ANNA BELLE WINS FIRST STAKES OF HER CAREER IN FL LADY BUG STAKES AT REMINGTON PARK

by Richard Linihan

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – May 25, 2024 – Sometimes it can be a wonderful thing when one listens to his instincts. It worked for horse owner Tom Smith as he watched Anna Belle win the first stakes race of her career in the $70,000 FL Lady Bugs Stakes on Saturday night at Remington Park.

Tom and Lou Ann Smith of Barnsdall, Okla., saw this 2-year-old filly at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale last year in New Mexico and he said he just had a hunch. So, he laid out $22,000 for her at the sale and she won $39,000 Saturday from her first stakes purse. Anna Belle has now won two of three starts and finished second in her other one for a bankroll of $56,051.

Trainer Jason Olmstead sent Anna Belle out with Jorge Torres in the saddle for the first time and she paid dividends with her big run, winning the 350-yard race by a head. Anna Belle is a juvenile daughter of Uncle D, out of the One Famous Eagle mare Maghelene, and Tom Smith liked everything about that. Olmstead had trained Maghelene in her race career and Smith loved the fact she was a part of Uncle D’s first crop of racehorses. Uncle D had run second in the Grade 1, $1 million Heritage Place Futurity in 2019 and then went on to win the Grade 1 Rainbow Futurity at Ruidoso Downs.

“I spotted her in the (sale) book and there was just something about her,” Smith said. “I’m new at this game as an owner, but we are blessed and we’re just having fun.”

Anna Belle (7-2) stopped the timer in :18.016 for an 80 speed-index on the fast track. It was the first win in this stakes series for all connections. She was bred in Oklahoma by Bollenbach Farms.

Torres said he wasn’t totally unfamiliar with Anna Belle despite getting on her back for the first time in an official race.

“I had seen her before,” said Torres. “I was around her a lot after she got broke. I had been on her before (she began racing). She was incredible tonight. She just kept going.”

Losing the heartbreak photo in second was Coronita KO (7-2) with jockey Edwin Escobedo in the saddle for trainer Leo Alcala. Escobedo had ridden Anna Belle in her previous two starts. Jessa Corona Peach (31-1) checked in third for a nice $208.45 trifecta on a 50-cent wager. Anna Belle returned to her backers $9.40 to win, $2.60 to place and $3.40 to show.

The rest of the order of finish for the FL Lady Bug Stakes was Ruth D (9-1) fourth, Thereturnofthecartel (3-1 favorite) fifth, Brisa de Mar (6-1) sixth, Flying Nova 123 (4-1) seventh, Miss Patricia (38-1) eighth, BV She Can Fly (31-1) ninth and Im That Lucky Penny (27-1) 10^th.

The FL Lady Bug Stakes is for 2-year-old Oklahoma-bred fillies. FL Lady Bug was a prominent broodmare and American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame inductee. She was owned by Hall of Fame owners and breeders Marvin and Lela Barnes of Ada, Okla.

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Remington Park has provided more than $349 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 presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. The Remington Park 2024 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season continues through June 1 with the biggest racing program of the season. The Champions Night boasts total purses in excess of $2,000,000, led by the $1,000,000 Heritage Place Futurity. Parking and admission are always free. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.