that opens Friday night. The season, led by the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby, will continue through Dec. 13.
Remington has received a robust number of stall requests for the meet, said Scott Wells, president and general manager of the Oklahoma City track. There was further interest in the new season last week, when Remington announced that overnight purses would be increased 10 percent starting with the first card of the meet.
“Our barn area is overflowing,” Wells said. “We had about 3,200 applications for our 1,400 stalls. We expect a lot of activity from horses shipping in from other tracks. We’re coming off last year’s season in which we led the nation in average number of starters per race among tracks which ran seven days or more. We were at 9.7.”
Friday’s nine-race opener drew 97 entrants, for an average of 10.8 horses per race. The new purse schedule that puts average daily purses at a track-record $230,000 is reflected in the entries. There are two maiden special weight races for Oklahoma-breds, a division that now carries a purse of $42,075, and one open allowance that on the new purse scale is worth $44,000. The allowance is for fillies and mares at five furlongs on turf, and it drew Grade 3 winner Bahnah as well as multiple stakes winner Snappy Girl and the stakes-placed Haveyougoneaway.
Remington boasts a number of new riders for the meet, including Deshawn Parker, Danny Sorenson, and C.J. McMahon. Cliff Berry, the all-time leading rider at Remington who plans to retire in December, will be honored all meet long, said Wells.
“We’re calling this a ‘Berry special season,’ ” Wells said. “There’s numerous promotions tied to when Cliff Berry wins races. It’s a way for us to pay tribute to one of the greatest jockeys and one of the finest gentlemen to compete at Remington Park.”
The trainer ranks include defending champ Steve Asmussen, recent Prairie Meadows title winner Federico Villafranco, and Will Rogers Downs title winner Roger Engel.
“I’m extremely pleased to have two of the winningest trainers of all time, Steve Asmussen and Jack Van Berg, at Remington,” Wells said, “and it goes without saying the current national leader, Karl Broberg.”
Remington’s stakes schedule is comprised of 33 races worth a total of more than $3.5 million. The Oklahoma Derby at 1 1/8 miles is the richest offering of the season. It will anchor a card of seven stakes on a special Sunday program Sept. 27. The card also includes the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks and the $150,000 Remington Park Sprint Cup and is worth $1.05 million in total.
“We’re concentrating on bringing together a top field of horses [for the Oklahoma Derby],” Wells said. “I visited Saratoga recently and had some positive comments and pending commitments from nationally known trainers there. I know we’re on people’s radar.”
Closer to home, Remington has created a new viewing area for patrons called the Fortunes Terrace.
“It’s adjacent to the casino, separated only by a door, and already we’re booking it,” Wells said of the area that can seat 250 patrons. “It’s a spectacular space to view the racing action, and of course, it will give easy access to the casino floor.”
Remington’s wagering format will include some of the lower minimums that were experimented with last season, according to track spokesman Dale Day. He said Remington will have 50-cent trifectas, 50-cent rolling pick threes, and a 50-cent pick four.
The first stakes races of the meet will be held Saturday night, with Grade 3 winners Code West and Texas Air among 11 entered in the $175,000 Governor’s Cup and Delaunay and Ivan Fallunovalot set to clash in the $75,000 David M. Vance Sprint.