Trials for Oklahoma Futurity highlight opening weekend of Quarter Horse meet
Remington Park in Oklahoma City will offer a record $5.7 million in stakes during its 50-date meet for Quarter Horses that opens on Friday night. The season will run through June 4.
Remington will put on 40 stakes during the course of the season. Last year, the track’s stakes schedule was worth $5.3 million.
Remington, which has an ontrack casino, will host its richest race of the year June 4, with the running of the Grade 1, $1.1 million Heritage Place Futurity. The race anchors a program of eight stakes. Other races on the card will include the Grade 1, $250,000 Remington Park Championship for older horses, and the Grade 2, $370,000 Heritage Place Derby.
Remington’s first multiple stakes program will be March 26, when the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Futurity leads a card of four stakes. The race is the oldest futurity for Quarter Horses, and it will have its 75th running this year. The Oklahoma Futurity was first run in 1947. Trials will be held Saturday. There will be 15 heats, and because of the large volume of trials for the Oklahoma Futurity, first post Saturday will be an hour earlier than normal, at 5 p.m. Central.
Other major futurities on the calendar include the $820,000 Remington Park Futurity on April 23. The restricted Grade 2 is for horses bred in Oklahoma. The race will share a card with the $300,000 Remington Park Derby for Quarter Horses.
Highlights of the stakes schedule also include the Grade 2, $100,000 Oklahoma Challenge Championship on May 22.
Remington will race Thursday through Sunday. Post is 6 p.m. Central except on Sundays, when the races start at 1:30 p.m.