Tale of Verve among Oklahoma Derby contenders

The field for the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby was beginning to take shape on Monday, with Tale of Verve and Souper Colossal part of a large group anticipated for the 1 1/8-mile race this Sunday. The Oklahoma Derby is the highlight of the Remington Park meet and will anchor a card of seven stakes worth more than $1 million. Entries for the program will be taken on Thursday.

Tale of Verve, the runner-up in the Preakness, is scheduled to fly from his Churchill Downs base to Oklahoma on Friday, said trainer Dallas Stewart. The horse is part of a working list of 12 horses Remington stakes coordinator Don Thompson has under consideration for the Oklahoma Derby. The field size will be capped at 14.

“We had 14 last year,” said Thompson.

Stewart said Tale of Verve will be ridden by Jamie Theriot. The trainer said one of the draws of the Oklahoma Derby is the chance to keep Tale of Verve with straight 3-year-olds this late in the year. The horse hit a high note in May, when he was second to eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the Preakness. Tale of Verve on Sunday will attempt to rebound from an eighth-place finish in the Travers on Aug. 29 at Saratoga.

“Gary Stevens rode him and said he just had a hard time struggling with the sandy, deep racetrack,” Stewart said. “He’s had two good works since the Travers. This is the next step.”

Tale of Verve worked a half-mile in 47.40 seconds Sept. 13 at Churchill, the fastest of 62 breezes at the distance that morning in Louisville. He came back and drilled five furlongs in 1:01.40 last Saturday. Stewart, who invaded the region last Saturday and won the A.L. “Red” Erwin at Louisiana Downs with Cajun Spirit, trains Tale of Verve for Charles Fipke.

Souper Colossal is scheduled to fly in from Baltimore late in the week, said trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. The horse has run second in four consecutive stakes since June, including the Grade 2 West Virginia Derby on Aug. 1 at Mountaineer and the Grade 3 Smarty Jones on Aug. 29 at Parx.

“We’d like to knock out a graded win with him this year,” said Plesa.

Paco Lopez, who has been the regular rider on Souper Colossal, has the mount Sunday, according to Plesa.

Trainer Donnie Von Hemel said Poseidon’s Way and Hillbilly Royalty are on deck for the Oklahoma Derby. The pair finished a respective one-two in the allowance prep Aug. 22 at Remington. Earlier this year, Hillbilly Royalty won the Prairie Mile at Prairie Meadows, and Poseidon’s Way ran third in the Northern Spur at Oaklawn. Von Hemel said Luis Quinonez has the mount on Poseidon’s Way, and Alex Birzer will ride Hillbilly Royalty.

Other horses Thompson expects for the Oklahoma Derby are Bold Conquest, Desert Dynamo, Mobile Bay, Shotgun Kowboy, The Truth Or Else, and Witt Six. Thompson said the list of possibles includes Classy Class, Lucky Player, and Sharm.

◗ Include Betty, the winner of the Grade 1 Mother Goose, is among the candidates for the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks, said Thompson. Von Hemel said he is pointing Paige, Rose to Glory, and Sweet Opportunity for the 1 1/16-mile race Sunday.

◗ Breeders’ Cup Sprint hopeful Ivan Fallunovalot is scheduled to be entered in the $150,000 Remington Park Sprint Cup for Sunday but is also being considered for the Grade 3 Phoenix on Oct. 2 at Keeneland, trainer Tom Howard said. Howard said Monday the path to be taken is still being discussed with owner Lewis Matthews Jr.