TRAINER TREY WOOD WIN EIGHT OF 10 REMINGTON PARK TRAINING RACES

by Richard Linihan

OKLAHOMA CITY – February 22, 2024 – Trainer Trey Wood and his 2-year-old horses put on quite a show Thursday at Remington Park, winning eight of the 10 carded training races on the day. He had a total of 11 horses entered

Wood wasn’t surprised by the results.

“I really thought we had a bunch of good ones in today,” he said.

Wood had won 2-of-11 training races on Wednesday, to give his barn 10 winners over the past two days in schooling races predominantly meant for 2-year-old American Quarter Horses, Paints and Appaloosas preparing for the upcoming race meet here. The Remington Park spring season starts Thursday, March 7.

Oddly enough, the two winning horses that weren’t trained by Trey Wood, were the two fastest horses of the day. Surprisingly, a Paint named Painted to Be Quick, who won the second race of the day, beat all the times of the Quarter Horse winners on Thursday. It’s rare that that is the case. Painted to Be Quick, trained by Matt Whitekiller, posted the early time of :13.549 seconds for 250 yards and no one in the following eight races could match or better that time. Painted to Be Quick, a 2-year-old filly by multiple World Champion Painted Turnpike, out of the CRM Livewire mare Quick to the Wire, earned an 82 speed index.

The fastest Quarter Horse of the day was in the seventh race when the Dee Keener-trained Finn McOol, ridden by jockey Roman Cruz, posted a time of :13.584 in his win for an 80 speed index.

Painted to Be Quick and Finn McOol were the only two horses to get speed indexes of 80 or better on the day. Painted to Be Quick had a 16 mph tailwind in her race with the temperature hovering at 58 degrees with a fast track. Finn McOol, a 2-year-old colt by KVN Corona from the Apollitical Jess broodmare Fenian Faith, is a California-bred and raced at 67 degrees with an 18 mph tailwind. Fenian Faith posted four wins in her racing career, with a second in the Remington Park Challenge in 2020 as her top stakes showing. She earned $83,970.

Roman Cruz was in the irons for Keener, who was last year’s leading trainer at Remington Park.

Wood’s fastest winner of the day was Xpress Lane, ridden by Ricky Ramirez in the last race of the day, the 10^th. Xpress Lane is a 2-year-old colt by Foose, out of the A Classic Dash mare Classic Sassy Chic. Xpress Lane was a $53,000 purchase in the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale last year.

Another one of Wood’s starters Thursday was a $240,000 purchase at the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders’ Association Yearling Sale last year. That was Famous Train in the sixth, a 2-year-old colt by Freighttrain B, out of the Corona Cartel mare Famous Corona Lady.

Famous Booty, a filly send out by Wood that didn’t win race seven, was bought for $290,000 in the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale. She ran second to Finn McOol, just barely beaten. As a matter of fact, the three horses that didn’t win for Wood on Thursday, all ran second in their races. His barn is loaded with youngsters.

Here’s a rundown of all the training race winners on Thursday (Quarter Horses and all 2-year-olds unless otherwise noted), their times (in order from fastest to slowest winners), speed index, trainers and race number were:

• Painted to Be Quick (Paint), :13.549, 82, Matt Whitekiller, race two
• Finn McOol, :13.584, 80, Dee Keener, race seven
• Xpress Lane, :13.658, 77, Trey Wood, race 10
• Checkered Flag, :13.754, 73, Trey Wood, race nine
• Evidenz, :13.734, 74, Trey Wood, race eight
• Moon Knight, :13.742, 74, Trey Wood, race four
• Famous Train, :13.778, 72, Trey Wood, race six
• Princess Hadley, :13.788, 72, Trey Wood, race three
• Gold Quions (3YO filly), :13.819, 71, Trey Wood, race one
• Harlow Snow, :14.020, 63, Trey Wood, race five

Remington Park training races, which provide trainers an opportunity to gain experience for their horses before they race in a real pari-mutuel event, will continue on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

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Remington Park has provided more than $344 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 2024 racing schedule begins Thursday, March 7, as the American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season starts its 50-date season. 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.