Flat Hanby will attempt to win his fifth straight race in a $50,000 division of the Oklahoma Stallion Stakes on Friday night at Remington Park and with the right kind of performance, he could advance to the Oklahoma Derby.
“It’s just going to depend on how he runs,” said trainer Boyd Caster.
The race Friday night is over seven furlongs and shares a card with the $50,000 fillies division of the Oklahoma Stallion Stakes that drew Miss Code West. She was the horse of the meet last season at Remington for winning all four of her starts and on Friday could potentially put herself in play for the Remington Park Oaks.
Flat Hanby’s streak began in April with a maiden special weight win over six furlongs at Will Rogers Downs. He took an allowance sprint at the track one start later, before stretching out to two turns and winning the Canterbury Park Derby with a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 92.
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Flat Hanby comes into Friday’s race off a win in a division of the Iowa Stallion Stakes on July 20 at Prairie Meadows. Since that start, he had been entered in the St. Louis Derby, but spiked a slight fever and did not ship for the race, according to Caster.
“He’s working really good right now,” Caster said.
Flat Hanby went six furlongs in 1:13 on Aug. 27 in his final prep for Friday.
“His last work, we worked him against another horse,” Caster said. “We put that other horse probably five lengths in front of him. He was just kind of sitting there behind him and when [jockey] Floyd Wethey shook the reins he took off, went to the horse, and went by him.
“He couldn’t blow out a match [afterward]. He came out of the work huge.”
The field Friday includes fellow stakes winner Chasin Jason and five-time winner Okie Smoke.
“This race is no pushover,” Caster said. “Granted, if he throws his 92 Beyer back, he’ll be tough. For me, to be a derby horse, he’s got to come back right close to that 92 Beyer.”
Flat Hanby earned a 73 in the Iowa Stallion Stakes, and after the race was found to have some mucus, said Caster.
Flat Hanby, a son of Flat Out who races for JT Stables, will break from post 4 under Wethey.
The rider also has the mount on Miss Code West, who will start from post 3 in her division of the Oklahoma Stallion Stakes.
She has won stakes at one turn and two, and is moving back to dirt after making her turf debut last out and running eighth against older fillies and mares in the Ouija Board Distaff at Lone Star Park. Before that, Miss Code West defeated her elders in a no-conditions allowance in April.
Miss Code West is a daughter of Code West who races for Jeffry and Julie Puryear. She is trained by Kevin Scholl.
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