JC WILD KING WINS FOURTH RACE IN ROW, TAKING THE $68,000 MIGHTY DECK THREE STAKES, GIVING JOCKEY JAMES FLORES THIRD WIN OF NIGHT

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – March 4, 2022 – JC Wild King won his fourth race in a row and sixth in his last seven starts, taking down the top prize in the $68,000 Mighty Deck Three Stakes on Friday at Remington Park, as the heavy 6-5 wagering favorite. The race is for older Oklahoma-breds at 250 yards.

The victory gave jockey James Flores three wins on the night as he tries to return to the form that led him to three riding titles in a row from 2018-2020. Trainer Santos Carrizales had a big night, winning the stakes and also qualifying two Paints to the finals of the Grade 1, $226,033 Oklahoma Paint and Appaloosa Futurity from Friday’s nine trials.

JC Wild King, a 4-year-old son of champion Apollitical Jess, out of the Stoli mare Oh Cherokee Rose, hit the finish line first in a three-horse photo. JC Wild King got to the wire a neck ahead of runner-up My Midnight Candy (5-1) and Charlies Fury (9-5 second favorite). Flores has been aboard JC Wild King for Carrizales and owner Jose Cervantes of Mustang, Okla., for every win in this red-hot streak.

JC Wild King had not raced since Nov. 12 at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla., his last win before tonight came in an $18,400 allowance race for state-breds. Prior to that he won the $155,000 Challenge Derby Championship at the Downs at Albuquerque in New Mexico by 1-1/4 lengths. His winning streak began at WRD on Oct. 3 last year when he won the $50,000 WRD Derby Challenge there.

“He was just awesome tonight,” Flores said of his mount. “He broke great and really makes my job easy.”

Cervantes pocketed $39,000 for the victory and the Mighty Deck Three Stakes win improved JC Wild King’s lifetime record to 14 starts, seven wins and three seconds for $224,313 earned. The rocket ship ride for Cervantes hasn’t surprised him with this horse.

“Looks like he really likes winning,” he said after the race.

JC Wild King earned a 95 speed index for stopping the timer for 250 yards in a time of :13.212 over the fast track, finishing only four-hundredths of a second ahead of the runner-up. He paid $4.60 to win, $2.80 to place and $2.60 to show across the board. The gelding was bred in Oklahoma by his owner. In his only race at 250 yards prior to Friday night, JC Wild King did not run first, second or third. In fact, no horse in this field had ever won at the quick distance. That ended Friday night and there was no doubt that JC Wild King enjoyed the short sprint.

The three trips to the winner’s circle for Flores moved him into a tie for first place in the jockeys’ standings after two nights with Cody Smith. Justine Klaiber, Juan Pulido, Jesus Salazar and Cody Wainscott all have two apiece.

The Mighty Deck Three Stakes is named after the ultra-fast runner who dominated 2-year-old competition in 1980. The Oklahoma-bred was undefeated thru 10 races, including the Rainbow Futurity, and posted the top qualifying time for that year’s All American Futurity. He was upset in the All American, beaten a nose by Higheasterjet. Despite the loss, Mighty Deck Three was still voted the Champion 2-year-old for 1980.

Racing continues Saturday night at Remington Park with a full slate of qualifying trials for the Grade 2, $$440,800 Oklahoma Futurity. The first race is at 6pm. Sunday racing starts at 4pm with trials for the Grade 3, $262,700 Oklahoma Derby along with the $50,000 SLM Big Daddy Stakes featured. All times are Central.

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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 is the home of the historic Oklahoma Futurity on March 19. Simulcast horse racing featured daily, the casino is always open! Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.