CREAM RISES TO TOP IN SHORT RACES DURING EXTREME RACE DAY, STAKES WINNERS CORONA RELENTLESS, QUEEN FOR CASH WIN

by Richard Linihan

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – April 21, 2024 – On a day when the extreme was the theme of the day with ostriches, zebras, turtles, camels and Clydesdales making it to the winner’s circle, it was more the normalcy that ruled in the horse races.

Stakes winners Corona Relentless and Queen for Cash prevailed in their respective races giving some regularity to the atmosphere, but each doing it at the extreme distance of 110 yards. Neither winner had ever raced at that distance, but class held up.

Corona Relentless, a 6-year-old American Quarter Horse mare at 3-5 odds, had no problem adjusting to the shorter distance in the fifth race, winning by a head, covering the distance in :6.92 for a speed index of 100. Her winning time, with jockey Roman Cruz up, was just a blink of an eye short of the track record of :6.784 set by Jakes Charming Jody on May 25, 2012. It was one of three wins on the day for Cruz, who moved into a tie for first place in the jockeys’ standings along with Ali Rivera with 22 wins apiece. He won with Corona Relentless for owner Roberto Zuniga-Rios of Tulsa, Okla., and trainer Marla Vargas. Corona Relentless was bred in Louisiana by Eddie Cramer and Tom and Bill Maher. She is a daughter of Hes Relentless, out of the Corona Cartel mare Coronas Concierge.

This win made it the 21^st time in 30 races that Corona Relentless had run first or second and her fifth trip to the winner’s circle in her last six starts. She earned $17,292 from the allowance purse of $29,450 and improved her career marks to 30 starts, 11 wins, 10 places and one third for $157,455 in earnings. The winner paid $3.20 to win, $2.60 to place and $2.10 to show.  She won the race by a head over runner-up Major Game (5-1), who was another half-length ahead of third-place finisher Flyght Song (4-1).

In an earlier allowance race for Paints and Appaloosas, it was the queen of the Apps, Queen for Cash, doing what she does best. She won the third race on the card, trying 110 yards for the first time in her career. Didn’t matter. The multiple stakes winner hit the wire first for the sixth time in her last eight races to prove her class was the best. It was her first win of this race meet, but she has now won 7-of-18 tries at Remington Park.

This daughter of Hes Relentless (QH), out of the Ivory James (QH) mare Ivory Queen, was ridden to victory by Rolando Raudales, who also won the extreme ostrich race on the card aboard Oscar for the Remington Park charity, Citizens Caring for Children.  Jesus Ruiz trains this Queen for Cash for owner Gary Vaughan of Coalgate, Okla.

Queen for Cash, at 3-1 odds, won her race by a head over RP Reckless Wire (6-1), who was a head in front of third-place finisher Turnpikes Judy (5-1). The betting favorite, Over the Shock (7-5), checked in fourth, yet another head behind. Raudales booted home this winning App in a time of :6.874 seconds for a 105 speed-index, getting the distance in even a faster time than Corona Relentless.

She paid $8.80 to win, $4.20 to place and $3.20 to show. Queen for Cash improved to 29 starts, 14 wins, two seconds and three thirds for lifetime earnings of $186,182. She won $10,530 in this allowance field. The winner was bred in Oklahoma by the owner.

A large sun-drenched crowd was on hand Sunday for the 15^th Extreme Race Day, featuring camels, ostriches, zebras and more. The event is annually the largest attendance day of the season at Remington Park and is presented in conjunction with the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association.

Remington Park racing continues Thursday through Sunday, April 25-28. The first post time is 6 p.m. nightly with the exception of Sunday when the first race goes off at 4 p.m.

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Remington Park has provided more than $347 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 Futurity for Oklahoma-breds is featured on April 27. The 2024 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season continues through June 1. 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.