ALL-TIME WINNINGEST PAINT TRAINER DEE KEENER ADDS TO LEGENDARY STATUS WITH FOUR QUALIFIERS FOR AMERICAN PAINT CLASSIC FUTURITY

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Paint breed’s all-time winningest trainer, Dee Keener, continues to add to his legend, qualifying four Paints to the finals of the $153,700 American Paint Classic Futurity set for Saturday, April 29, at Remington Park.

Four of the fastest 10 Paints during Friday’s trials come from Keener’s barn, including the fastest of the bunch, Js Successful Chicken. That 2-year-old filly by CRM Livewire, out of the Cartel Success (QH) mare Cartel Chicken, stopped the timer for 330 yards :17.215 over a fast track into a 21 mph headwind, earning a speed index of 78. Three-time American Quarter Horse Association Champion jockey James Flores showed he can be just as dominant with this breed as he qualified the fastest. Keener also got horses into the final as the sixth, seventh and ninth quickest on Friday night. He spread the love around for the jockey colony as Bryan Candanosa, Juan Pulido and Jesus Salazar qualified those three, respectively.

Keener became the all-time top trainer among Paint racing conditioners on May 3, 2020, passing the Lewis Wartchow, who had held that mark for years. The late, great Wartchow still stands third-all-time 20 years after his death.

Flores got Js Successful Chicken out of the gate like a hungry pig racing for Oreos and never was headed, winning by a head in trial two of four Friday over the second-fastest qualifier, Tess the Wire, who is trained by Matt Whitekiller, who is No. 2 on the all-time list of winningest Paint trainers. In fact, the four fastest qualifiers from the finals were the four fastest horses in the second trial. Tess the Wire was a neck in front of third-place finisher Wired BB.

Js Successful Chicken is owned by Shirley Wheeler of Boynton, Okla., and she also bred the Paint. The filly earned $3,984 for winning her trial but will have a great shot at taking home the big money on April 29. She broke her maiden in Friday’s trials in her third start of the season and career. She was impressive in the $40,000 Oklahoma Paint and Appaloosa Juvenile Stakes on March 25 here, running fourth, losing by only a half-length.

Here are the 10 fastest qualifiers with horse, time, speed index, jockey, trainer and trial number (race number):

• 1) Js Successful Chicken, :17.215, 78, James Flores, Dee Keener, trial two (race four)
• 2) Tess the Wire, :17.243, 77, Francisco Calderon, Matt Whitekiller, trial two (race four)
• 3) Wired BB, :17.281, 76, Gonzalo Gutierrez, Durk Peery, trial two (race four)
• 4) Drank Like Hank, :17.359, 73, Cody Wainscott, Ray Enlow, trial two (race four)
• 5) Storms Livewire, :17.376, 73, Javier Hernandez-Gallardo, Michelle Hurdle, trial one (race three)
• 6) Triple L Express, :17.424, 72, Bryan Candanosa, Dee Keener, trial three (race five)
• 7) Js Quick Chili, :17.517, 69, Juan Pulido, Dee Keener, trial one, (race three)
• 8) Turnpikers Silos, :17.541, 68, Roman Cruz, Jesus Ruiz, trial three (race five)
• 9) Pevs Wire to Wire, :17.590, 66, Jesus Salazar, Dee Keener, trial four (race six)
• 10) Nota Pocahontas, :17.603, 66, Rolando Raudales, Stacey Capps, trial two (race four)

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Tracked by more than 174,000 fans on Facebook and 10,700 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $317 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 features the 2023 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa season through June 3. Remington Park presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.