Will Rogers ends meet with two Oklahoma-bred stakes

Will Rogers Downs will close out its meet Wednesday with a stakes double for Oklahoma-breds. The $55,000 Cherokee Nation Classic Cup is led by Quality Rocket, while Lady Orchid defends her title in the $55,000 More Than Even.

Both stakes are for 3-year-olds and up over a mile and a sixteenth, with the More Than Even for fillies and mares.

Quality Rocket looks like the one to catch in the eight-horse Classic Cup. He is stretching back out around two turns off a front-running allowance win over 5 1/2 furlongs May 12 at Will Rogers. Quality Rocket dominated that open-company allowance, winning off by 5 3/4 lengths. The Beyer Speed Figure of 87 that he earned is the best career number in the Classic Cup.

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Quality Rocket is the class of the field Wednesday with earnings of $312,000. He is a three-time stakes winner, with one of those victories coming at the distance of the Classic Cup. Garrett Steinberg has the mount from post 7 for trainer Boyd Caster. Quality Rocket is a son of Backstabber who races for his co-breeder Gerard Ball.

The other stakes winner in the field is Caney’s Ghost, who won last year’s $55,000 Will Rogers Stakes at a mile. His two starts this year came sprinting.

Kwik, who was second in last year’s Classic Cup, seeks his first stakes win Wednesday.

Lady Orchid will attempt to win the More Than Even for the second year in a row. The field of five includes four stakes winners, with the others being Country Daisy, Dipping In, and Dicey.

Lady Orchid launched her 5-year-old season last out with a two-length win in the $55,000 Miranda Diane on May 3 at Will Rogers. She closed from next to last and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 78, which is the best last-race number in the More Than Even.

Lady Orchid was a 2 3/4-length winner of the More Than Even a year ago after finishing a close fourth in the Miranda Diane. Floyd Wethey Jr. has the mount from post 4 for trainer Francisco Bravo.

Lady Orchid is a daughter of Oratory and the stakes-winning mare Burst of Life. She races for her breeder, Lori Bravo, and is looking for her fifth stakes win Wednesday.

Dipping In’s two races this year came sprinting. The last time she routed she won the $70,000 Useeit at a mile in December at Remington Park.