Take Me Serious bids for repeat in Miranda Diane

Take Me Serious, who was named horse of the meet last year at Will Rogers Downs, will launch her 6-year-old season Monday in the track’s $55,000 Miranda Diane.

The six-furlong race is for fillies and mares bred in Oklahoma. Others making up the seven-horse field include stakes winners Kachina and Kiss and Tell, the multiple stakes-placed Letta’s Legacy, and Sam Houston invader Artistic Vision.

Take Me Serious won last year’s Miranda Diane off the bench and later in the season captured the More Than Even Stakes. She also ran second in the Wilma Mankiller, and the plan is to again target those three races this meet, trainer Joe Offolter said.

“As long as she’s doing well, that’s probably what we’ll do,” he said.

The $50,000 Wilma Mankiller at six furlongs will be renewed April 14, and the $55,000 More Than Even at a mile is set for May 6.

Take Me Serious on Monday is making her first start since Nov. 25, when she was second in an allowance at Remington Park. One start prior, she won the track’s Oklahoma Classics Distaff Sprint. Take Me Serious has turned in a trio of bullet works as part of her prep work for her return Monday.

“I just hope we’ve got her tight enough,” Offolter said. “She’ll be on the engine going, so they’ll be coming. Hopefully, I’ve got her good and fit enough to go that far first out back.”

Richard Eramia will be aboard from post 5 for breeder and owner Bryan Hawk. Take Me Serious is a daughter of Munnings who has won 6 of 16 starts and has career earnings of $245,988.

“She likes to win races,” Offolter said. “She’s a good mare to be around. In the barn, she’s kind of the boss. She thinks she’s the queen.”

At the moment, she’s that indeed as the reigning horse of the meet at Will Rogers.

Mister Omaha eyes Texas Derby

Mister Omaha launched his 3-year-old season with a win in last week’s Welder Stakes at Will Rogers and now has a long-range goal of the $300,000 Texas Derby on May 26 at Lone Star Park, Offolter said.

Mister Omaha was a four-length winner of the Welder, which was run at six furlongs. The son of Omaha Beach is now 4 for 6 for his breeder and owner, Bryan Hawk.

“He ran a really good race,” Offolter said. “He kind of did it in hand. We’ll look at see if maybe there’s some place at Oaklawn to run next month and if he progresses forward, we’re probably looking for the derby there at Lone Star. That’s the next big spot that we’d be pointing him for right now.”

Offolter said he wants to stretch Mister Omaha back out around two turns for his next start. The horse was a five-length winner of the Don McNeill at a mile last season at Remington.