Shotgun Kowboy the big gun in Oklahoma Classics Night Classic Cup

Shotgun Kowboy ran one of the most impressive races of his career off a layoff, and he will attempt to do the same Friday night when he headlines the $175,000 Oklahoma Classics Night Classic Cup at Remington Park.

The Cup is one of eight divisional Oklahoma-bred stakes on a card worth more than $1 million. It is for 3-year-olds and up over 1 1/16 miles and it serves as the first leg of a 50-cent pick four on races 7-10 that will have a minimum guaranteed pool of $70,000.

Shotgun Kowboy races for his breeder and trainer, C.R. Trout, whose stable traditionally keys on Oklahoma Classics Night.

“This is something we all look forward to,” he said. “I’ve got seven in there. It’s a fun night for me and my family. We raised every one of these horses, and we look forward to this.”

Shotgun Kowboy won the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby and the Classics Cup in 2015. He started his current campaign in January with an allowance win at Oaklawn. It was his first start in five months. The race Friday will be his first since May, when he was third to Danzing Candy in the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap. Trout said Shotgun Kowboy has been recovering from sore feet. The horse shows a series of sharp works for his return.

“He’s ready to go,” Trout said. “I had him set to run earlier in the meet, but it didn’t work out. The race didn’t fill. So, we just went ahead and trained up to this. We’ll be okay.”

Shotgun Kowboy earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 90 when he won off the bench at Oaklawn.

He will break from post 2 in a field of 10, and Trout has given the mount to Richard Eramia.

“We’re just going let him break and do what he wants to do,” Trout said. “We’ll just let him tell us.”

The chief threat could be Z Rockstar, who is moving back into the Oklahoma-bred ranks after finishing second in an optional $30,000 claiming route against open company Sept. 23 at Remington. The field also includes Phantom Trip, who won this race last year at 3.

Trout’s other runners on the card include stakes winners Hailstorm Slew and Euro K Shotgun, who is a half-sister to Shotgun Kowboy. The fillies go in the $130,000 Distaff Sprint.

“It’s the only place I could sprint them, so I put them in there together,” Trout said. “I like both of them. I think they’ve got a good chance. They’re training great.”

Euro K Shotgun is a front-runner, while Hailstorm Slew is a closer.

Trout has Create a Star in the $100,000 Lassie, a six-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies. She won her debut Sept. 20 at Remington over six furlongs.

“We’re looking forward to her,” Trout said. “She’s 17-1 hands and 1,250 pounds. She’s a monster.” Trout said Create a Star brings a big stride to the table. Alex Birzer has the mount.

The male counterpart for 2-year-olds is the Juvenile, with Fite N Tocc a top contender.

Steel Cut invades for Distaff

Steel Cut has had Friday night circled on her calendar for a long time. She arrived Wednesday from her Kentucky base to defend her title in the $145,000 Distaff.

“We’ve been pointing for this basically all year,” said owner and trainer Wes Hawley.

A win would put the mare over $500,000 in earnings. She enters off a win in an optional $25,000 claiming route July 7 at Prairie Meadows.

“After that race, she just wasn’t 100 percent,” Hawley said. “We wanted to run in the Groupie Doll. We stopped on her, gave her a little time.”

Hawley said she started working well, and he decided to ship her for the Distaff. Steel Cut went five-eighths in 1:01.80 at Churchill on Oct. 11.

“She relaxed early, galloped out a good mile or better,” Hawley said. “She’s ready to run. She’s fresh, and she’s doing extremely well.”

Steel Cut will break from post 4 under Eramia.

In other stakes on the Oklahoma Classics card, Mr. N meets Welder in the $130,000 Sprint. Ibaka gets a rematch with Pacific Tycoon in the $130,000 Turf, and Gianna’s Dream attempts to improve her record over the Remington turf to 4 for 4 in the $130,000 Distaff Turf.

Rulings in horse ID case

The Remington Park board of stewards has issued rulings concerning a case of mistaken horse identity in two races at the Oklahoma City track in September. Collateral Kitten and Onemorefastdance have been disqualified from their placings and earnings in the races, which were run Sept. 4 and Sept. 16.

Onefastdance is entered in the Distaff Turf on Friday night and is clear to run, according to an official with the Oklahoma Racing Commission.

The mix-up came to light following the Sept. 16 race. Collateral Kitten was thought to have won the race, but Onemorefastdance actually ran. Karl Broberg, who trains both horses, confirmed Sept. 17 that the mix-up was found in the test barn following the race. In a race Sept. 4, Onemorefastdance was thought to have finished fourth, but Collateral Kitten actually ran, according to the ruling provided by the commission.

The commission’s identifier and a steward serving in that role were both suspended without pay for seven days starting Sept. 17.