LIVEWIRES TURNPIKE WINS MISTER LEWIE STAKES FOR SECOND YEAR IN ROW, GIVING TRAINER MATT WHITEKILLER FIFTH WIN IN THIS SERIES

by Richard Linihan

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – May 13, 2024 – Trainer Matt Whitekiller continued his dominance in the Mister Lewie Memorial on Saturday night winning with Livewires Turnpike for the second year in a row, and winning the race for the fifth time in the past eight years.

Those five wins are three more than any other trainer has won in this race named for the late, great trainer Lewis Wartchow, who was known as the King of Paints during his racing days. He held virtually every stakes record with Paints and Appaloosas in those days, mostly from the 1970s through the 1990s. Eddie Lee “Bubba” Willis and Brandon Parum are the only other conditioners that have won the Mister Lewie as many as two times.

Livewires Turnpike (Paint) stopped the timer Saturday for 400 yards in this Grade 1 $33,850 stakes for Paints and Appaloosas in :19.820 over the fast track, for a 90 speed-index. The 4-year-old gelded son of CRM Livewire, out of the PYC Paint Your Wagon (QH) mare Wagon On Turnpike, won the Mister Lewie last year in a time of :19.504.

It was also the second year in a row for owner Bryan Hawk of Shawnee, Okla., with Livewires Turnpike as well as jockey Francisco Calderon. The repeat winner had all he could take from his stablemate Wire Tap (Paint), also from Whitekiller’s barn. He had the lead in the early going of the race, but when Calderon asked his horse to run, he made it back to the winner’s circle.

“It was a little field (five horses), but it was a tough bunch,” said Calderon. “I saw that 8-horse (Wire Tap) break on top, but my horse always gets the job done. Every time he runs good for me.”

Whitekiller’s other winners in this series were Live Moonshine (Paint) in 2021, and multiple World Champion Painted Turnpike won this race twice in 2017-18.

“I’ve certainly been blessed throughout the years,” said Whitekiller. “Our 3-year-old (Wire Tap) challenged the big dude tonight.”

Livewires Turnpike finished ahead of Wire Tap (7-2) by a head in the end as the 3-5 favorite. Over the Shock (7-2), also from Whitekiller’s stable, checked in third, another length back.

“He sure is a lot of fun, isn’t he?” Hawk said of Livewires Turnpike. “He made me nervous for a while.”

It was also the fourth stakes win in a row at Remington Park for Livewires Turnpike. The last time he lost a stakes race in Oklahoma City was to The Big Chief on April 29, 2023, and that was only by a neck when he ran second. As it is, he has won six stakes races at Remington Park in the past three years. His record here improved to eight wins in 12 tries for $160,964 earned. Overall he is now a winner in 12-of-17 starts in his career and has a bankroll of $231,132. He was bred in Oklahoma by Nolan Pevehouse.

The rest of the order of finish past the top three was Queen for Cash (Appaloosa, 5-1) fourth and Hes a Harley (Appaloosa, 14-1) fifth. Ancestry, Tess the Wire and Wired Red Head were all pre-race scratches.

Remington Park racing continues Sunday, May 12. The Mother’s Day program, featuring qualifying trials for the Heritage Place Oaks, begins at 4pm-Central.

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Remington Park has provided more than $349 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 2024 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season continues through June 1 with the biggest racing program of the season. The Champions Night boasts total purses in excess of $2,000,000, led by the $1,081,820 Heritage Place Futurity. 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.