Mister Omaha and Miss Code West will be stepping into new divisions at Remington Park Friday night, when each seeks to add to their record of Oklahoma Classics stakes wins.
Mister Omaha, who won last year’s Juvenile, goes in the $175,000 Classics Cup Handicap, and Miss Code West, who has won the Lassie and the Distaff Handicap, starts in the $130,000 Distaff Turf.
The races are among eight stakes on the Oklahoma Classics Night program. They are worth a collective $1,040,000.
“For all my clients, it’s a big night for them to showcase their best Oklahoma-breds,” said trainer Joe Offolter.
Offolter saddles Mister Omaha in the Classics Cup, which is for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles. Mister Omaha, bred and owned by Bryan Hawk, has never been beaten in an Oklahoma-bred stakes from four such starts. In recent times, he has run third in both the Iowa Derby, won by Magnitude, and Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby, won by Bracket Buster.
For the race Friday, Mister Omaha is part of a field of nine that includes 2024 winner Inca Empire, multiple stakes winners Number One Dude and Flat Hanby, and Horseshoe Indianapolis invader Winters Lion. Mister Omaha owns the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 95.
“It’s in our favor going back against statebred horses,” Offolter said. “There’s not a Bracket Buster or a Magnitude or anybody like that in there, but he’s going against older horses for the first time, which is a little bit of a concern for me – especially him being a 3-year-old and giving weight away to older horses.”
Mister Omaha is highweighted at 125 pounds, with Number One Dude the second highweight at 122. Mister Omaha’s last start against Oklahoma-breds came in May, when he romped by 18 1/4 lengths in an overnight handicap at a mile at Will Rogers Downs. Since that time, Mister Omaha has matured, said Offolter.
“He’s kind of gotten a little bulkier,” he said. “He wasn’t a real thick kind of horse. He looks like he’s starting to bulk up a little bit to me. And, he’s gotten a little more professional.”
Luis Quinonez has the mount on Mister Omaha, who figures to again be prominent when he starts from post 2.
“We’re going to run our race,” Offolter said. “He’s come from behind, [but] if he gets away good, we’re going to run our race.”
Inca Empire will start from post 8 when he defends his title in the Classics Cup. He is a half-brother to Miss Code West and like Mister Omaha was bred by Hawk. Inca Empire races for Danny Caldwell and is trained by Oscar Flores.
Winters Lion, who was third in last year’s Classics Cup, enters Friday’s renewal off a runner-up finish in a mile allowance for which he earned a Beyer of 82. Remington leading rider Ramon Vazquez has the mount for Keene Thoroughbreds and trainer Aaron Shorter.
Turf time for Miss Code West
Miss Code West will be making a rare appearance on the grass in the Distaff Turf, which is for fillies and mares over 1 1/16 miles. The nine-time stakes winner is 2 for 3 on turf, among her wins the Chicken Fried Stakes at five furlongs in June at Lone Star Park and the Bob Barry Memorial at 7 1/2 furlongs in September at Remington. For both efforts, she earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 84 and it’s one of the reasons she is running in this year’s Distaff Turf rather than defending her title in the Distaff for owners Jeffry and Julie Puryear.
“They think her numbers are a little better on the turf, and she’s been running good on it,” said trainer Kevin Scholl. “She’s a godsend, that’s for sure.”
Miss Code West has earned more than $500,000 after being purchased for $12,000 as a yearling in 2022. The 4-year-old was a half-length winner over multiple stakes winner Take Me Serious in the Bob Barry.
“When they hooked up, I think [Miss Code West] was tested probably as hard as she ever had been and the way she held her own and finished, I was really pleased,” said Scholl. “It was a battle.”
Miss Code West will start from post 2 in the field of seven Friday and will be ridden by the only jockey she has ever known, Floyd Wethey Jr. The pair is 11 for 15 together and they figure to be up in the race.
“Hopefully, it will be a slower front-end pace,” Scholl said. “It looks like it could be.”
The consistency from Miss Code West – who has won the last two horse of the meet titles at Remington – is all her, said Scholl.
“She loves to run,” he said. “She loves her job. Period.”
Take Me Serious to Distaff
Take Me Serious will move back to dirt for the $130,000 Distaff after her valiant fight with Miss Code West in the Bob Barry. She is looking for her eighth win, and her desire as a racehorse is a characteristic that showed itself early on, said Offolter.
“She has a lot of will and determination,” Offolter said. “She actually got pneumonia when she was 3 and she was in the hospital for a long time and she fought through that. She showed a lot of will and determination to get through that, and every time we’ve hung a bridle on her, she tries for us.”
Take Me Serious will start from post 7 under longtime regular rider Richard Eramia.
“They’ll have to come get her,” Offolter said of the front-running Take Me Serious.
She is a homebred for Hawk, who is poised for a big night as he is the breeder of a number of starters on the card and also is an owner of a number of top contenders.
“Bryan, being the owner, breeder, he sells horses, too, and is trying to get some out there to do good for his studs, for Code West and Pass the Buck,” said Offolter.
Hawk homebred Inca Code goes in the Lassie for 2-year-old fillies. The full sister to Miss Code West won her debut last month at Remington.
“She’s such a big filly – weighs almost 1,300 pounds – and I just haven’t really drilled on her the way you would probably drill to have a 2-year-old just really dead set,” Offolter said. “I’ve just been kind of taking care of her and stuff. I sure think she’ll be better when she gets older.”
Hawk homebred C W Prize goes in the $130,000 Sprint.
“He should be right back off the lead,” said Offolter, noting the horse did not care for the turf last out at Remington.
◗ Tap the Dot will be looking for his second win in the $130,000 Turf Classic for Steve Asmussen, who last Saturday at Remington reached an unprecedented height of 11,000 training victories in North America. His rivals include Great West Stakes runner-up Eakly.
◗ A field of 11 goes in the $130,000 Distaff Sprint and eight are signed on for the $100,000 Juvenile.
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