IMA FANCY EYE OPENER GIVES TRAINER RHONDA VALDIVIA SECOND BLACK-TYPE WIN OF MEET, TAKING MR MASTER BUG STAKES
by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – April 20, 2025 – Horse racing enthusiasts have long been using the adage of betting the gray horses in the mud and going home with loads of cash in their wallets because of it. On Saturday, Ima Fancy Eye Opener, did nothing to lessen the beliefs of those who cling to superstition.
As the only gray horse in a field of 10 horses in the Mr Master Bug Stakes, the 3-year-old gelding, took the lead out of the gate, stretched it out to a half-length in mid-stretch and then held on for the victory by a neck as the 5-2 second favorite. It was a mild upset over the heavy 1-2 favorite Curls Magic Wagon as that one was the runner-up, only a head in front of the appropriately named Lews Muddybuddy (42-1) on this storm-laden night of racing.
Jockey Bryan Candanosa won his second stakes of the night, he had earlier won the Bob Moore Memorial with Heavens Uncle.
Ima Fancy Eye Opener became the first double-stakes winner of the meet, winning the Mighty Deck Three by three-quarters of a length on March 9 here. Candanosa was the pilot for trainer Rhonda Valdivia in both stakes scores. When Ima Fancy Eye Opener won the Mighty Deck Three, not only was it Valdivia’s first win ever at Remington Park, but also her first stakes win. She started training American Quarter Horses last summer at Fair Meadows in Tulsa and was the leading trainer there for that breed.
Ima Fancy Eye Opener earned $42,000 from the purse for owners Shania and Terry Dale Cox of Sallisaw, Okla. Valdivia also bred this winner in Oklahoma. The winner is a 3-year-old gelded son of Im a Fancy PYC, out of the Mr Eye Opener mare Lil Miss Eye Opener. The gelding paid $7.20 to win, $2.60 to place and $2.20 to show.
This was the first win in the Mr Master Bug Stakes series for all the connections.
After the top three, the rest of the order of finish was Luie the First (14-1) fourth, Iteas Jessy (41-1) fifth, Okie Power (26-1) sixth, Anna Belle (51-1) seventh, Relentless Pursuit (10-1) eighth, My Fancy Corona (36-1) ninth and Cedar Hill (68-1) 10th.
Ima Fancy Eye Opener winning time for the race was :16.413 seconds for 330-yards over the sloppy track.
The Mr Master Bug Stakes is named after the 1982 All American Futurity winner who was bred and owned by Marvin and Lela Barnes of Ada, Okla. Mr Master Bug earned American Quarter Horse Champion honors in three consecutive years from 1982-1984 and retired with more than $1.7 million in earnings.
••••
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.
𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦 & 𝗧𝗥𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐒 ✔️ Funds must be in the owner’s account at the time of entry for schooling races ✔️ Horse registration papers must be on file in the office at the time of entry ✔️ Schooling race fee: $125.00 per horse
💰 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀: • Personal check • Cashier’s check • Cash • Bank wire transfer 🚫 Credit cards are NOT accepted
📬 If you are mailing funds, please allow adequate time for postal delivery. Funds must be posted to the specific owner account that owns the schooling horse at the time of entry.
🤝 Partnerships: If the horse is owned by a partnership, please be sure the bookkeeper knows which partnership account the funds should be deposited into.
For questions or to coordinate deposits, please contact: Gedda Quinonez, Horsemen’s Bookkeeper One Remington Place, Oklahoma City, OK 73111 📞 405-419-4424 (Direct) 📧horsemensbookkeeper@remingtonpark.com ... ’Expand’See Less
✔️ Funds must be in the owner’s account at the time of entry for schooling races ✔️ Horse registration papers must be on file in the office at the time of entry ✔️ Schooling race fee: $125.00 per horse
💰 Accepted payment methods: • Personal check • Cashier’s check • Cash • Bank wire transfer 🚫 Credit cards are NOT accepted
📬 If you are mailing funds, please allow adequate time for postal delivery. Funds must be posted to the specific owner account that owns the schooling horse at the time of entry.
🤝 Partnerships: If the horse is owned by a partnership, please be sure the bookkeeper knows which partnership account the funds should be deposited into.
For questions or to coordinate deposits, please contact: Gedda Quinonez Horsemen’s Bookkeeper One Remington Place Oklahoma City, OK 73111 📞 405-419-4424 (Direct) Horsemensbookkeeper@remingtonpark.com ... ’Expand’See Less
Horses for in the Oklahoma Trials MUST be hair tested by this Thursday 2/12. Schedule ASAP but no later than noon the day before (405) 881-5120 ... ’Expand’See Less
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: OQHRA. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
IMA FANCY EYE OPENER GIVES TRAINER RHONDA VALDIVIA SECOND BLACK-TYPE WIN OF MEET, TAKING MR MASTER BUG STAKES
by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – April 20, 2025 – Horse racing enthusiasts have long been using the adage of betting the gray horses in the mud and going home with loads of cash in their wallets because of it. On Saturday, Ima Fancy Eye Opener, did nothing to lessen the beliefs of those who cling to superstition.
As the only gray horse in a field of 10 horses in the Mr Master Bug Stakes, the 3-year-old gelding, took the lead out of the gate, stretched it out to a half-length in mid-stretch and then held on for the victory by a neck as the 5-2 second favorite. It was a mild upset over the heavy 1-2 favorite Curls Magic Wagon as that one was the runner-up, only a head in front of the appropriately named Lews Muddybuddy (42-1) on this storm-laden night of racing.
Jockey Bryan Candanosa won his second stakes of the night, he had earlier won the Bob Moore Memorial with Heavens Uncle.
Ima Fancy Eye Opener became the first double-stakes winner of the meet, winning the Mighty Deck Three by three-quarters of a length on March 9 here. Candanosa was the pilot for trainer Rhonda Valdivia in both stakes scores. When Ima Fancy Eye Opener won the Mighty Deck Three, not only was it Valdivia’s first win ever at Remington Park, but also her first stakes win. She started training American Quarter Horses last summer at Fair Meadows in Tulsa and was the leading trainer there for that breed.
Ima Fancy Eye Opener earned $42,000 from the purse for owners Shania and Terry Dale Cox of Sallisaw, Okla. Valdivia also bred this winner in Oklahoma. The winner is a 3-year-old gelded son of Im a Fancy PYC, out of the Mr Eye Opener mare Lil Miss Eye Opener. The gelding paid $7.20 to win, $2.60 to place and $2.20 to show.
This was the first win in the Mr Master Bug Stakes series for all the connections.
After the top three, the rest of the order of finish was Luie the First (14-1) fourth, Iteas Jessy (41-1) fifth, Okie Power (26-1) sixth, Anna Belle (51-1) seventh, Relentless Pursuit (10-1) eighth, My Fancy Corona (36-1) ninth and Cedar Hill (68-1) 10th.
Ima Fancy Eye Opener winning time for the race was :16.413 seconds for 330-yards over the sloppy track.
The Mr Master Bug Stakes is named after the 1982 All American Futurity winner who was bred and owned by Marvin and Lela Barnes of Ada, Okla. Mr Master Bug earned American Quarter Horse Champion honors in three consecutive years from 1982-1984 and retired with more than $1.7 million in earnings.
••••
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.
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𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒
Wednesday, February 11 ↠ bit.ly/TROvernight-021126
Thursday, February 12 ↠ bit.ly/TROvernight-021226
(𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 11:00𝘢𝘮)
𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦 & 𝗧𝗥𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐒
✔️ Funds must be in the owner’s account at the time of entry for schooling races
✔️ Horse registration papers must be on file in the office at the time of entry
✔️ Schooling race fee: $125.00 per horse
💰 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀:
• Personal check
• Cashier’s check
• Cash
• Bank wire transfer
🚫 Credit cards are NOT accepted
📬 If you are mailing funds, please allow adequate time for postal delivery. Funds must be posted to the specific owner account that owns the schooling horse at the time of entry.
🤝 Partnerships:
If the horse is owned by a partnership, please be sure the bookkeeper knows which partnership account the funds should be deposited into.
For questions or to coordinate deposits, please contact:
Gedda Quinonez, Horsemen’s Bookkeeper
One Remington Place, Oklahoma City, OK 73111
📞 405-419-4424 (Direct)
📧horsemensbookkeeper@remingtonpark.com ... ’Expand’See Less
33 minutes ago
Comment on Facebook
Schooling Race Reminder for Owners and Trainers
✔️ Funds must be in the owner’s account at the time of entry for schooling races
✔️ Horse registration papers must be on file in the office at the time of entry
✔️ Schooling race fee: $125.00 per horse
💰 Accepted payment methods:
• Personal check
• Cashier’s check
• Cash
• Bank wire transfer
🚫 Credit cards are NOT accepted
📬 If you are mailing funds, please allow adequate time for postal delivery. Funds must be posted to the specific owner account that owns the schooling horse at the time of entry.
🤝 Partnerships:
If the horse is owned by a partnership, please be sure the bookkeeper knows which partnership account the funds should be deposited into.
For questions or to coordinate deposits, please contact:
Gedda Quinonez
Horsemen’s Bookkeeper
One Remington Place
Oklahoma City, OK 73111
📞 405-419-4424 (Direct)
Horsemensbookkeeper@remingtonpark.com ... ’Expand’See Less
4 hours ago
Comment on Facebook
Horses for in the Oklahoma Trials MUST be hair tested by this Thursday 2/12. Schedule ASAP but no later than noon the day before (405) 881-5120 ... ’Expand’See Less
1 day ago
Comment on Facebook
When does the schooling races start for the Young horses
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