Wed, 12/11/2024 - 15:01

Glee gets two-turn test in Toby Keith Stakes

Dustin Orona Photography
Glee's last race at Remington was a 15 1/4-length romp in the E.L. Gaylord Stakes. She will now try two turns in Friday's Toby Keith Stakes.

Trainer Steve Asmussen said the manner in which Glee has handled the surface at Remington Park is the reason he has targeted the track’s $75,000 Toby Keith for her two-turn debut Friday night. The one-mile race for 2-year-old fillies is one of six stakes on a card led by the $300,000 Springboard Mile.

The races close out the season and Friday’s card has a special first post of 5 p.m. Central.

Glee was last seen at Remington in October, romping by 15 1/4 lengths in the E.L. Gaylord Stakes. For the effort, she earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 78.

“It was what we had hoped for and more,” Asmussen said. “She looked beautiful doing it, and hopefully, she can recreate that.

“She’s a filly that’s got a very good level of talent. She can run. She’s fast.”

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Glee set the pace throughout in the Gaylord and could again show the way Friday or sit just off Runnin On Promises. Glee will start from post 6 in the field of seven and Asmussen has given the mount to Stewart Elliott. Asmussen and Elliott are poised to lock up their respective titles at Remington and will be active with a number of top contenders on the card Friday.

Glee gets pedigree support for the two-turn test Friday as a daughter of the Honor Code stallion Honor A. P. and the Bluegrass Cat mare Red Tabby.

She’s also been flattered since the Gaylord, with the runner-up from the race, Tapitures Actor, coming back in her next start to take the My Trusty Cat Stakes at Delta Downs.

Tapitures Actor will break from the rail in the Toby Keith, the former Trapeze Stakes, which was renamed this season in honor of the late country artist, breeder, and owner who was a regular at Remington.

Runnin On Promises defeated males last out when she won the Gold Rush Futurity at Arapahoe Park. She started her career at Santa Anita.

Elegant Echo makes her first start against open company after winning the Oklahoma Classics Night Lassie on Oct. 18 at Remington.

She’s All In Stakes

Flashy Lass will be looking to improve her Remington record to 3 for 3 when she goes for the high-percentage team of Asmussen and Elliott in the $75,000 She’s All In.

The race for fillies and mares will be run over one mile and 70 yards and has drawn a field of eight, with Corningstone and Stellar Lily both cross-entered in the Mistletoe Stakes that runs Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

Flashy Lass picked up her latest Remington win last out, when she accounted for a second-level allowance at a mile Oct. 26. She stalked the pace and shuttled home by more than seven lengths to earn a Beyer of 84.

“She’s had a pretty productive year and it would be great to make her stakes winner,” Asmussen said. “I think she’s run out a couple hundred thousand [dollars] and it’d be very good for her to add to it, especially in a stakes. She has a nice pedigree. She’s a good-looking mare. It’s important.”

Flashy Lass is a daughter of Street Sense and is from the female family of Grade 1 winner West Will Power. Her dam has produced a Grade 3 stakes winner in Circle of Trust.

The field for the She’s All In includes Bru Na Boinne, who is coming off a win in a third-level allowance route at Keeneland. Jose Alvarez has the mount for trainer Bret Calhoun.

Jeffrey Hawk Memorial

Asmussen and Elliott will team with Silver Prospector in the $75,000 Jeffrey Hawk Memorial. The horse is the class of the field of 10 as a Grade 2 winner of more than $1.6 million.

The race, which will be run over one mile and 70 yards, also drew defending winner U. S. Army and fellow stakes winners Number One Dude, Paluxy, and Victory for Vets.

Silver Prospector has been a regular at the Remington meet, winning two of three starts this season in allowance races. He’s long been pointed for the Hawk Memorial. The plan for the veteran, who is now 7, is to go to the lead from post 7.

“Silver knows how to win,” Asmussen said.

U. S. Army will get good support. This season he’s won an allowance sprint and finished third in the David M. Vance won by millionaire Jaxon Traveler. U. S. Army is stretching back out around two turns following a third-place finish in a local allowance sprint that went in 1:09.20.

Luis Quinonez has the mount for trainer Shawn Davis.

Denington will start from the rail after finishing fifth last out in the Zia Park Championship. That start was his first since May and he would seem to have reason to move forward Friday.

C W Prize leaves the Oklahoma-bred ranks behind for a start in the Hawk Memorial. He was second in the Silver Goblin Stakes last out and before that ran second in the Oklahoma Classics Cup won by Inca Empire, who was scheduled to run earlier on the card Friday.

Useeit Stakes

Miss Code West, who was the 2023 horse of the meet at Remington, will be chasing after her third stakes win of the season in the $50,000 Useeit.

The one-mile race is for 3-year-old fillies bred in Oklahoma and drew a field of eight.

Miss Code West has been the dominant member of her division. She opened the Remington season with a more than five-length win in the Oklahoma Stallion Stakes on Sept. 6. She then ran second to Alpine Princess in the $200,000 Remington Park Oaks before returning to the statebred ranks and defeating older rivals in the Oklahoma Classics Night Distaff.

Miss Code West is 6 for 7 at Remington and will be a strong favorite to improve her local record when she starts from post 8 under regular rider Floyd Wethey Jr.

Kevin Scholl trains the daughter of Code West for Jeffry Puryear and Julie Puryer.

The chief threat could be Letta’s Legacy, who was second in the Oklahoma Classics Night Distaff. She then cut back to one turn for a conditioned allowance sprint at Remington, and was second by a half-length against open company. Alvarez has the mount for breeder, owner, and trainer, C.R. Trout.

Jim Thorpe Stakes

Multiple stakes winner Flat Hanby returns to racing with straight 3-year-olds for the $50,000 Jim Thorpe. The one-mile race is restricted to horses bred in Oklahoma and drew a field of seven.

Flat Hanby faced older rivals last out when seventh in the Oklahoma Classics Night Classic. Earlier in this career, he won the Canterbury Park Derby, the Iowa Stallion Stakes, and the Oklahoma Stallion Stakes. He also ran fifth in this year’s Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby won by Most Wanted.

Wethey has the mount from post 4 for trainer Boyd Caster.

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