With Welder retired, Silver Goblin up for grabs
The $70,000 Silver Goblin Stakes on Friday night at Remington Park will have a new winner for the first time since 2017.
Welder has captured the last four runnings of the 6 1/2-furlong fixture for Oklahoma-breds, but the millionaire retired from racing last month. His absence paves the way for a new name on the trophy, with Shannon C, Mesa Moon, or Quality Rocket all leading contenders in the field of six.
The Silver Goblin for 3-year-olds and up is one of three stakes on the card. Remington also will feature 2-year-olds in the $75,000 Don C. McNeill and $75,000 Slide Show, with the one-mile races restricted to horses bred in Oklahoma.
Shannon C comes into the Silver Goblin on top of his game. He’s won back-to-back stakes, accounting for the $70,000 Remington Park Turf Sprint on Sept. 24 and the $114,000 Oklahoma Classics Sprint over the local main track Oct. 15. In the Classics Sprint, Shannon C earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 90.
“This horse has kind of got a different style of running now,” said trainer Scott Young. “He’s kind of setting himself off the pace. It’s not anything we’ve done. It’s something he’s kind of doing himself. He seems to be running much better late in the race, not showing as much early pace as he had.
“This year, he’s become more mature, realized running so fast early is a little tougher. He’s getting smarter.”
Shannon C drew well in post 5. Leandro Goncalves has the mount for B and S Racing. The rider was aboard when Shannon C won by three lengths in the Classics Sprint.
“He put in a phenomenal effort for us,” Young said. “When the horses turned for home, he just exploded.”
Welder finished third in what was his final start. He is the all-time winningest horse at Remington.
“We’ve run multiple horses against Welder, our camp and our barn,” Young said. “We tip our hat to Welder. I think we’ve run second to him nine times with five or six different horses.
“We truly believe that Shannon C would have been an earner of $500,000 by now if it wasn’t for Welder.”
Shannon C is a 6-year-old who is 7 for 27 with earnings of $359,646. He is a son of Latent Heat and the multiple stakes-winning mare Miranda Diane.
Mesa Moon, the runner-up in the Classics Sprint, figures to appreciate the added ground he picks up Friday off the six-furlong race. He will break from post 3 under Floyd Wethey Jr. Young trains the son of Sky Mesa for Cimarron TTT.
Young will also be active in the Don McNeill with Legionary, who is part of a field of nine that includes Oklahoma Classics Night Juvenile winner Rowdy Rascal. Legionary was fourth in the six-furlong race run Oct. 15.
“We are very excited getting Legionary stretched out around two turns,” Young said. “From the time we started breezing him, I said, ‘This horse will excel when we get him two turns.’ Every breeze, he just doesn’t seem to get too tired. Ever. ”
Legionary will break from post 7.
“Stretching out, he’s going to be forwardly placed,” said Young. “I don’t see him on the pace.”
◗ Morning Twilight, a winner of both of her starts, including the Oklahoma Classics Lassie, is the one to beat in the Slide Show. The field includes Bien’s Okie, a daughter of millionaire racemare Bien Nicole.