AQHA DISTANCE CHAMPION FOR 2021, WASCALLYWITTLEWABBIT, MAKES 2022 DEBUT A WINNING ONE IN PAULS VALLEY STAKES
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – April 1, 2022 – Wascallywittlewabbit was the American Quarter Horse Association Distance Champion for 2021, putting together a campaign of 870-yard wins in which he was virtually unbeatable. He began his defense of that title with a victory in Thursday night’s $50,880 Pauls Valley Stakes.
Wascallywittlewabbit had a few things working against him, coming into this stakes race at Remington Park. He lost his regular rider Benito Baca, who retired this year. He ran poorly in his debut in Oklahoma City last year, managing only a fourth-place finish after a layoff. Finally, he was facing a multiple stakes winner, Shockinglyfamous, who had just won his first try around the hook at 870 yards by more than seven lengths. In fact, even though that race wasn’t in stakes company, the public sent Shockinglyfamous off as the favorite at 4-5 odds against the country’s top turn horse.
None of it mattered as Wascallywittlewabbit, from the rail post-position, was first out of the gate, negotiated the turn with ease, and jockey Josh Romero, aboard him for the first time, locked down on him at the end. The 7-year-old gelding by Heza Motor Scooter, out of the Rabbits Rainbow mare Rabbits N Diamonds, drew off to win by 3-1/2 lengths. He was the even-money second choice and paid $4 to win, $2.10 to place and $2.10 to show.
Wascallywittlewabbit had shown trainer Michael Joiner and owner Rogers Farm (Jarett Rogers) of Clint, Texas, that he was indeed ready with two workouts in the morning at Remington Park of :34.53 breezing for 660 yards on March 5, the bullet (fastest work of the day) and a :34.56 handily from the gate work follow-up on March 19. Most of the faster horses that have worked that distance this meet have checked in at about 36-seconds.
“He’s such a cool little horse,” said Joiner. “We are fortunate to have him. He even makes me look like I can train a little.”
Wascallywittlewabbit won at 870 yards for the sixth time in his past seven tries. To garner his award as best hook horse in the country last year, he won this race, the Pauls Valley Stakes to get things going, and then took home trophies from the $64,000 Remington Park Distance Championship on May 29, followed by the $50,000 Zia 870 Championship on Aug. 28 at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico and last, but certainly not least, the $104,000 Challenge Distance Championship at the Downs at Albuquerque, on Oct. 23 to finish the year. He also sandwiched an allowance win along the way at Ruidoso.
Shockinglyfamous checked in second in this year’s Pauls Valley, clear of third-place finisher Bubba Bad (7-1), another 2-1/4 lengths back.
Running time for Wascallywittlewabbit was :45.08 over the fast track for a 97 speed index. Wascallywittlewabbit earned $29,946 from the purse to push his record to 23 starts, 12 wins, and two second for a bankroll of $312,046. It was his 11th win in 17 starts at 870 yards and his fourth trip to the winner’s circle in five tries at Remington Park.
“I chased him all year long last year (aboard other horses) and couldn’t catch him,” said Romero. “It was nice to get the mount this year. He broke decent from the gate, but I think he can do even better. But once he got to the lead, he pricked those ears forward and took care of business.”
It was the second year in a row Wascallywittlewabbit won this race, matching the number of wins for Joiner and Rogers Farms. The Pauls Valley Stakes is named after the town of the same name, located about one hour south of Remington Park.
Live racing continues Friday and Saturday night at 6 p.m. with 11 trials on tap each night for 2-year-old Oklahoma-bred Quarter Horses trying to qualify for the finals of the restricted Grade 1, $973,665 Remington Park Futurity that will be run on Saturday, April 16. The top five fastest times from each night will qualify as the 10 finalists.
•••••
Tracked by more than 168,000 fans on Facebook and 10,600 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $286 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 will feature the richest futurity for state-breds, the $925,000 (estimated) Remington Park Futurity on April 16. Simulcast horse is racing featured daily at Remington Park where the casino is always open! Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
𝑶𝑲𝑳𝑨𝑯𝑶𝑴𝑨 𝑪𝑰𝑻𝒀, 𝑶𝑲 – 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 wasn’t expected to win his 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 on Thursday at Remington Park; he was a longshot at 15-1 odds. He certainly was the surprise of the night when he was the 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆, cementing a spot in the finals of this 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝟏 $𝟏,𝟏𝟔𝟏,𝟎𝟏𝟎 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟑𝟏.
The Heritage Place Futurity is the cornerstone 350-yard race for 2-year-old American Quarter Horses, and is one of the most heralded futurities in the country annually. The fastest five horses from 13 trials on Thursday and the five fastest of 13 more trials on Friday will make up the field of 10 finalists for the million-dollar race.
In the fifth trial Thursday, Calling Chicks, a beautiful gray gelding by Eyesa Cashing Teller, out of the Fly Jess Fly mare Call Me Paratus, broke on top early under 𝐣𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐳 and never was headed. He looked more like 1-5 than 15-1 as he opened up to a three-quarters length victory in his heat. When he hit the line in :17.438 seconds, earning, a 95 speed-index on the fast track. It turned out to be the fastest time of the night, despite there being eight more trials to run. It was run with a slight tailwind behind him, virtually the same speed for every race Thursday night, between 5-8 mph.
No one could have expected this from a horse that had run fourth and fifth in his first two starts. The key, however, was that his first two tries came against futurity trial company, not maidens. In his first start for 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐲, Calling Chicks raced on a sloppy track in the Oklahoma Futurity trials and finished 1-1/4 lengths behind the eventual winner of the Remington Park Futurity – Flying Joy 1. The next time out, Calling Chicks faced Remington Park Futurity trial horses and could do no better than fifth, beaten 1-1/2 lengths. His speed index that night over a muddy track (90) was certainly good enough to win a trial for the Heritage Place and that’s just what he did on Thursday as the fastest qualifier. It was also the first time Calling Chicks had raced over a fast track. Possibly another determining factor as well.
Calling Chicks, 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐛𝐲 𝐃𝐫. 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡, broke his maiden in this trial and put a smile on the face of 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐇 𝐄 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐇𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚) 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚. He paid $32.60 to win, $10.60 to place and $3.80 to show across the board. Cruz, last year’s top rider at Remington Park for the first time, had ridden Calling Chicks in his first race, was off in the second start and then got back on him Thursday for one more chance. It paid off. It’s amazing that a horse that has earned only $9,649 in three starts, has a shot at winning a large portion of a million-dollar purse in three weeks, but that is the case. If that isn’t enough to make a great story, it must also be pointed out that the owner bought Calling Chicks for $8,000 from the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale in 2024.
Other than Calling Chicks, the fastest of the five qualifiers from Thursday night were (with jockey, trainer, trial number, times and speed index): • DR Americas Dynasty, Juan Pulido, Marco Chavez-Gutierrez, trial four, :17.481, 94 • Hawkeye Vision, Joseph Belloc, Jr., James J. Gonzales III, trial four, :17.507, 93 • Jess Flash the Cash, Ramiro Garcia, Jason Olmstead, trial five, :17.548, 92 • Effortless Favorite, Francisco Ramirez, Jr., Jason Olmstead, trial nine, :17.561, 91
It was a great night of training for conditioners Marco Chavez-Gutierrez and Jason Olmstead. Chavez-Gutierrez might trade his night with Olmstead’s, even though the former won two more races than latter. Any other night, a training quadruple would have been an incredible evening of racing, but none of Chavez-Gutierrez’s four winners qualified for the finals of the Heritage Place Futurity.
Olmstead’s two winners did qualify. One of Chavez-Gutierrez’s winners, Apollirevenge, was the last eliminated from the bubble on the night. He lasted until Effortless Favorite won the ninth trial in a slightly faster time. Apollirevenge covered his 350 yards in :17.595 in the third trial, just three-hundredths of a second slower than the last finalist.
••••
Remington Park has provided more than $377 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 year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. The 2025 American Quarter Horse Season, features the $1,000,000 Heritage Place Futurity on May 31, the final night of this meet. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
Photo: Calling Chicks (1) wins the fifth trial of the evening on Thursday, May 8, 2025 at Remington Park to post the top 350-yard qualifying time on the first night of trials for the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity. The final will be held on May 31. 📸: Dustin Orona Photography... ’Expand’See Less
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AQHA DISTANCE CHAMPION FOR 2021, WASCALLYWITTLEWABBIT, MAKES 2022 DEBUT A WINNING ONE IN PAULS VALLEY STAKES
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – April 1, 2022 – Wascallywittlewabbit was the American Quarter Horse Association Distance Champion for 2021, putting together a campaign of 870-yard wins in which he was virtually unbeatable. He began his defense of that title with a victory in Thursday night’s $50,880 Pauls Valley Stakes.
Wascallywittlewabbit had a few things working against him, coming into this stakes race at Remington Park. He lost his regular rider Benito Baca, who retired this year. He ran poorly in his debut in Oklahoma City last year, managing only a fourth-place finish after a layoff. Finally, he was facing a multiple stakes winner, Shockinglyfamous, who had just won his first try around the hook at 870 yards by more than seven lengths. In fact, even though that race wasn’t in stakes company, the public sent Shockinglyfamous off as the favorite at 4-5 odds against the country’s top turn horse.
None of it mattered as Wascallywittlewabbit, from the rail post-position, was first out of the gate, negotiated the turn with ease, and jockey Josh Romero, aboard him for the first time, locked down on him at the end. The 7-year-old gelding by Heza Motor Scooter, out of the Rabbits Rainbow mare Rabbits N Diamonds, drew off to win by 3-1/2 lengths. He was the even-money second choice and paid $4 to win, $2.10 to place and $2.10 to show.
Wascallywittlewabbit had shown trainer Michael Joiner and owner Rogers Farm (Jarett Rogers) of Clint, Texas, that he was indeed ready with two workouts in the morning at Remington Park of :34.53 breezing for 660 yards on March 5, the bullet (fastest work of the day) and a :34.56 handily from the gate work follow-up on March 19. Most of the faster horses that have worked that distance this meet have checked in at about 36-seconds.
Wascallywittlewabbit won at 870 yards for the sixth time in his past seven tries. To garner his award as best hook horse in the country last year, he won this race, the Pauls Valley Stakes to get things going, and then took home trophies from the $64,000 Remington Park Distance Championship on May 29, followed by the $50,000 Zia 870 Championship on Aug. 28 at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico and last, but certainly not least, the $104,000 Challenge Distance Championship at the Downs at Albuquerque, on Oct. 23 to finish the year. He also sandwiched an allowance win along the way at Ruidoso.
Shockinglyfamous checked in second in this year’s Pauls Valley, clear of third-place finisher Bubba Bad (7-1), another 2-1/4 lengths back.
Running time for Wascallywittlewabbit was :45.08 over the fast track for a 97 speed index. Wascallywittlewabbit earned $29,946 from the purse to push his record to 23 starts, 12 wins, and two second for a bankroll of $312,046. It was his 11th win in 17 starts at 870 yards and his fourth trip to the winner’s circle in five tries at Remington Park.
“I chased him all year long last year (aboard other horses) and couldn’t catch him,” said Romero. “It was nice to get the mount this year. He broke decent from the gate, but I think he can do even better. But once he got to the lead, he pricked those ears forward and took care of business.”
It was the second year in a row Wascallywittlewabbit won this race, matching the number of wins for Joiner and Rogers Farms. The Pauls Valley Stakes is named after the town of the same name, located about one hour south of Remington Park.
Live racing continues Friday and Saturday night at 6 p.m. with 11 trials on tap each night for 2-year-old Oklahoma-bred Quarter Horses trying to qualify for the finals of the restricted Grade 1, $973,665 Remington Park Futurity that will be run on Saturday, April 16. The top five fastest times from each night will qualify as the 10 finalists.
•••••
Tracked by more than 168,000 fans on Facebook and 10,600 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $286 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 will feature the richest futurity for state-breds, the $925,000 (estimated) Remington Park Futurity on April 16. Simulcast horse is racing featured daily at Remington Park where the casino is always open! Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
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𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐑, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐃
By Richard Linihan
𝑶𝑲𝑳𝑨𝑯𝑶𝑴𝑨 𝑪𝑰𝑻𝒀, 𝑶𝑲 – 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 wasn’t expected to win his 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 on Thursday at Remington Park; he was a longshot at 15-1 odds. He certainly was the surprise of the night when he was the 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆, cementing a spot in the finals of this 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝟏 $𝟏,𝟏𝟔𝟏,𝟎𝟏𝟎 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟑𝟏.
The Heritage Place Futurity is the cornerstone 350-yard race for 2-year-old American Quarter Horses, and is one of the most heralded futurities in the country annually. The fastest five horses from 13 trials on Thursday and the five fastest of 13 more trials on Friday will make up the field of 10 finalists for the million-dollar race.
In the fifth trial Thursday, Calling Chicks, a beautiful gray gelding by Eyesa Cashing Teller, out of the Fly Jess Fly mare Call Me Paratus, broke on top early under 𝐣𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐳 and never was headed. He looked more like 1-5 than 15-1 as he opened up to a three-quarters length victory in his heat. When he hit the line in :17.438 seconds, earning, a 95 speed-index on the fast track. It turned out to be the fastest time of the night, despite there being eight more trials to run. It was run with a slight tailwind behind him, virtually the same speed for every race Thursday night, between 5-8 mph.
No one could have expected this from a horse that had run fourth and fifth in his first two starts. The key, however, was that his first two tries came against futurity trial company, not maidens. In his first start for 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐲, Calling Chicks raced on a sloppy track in the Oklahoma Futurity trials and finished 1-1/4 lengths behind the eventual winner of the Remington Park Futurity – Flying Joy 1. The next time out, Calling Chicks faced Remington Park Futurity trial horses and could do no better than fifth, beaten 1-1/2 lengths. His speed index that night over a muddy track (90) was certainly good enough to win a trial for the Heritage Place and that’s just what he did on Thursday as the fastest qualifier. It was also the first time Calling Chicks had raced over a fast track. Possibly another determining factor as well.
Calling Chicks, 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐛𝐲 𝐃𝐫. 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡, broke his maiden in this trial and put a smile on the face of 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐇 𝐄 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐇𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚) 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚. He paid $32.60 to win, $10.60 to place and $3.80 to show across the board. Cruz, last year’s top rider at Remington Park for the first time, had ridden Calling Chicks in his first race, was off in the second start and then got back on him Thursday for one more chance. It paid off. It’s amazing that a horse that has earned only $9,649 in three starts, has a shot at winning a large portion of a million-dollar purse in three weeks, but that is the case. If that isn’t enough to make a great story, it must also be pointed out that the owner bought Calling Chicks for $8,000 from the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale in 2024.
Other than Calling Chicks, the fastest of the five qualifiers from Thursday night were (with jockey, trainer, trial number, times and speed index):
• DR Americas Dynasty, Juan Pulido, Marco Chavez-Gutierrez, trial four, :17.481, 94
• Hawkeye Vision, Joseph Belloc, Jr., James J. Gonzales III,
trial four, :17.507, 93
• Jess Flash the Cash, Ramiro Garcia, Jason Olmstead,
trial five, :17.548, 92
• Effortless Favorite, Francisco Ramirez, Jr., Jason Olmstead,
trial nine, :17.561, 91
It was a great night of training for conditioners Marco Chavez-Gutierrez and Jason Olmstead. Chavez-Gutierrez might trade his night with Olmstead’s, even though the former won two more races than latter. Any other night, a training quadruple would have been an incredible evening of racing, but none of Chavez-Gutierrez’s four winners qualified for the finals of the Heritage Place Futurity.
Olmstead’s two winners did qualify. One of Chavez-Gutierrez’s winners, Apollirevenge, was the last eliminated from the bubble on the night. He lasted until Effortless Favorite won the ninth trial in a slightly faster time. Apollirevenge covered his 350 yards in :17.595 in the third trial, just three-hundredths of a second slower than the last finalist.
••••
Remington Park has provided more than $377 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 year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. The 2025 American Quarter Horse Season, features the $1,000,000 Heritage Place Futurity on May 31, the final night of this meet. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
Photo: Calling Chicks (1) wins the fifth trial of the evening on Thursday, May 8, 2025 at Remington Park to post the top 350-yard qualifying time on the first night of trials for the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity. The final will be held on May 31. 📸: Dustin Orona Photography ... ’Expand’See Less
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