COWBOY BLUE Z DAZZLES IN SOPHOMORE DEBUT WITH FASTEST TIME OF OKLAHOMA DERBY TRIALS AT REMINGTON PARK

by Richard Linihan

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – March 8, 2025 – Cowboy Blue Z made his first appearance as a 3-year-old  a sparkling one in the trials for the Grade 3, $219,635 Oklahoma Derby as the fastest runner of the day in the eight heats Sunday at Remington Park.

The finals for the Oklahoma Derby are scheduled for Saturday, March 22, and jockey Francisco Calderon will have a decision to make. He not only qualified the quickest of the day, Cowboy Blue Z for trainer Michael Joiner, but Calderon also locked in the third-fastest. That was Apollitical Muse, conditioned by Jed Vane. Cowboy Blue Z stopped the timer for 350 yards in :17.364 seconds over a fast track while Apollitical Muse checked in at :17.631. The former recorded a 97 speed index while the latter had an 89. Calderon also got Tempt Me Sass into the final field as the ninth-fastest.

Trainer Raul Ramirez had a training double with two qualifiers – Apollitical Time (fourth fastest) and Nine One Won, who was in a three-way tie for sixth as three horses had the exact same time of :17.692. Four of the top five qualifiers came from the same race – six, trial four. Only Apollitical Muse came out of a different heat in race seven, trial five. The wind was an inconsequential factor during the trials with a slight tailwind blowing throughout.

Cowboy Blue Z, a sophomore colt by Flying Cowboy 123, out of the PYC Paint Your Wagon mare Indescribably Blue, showed some promise last year at Remington Park, Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico, and Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. As a juvenile, Cowboy Blue Z won a trial for the $502,000 Oklahoma Futurity. He ran fourth in the final, losing by only a length to Joose Box. After his stay in Oklahoma City, the colt moved on to Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico where he won a Ruidoso Futurity trial on May 24, but did not qualify for the final. At Lone Star Park on Oct. 25 he ran second in a trial for the $921,000 Texas Classic Futurity, losing by a half-length, but didn’t fare well in the finals, running seventh, well beaten. He had not raced in more than three months when he showed up like a million dollars in Sunday’s trials.

Cowboy Blue Z was purchased for $120,000 by owner West Texas Racing Partners (Joe Dee Brooks) of Levelland, Texas, from the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale in 2023. He has almost made his purchase price back now with a bankroll of $100,289 after the trial win. He has a race record of nine starts, four wins and one second.

The 10 fastest runners in Sunday’s six trials for 3-year-old American Quarter Horses at 350 yards (with jockey, trainer, trial number (race number), times and speed index were:

• Cowboy Blue Z, Francisco Calderon, Michael Joiner, trial four (race six), :17.364, 97
• Rocker S, Ramiro Garcia, Rodrigo Covarrubias, trial four (race six), :17.451, 95
• Apollitical Muse, Francisco Calderon, Jed Vane, trial five (race seven), :17.631, 89
• Apollitical Time, Ali Rivera, Raul Ramirez, trial four (race six), :17.664, 89
• AJs Flashnthachicks, Ricky Ramirez, Trey Wood, trial four (race six), :17.672, 88
• Nine One Won, Mario Delgado, Raul Ramirez, trial six (race eight), :17.692, 88
• Fairlea Flyin, Jimmy Brooks, Eddie Lee Willis, trial four (race six), :17.692, 88
• Baby Ruth, Edwin Escobedo, Luis Villafranco, trial two (race four), :17.692, 88
• Tempt Me Sass, Francisco Calderon, James J. Gonzales III, trial six (race eight), :17.696, 88
• Beast N Me, Edwin Escobedo, Joe Davis, trial five (race seven), :17.719, 87

Remington Park racing continues Thursday-Sunday, March 13-16 with the first race nightly at 6pm. Sunday racing begins at 4pm. All times are Central.

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Remington Park has provided more than $376 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 historic 84^th edition of the Oklahoma Futurity on Saturday, March 22. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.