RELENTLESSLY FASTEST QUALIFER FOR GRADE 3 OKLAHOMA DERBY, RETURNING TO TOP FORM AFTER EIGHT MONTHS OFF

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – March 8, 2021 – Relentlessly kicked it into top gear Sunday night in the seventh of seven trials for the Grade 3, $230,000 (estimated) Oklahoma Derby that will be run on March 20. His efforts resulted in the fastest time of the night for 350 yards.

This 3-year-old colt by Hes Relentless, out of the Carters Cartel mare Runaway Renata, has never run worse than second in five career starts and the way he ran Sunday night, it doesn’t appear that will happen any time soon. With jockey Rodrigo Vallejo up for the first time, Relentlessly broke sharply from the gate and was a length ahead before his competitors knew what was happening. His time of :17.584 was much the best for the evening’s derby trials as he cleared the field by 1-3/4 lengths at the wire.

Relentlessly began his career last spring at Remington Park in the Oklahoma Futurity trials and was a winner at first asking. He came back in the $384,000 final and beat every horse but one, Aint She Tempting, who proved to be quite a bear. He lost to that filly by one length.

Relentlessly, owned by Aguila Negra Racing of Fairview Heights, Ill., and trained by Jose Huerta, finished second by a neck in the 2020 Heritage Place Futurity trials, and his time was not fast enough to qualify for the finals. He then took a couple of months off before racing in trials at Fair Meadows in Tulsa, Okla., winning there on July 10. He must have been kicking down the stall door after laying off for eight months before blasting to the victory Sunday night.

The top 10 qualifiers for the finals of the Oklahoma Derby (with their jockey, trainer, trial number, times and speed index):

• Relentlessly, Rodrigo Vallejo, Jose Huerta, trial seven, :17.584, 89
• Card One Starter, Juan Pulido, Edelmiro Carrizales, trial five, :17.667, 86
• Willie McBride, Rolando Raudales, Dee Keener, trial seven, :17.854, 81
• Apollitical Redflash, Francisco Calderon, Clint Crawford, trial five, :17.925, 79
• Facing the Fire, Jimmy Brooks, Eddie Willis, trial five, :17.935, 79
• Squid Word, Christian Aguirre-Erives, Juliana Mancillas, trial four, :17.973, 77
• Saturday Nite Secret, Agustin Silva, Edelmiro Carrizales, trial three, :17.986, 77
• Luminositi, Berkley Packer, Jason Olmstead, trial six, :17.991, 77
• Entrepenewer, Ramiro Garcia, Luz Chavira, trial four, :17.994, 77
• Leading Cartel, Esgar Ramirez, Mike Robbins, trial one, :17.999, 77

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Tracked by more than 165,000 fans on Facebook and 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $258 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park is open daily for casino gaming and simulcast horse racing. The 2021 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season continues through May 29. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.