Remington Park opens meet with deep field for Governor's Cup

Remington Park has several key components in place for its 67-date meet, which opens Friday night with a nine-race card led by the $175,000 Governor’s Cup.

The Oklahoma City track has both quality and quantity in terms of horse population, a turf course that is thriving, and a strong lineup of owners, trainers, and jockeys.

“We expect to have one of the highest field sizes in the nation through the rest of the year,” Scott Wells, president of Remington, said of the meet, which ends Dec. 15.

“We start off on such a strong night, averaging 10 horses a race and capped by a really, really interesting stakes. I think the field for the Governor’s Cup is really indicative of the class of racing we expect here at Remington now.”

The Governor’s Cup, which is the first of the meet’s 32 stakes worth a total of $3.7 million, drew Grade 3 winners Hence, Mocito Rojo and Limation, as well as 2017 Kentucky Derby runner-up Lookin At Lee.

Other major stakes include the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby and Grade 3, $200,000 Remington Park Oaks, which anchor a card of eight stakes worth a cumulative $1.1 million on Sept. 29; the $400,000 Springboard Mile on Dec. 15, a points race for the Kentucky Derby; and the $1 million Oklahoma Classics card of eight statebred stakes Oct. 18.

Wells said purses are projected to average $240,000 a program, up slightly from 2018. The new racing secretary is Tim Williams.

“We had over 2,000 applications for 1,464 stalls,” Wells said. “Demand is high.”

Wells said area training centers also are housing horses pointing to the meet, as is sister track Lone Star Park near Dallas, which has been operating as a training center since the close of its Thoroughbred meet on July 21.

Mocito Rojo has invaded from Evangeline Downs for the Governor’s Cup, a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up that drew six horses, including defending winner Hence for last year’s leading trainer here, Steve Asmussen.

Mocito Rojo is looking to win his fourth consecutive race in a streak that’s been built exclusively in stakes. It started with the Owners Appreciation Cup on March 9 at Delta Downs and has continued with the Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile on April 28 at Lone Star and the $100,000 Evangeline Mile at his home track in his most recent start June 22.

“He’s fit,” said Shane Wilson, who trains Mocito Rojo for Wayne T. Davis. “We had four or five weeks in between the race before Lone Star, came back again with six weeks between Lone Star and the Evangeline Mile. He trains hard, puts a lot into his work. I’m not concerned at all about the little break. If anything, it gives him time to recover. He runs really hard when he runs.”

Mocito Rojo will break from post 5, with Gerard Melancon filling for injured regular rider Filemon Rodriguez.

“I love the draw that we got,” Wilson said. “Really, one of my biggest concerns is the 1 horse, Popularity. If Limation doesn’t put pressure on him, we’re going to be forced to. I don’t want to. I know if [Popularity] gets loose, he’s the one we’ve got to beat.”

The field also includes Believe in Royalty, who was second by a nose in last year’s Oklahoma Derby. He’s a son of Tapit and Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can.