MARKUS AURELIUS PULLS OFF UPSET OF HEAVY FAVORITE O DONOVAN ROSSA IN REMINGTON PARK DISTANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – June 3, 2024 – Virtually everyone had etched in stone that O Donovan Rossa would be the hook champion at Remington Park this meet, but Markus Aurelius was having none of it. He pulled the upset in the Grade 1, $51,120 Remington Park Distance Championship on Saturday night.
O Donovan Rossa had major backing from the betting public at 1-5, making it almost a foregone conclusion that he would win this race. After all he had won 8-of-12 tries at 870 yards, the same distance he would run Saturday. The 6-year-old gelding had just won the Grade 2 ,$50,000 Pauls Valley Stakes by 2-3/4 lengths at 870 yards, so it was understandable that he was receiving this kind of support.
Markus Aurelius, named for the former Roman emperor (Marcus Aurelius), said, “Hold my crown.”
When all was said and done, jockey Stormy Smith won the distance championship here for the second time in his career, this time on the 9-1 longshot Markus Aurelius. O Donovan Rossa finished a tiring third behind runner-up Rock Ya Later (8-1), who ran 1-3/4 lengths back of Markus Aurelius. O Donovan Rossa was a half-length back of Rock Ya Later.
Smith had won this race in 2020 aboard Let There Be Sound. On Saturday night, he got the winner to the line first for conditioner Clint Crawford. Markus Aurelius paid $21 to win to his backers, $8.60 to place and $2.80 to show. He earned $29,892 for owners Bobby and Catherine Simmons of Midland, Texas.
Markus Aurelius improved his career marks to 14 starts, four wins, two seconds and one third for a bankroll of $72,992. The 4-year-old gelded son of Secret Circle (TB), out of the Yawls Rabbit mare Neons Miracle, was bred in Texas by Bobby Simmons. He stopped the timer in the hook race at :44.920 for an eye-popping 102 speed-index over a fast track.
It was the first win in this series for the owners. Surprisingly, it was only the second time in his career that Markus Aurelius had won at 870 yards, but the second time in a row. The gelding had won a hook race immediately before coming into this Grade 1 stakes race but had done it with allowance horses that had never won three races in their life. It also was only the second time Markus Aurelius had won at Remington Park.
The rest of the order of finish past the top three was Daycruiser (18-1) fourth, Big Lew Love (6-1) fifth, Volcoms Favorite (10-1) sixth and RU Freal (39-1) seventh.
•••••
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 2024 Thoroughbred Season will begin on August 16. 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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🚨Attn Horsemen: The OQHRA Board of Directors Elections are coming up this Fall. Make sure you renew your OQHRA membership by September 1st in order to Vote ☑️!
Please help us congratulate Troy! He is such an important part of all of our success at Fair Meadows! Be sure to tell him Thank You when you see him! ... ’Expand’See Less
Congratulations Troy!!! Thank you for all you have done for all of us. A special thanks for a special longtime friendship that I truly treasure.😊
Troy is the absolute BEST!! Congratulations my friend!
Congratulations Troy !!
Congrats
He deserves it.
Troy’s Awesome, congratulations and thank you for always taking such care of us🏇🏻🏇🏻
Way to go Troy !!!!!
Looking good troy. I miss those days.
He is one of the best people you will ever meet in the race horse business
Congratulations Troy! One of the nicest people I ever had the privilege to work with.
Congratulations Troy. You always do a great job
My man Troy i can remember FMT in the beginning and Troy would always be the 1st one you saw either pulling in of a morning to work or at night to race, Troy always had the chaos organized in the haul in barn. Jim and Nina got the best one possible with Troy, one amazing man!
The Stephens family!
Jim,Barb and Kevin
Congratulations! Track would be lost with out you, you are awesome.
Congrats Troy!!!
You are the man, Troy
Congratulations
Congrats!!!
Never ran anything in OKLA., but CONGRATULATIONS TROY!!! Ppl like you are gold on ANY TRACK.
The Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association (OQHRA) has confirmed the detection of Olodaterol through pre-entry hair testing protocols required for participation at Oklahoma racetracks. Olodaterol is a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist, a class of bronchodilators that includes strictly prohibited substances such as clenbuterol, albuterol, and carmoterol.
Olodaterol is not an approved substance in racehorses, and its presence constitutes a violation of integrity standards. The positive findings were made as a condition of entry through OQHRA-managed hair testing, not by the regulatory body, and as such, horses testing positive were ruled ineligible for entry.
While reports of Olodaterol have surfaced in other states through hair samples, OQHRA is not currently aware of any confirmed positives in blood or urine samples. This reinforces the value of hair testing in identifying substances that may otherwise go undetected.
“This is a clear example of why hair testing matters,” said Krissy Bamberg, Executive Director of OQHRA. “Whether used pre-entry to prevent horses from competing, or post-race for official adjudication, hair testing provides a longer detection window and a clearer picture of the medications and substances a horse has been exposed to.”
OQHRA will continue to support and expand the use of hair testing as part of its integrity and welfare program. In addition, the association will continue to advocate for the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission to adopt hair testing as a standard matrix within the state’s official biological testing program. This includes both post-race testing and out-of-competition testing.
“We strongly encourage the Commission to expand its use of hair testing,” said Bamberg. “It's a reliable, science-based tool that gives regulators the ability to detect long-term exposure to prohibited substances and strengthens our ability to ensure fairness and safety in the sport.”
OQHRA and our partner racetracks remain committed to identifying and deterring the use of new and emerging substances and protecting the integrity of racing in Oklahoma. ... ’Expand’See Less
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MARKUS AURELIUS PULLS OFF UPSET OF HEAVY FAVORITE O DONOVAN ROSSA IN REMINGTON PARK DISTANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – June 3, 2024 – Virtually everyone had etched in stone that O Donovan Rossa would be the hook champion at Remington Park this meet, but Markus Aurelius was having none of it. He pulled the upset in the Grade 1, $51,120 Remington Park Distance Championship on Saturday night.
O Donovan Rossa had major backing from the betting public at 1-5, making it almost a foregone conclusion that he would win this race. After all he had won 8-of-12 tries at 870 yards, the same distance he would run Saturday. The 6-year-old gelding had just won the Grade 2 ,$50,000 Pauls Valley Stakes by 2-3/4 lengths at 870 yards, so it was understandable that he was receiving this kind of support.
Markus Aurelius, named for the former Roman emperor (Marcus Aurelius), said, “Hold my crown.”
When all was said and done, jockey Stormy Smith won the distance championship here for the second time in his career, this time on the 9-1 longshot Markus Aurelius. O Donovan Rossa finished a tiring third behind runner-up Rock Ya Later (8-1), who ran 1-3/4 lengths back of Markus Aurelius. O Donovan Rossa was a half-length back of Rock Ya Later.
Smith had won this race in 2020 aboard Let There Be Sound. On Saturday night, he got the winner to the line first for conditioner Clint Crawford. Markus Aurelius paid $21 to win to his backers, $8.60 to place and $2.80 to show. He earned $29,892 for owners Bobby and Catherine Simmons of Midland, Texas.
Markus Aurelius improved his career marks to 14 starts, four wins, two seconds and one third for a bankroll of $72,992. The 4-year-old gelded son of Secret Circle (TB), out of the Yawls Rabbit mare Neons Miracle, was bred in Texas by Bobby Simmons. He stopped the timer in the hook race at :44.920 for an eye-popping 102 speed-index over a fast track.
It was the first win in this series for the owners. Surprisingly, it was only the second time in his career that Markus Aurelius had won at 870 yards, but the second time in a row. The gelding had won a hook race immediately before coming into this Grade 1 stakes race but had done it with allowance horses that had never won three races in their life. It also was only the second time Markus Aurelius had won at Remington Park.
The rest of the order of finish past the top three was Daycruiser (18-1) fourth, Big Lew Love (6-1) fifth, Volcoms Favorite (10-1) sixth and RU Freal (39-1) seventh.
•••••
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 2024 Thoroughbred Season will begin on August 16. 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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🚨Attn Horsemen: The OQHRA Board of Directors Elections are coming up this Fall. Make sure you renew your OQHRA membership by September 1st in order to Vote ☑️!
Online OQHRA Membership form --> bit.ly/3E8BOFb ... ’Expand’See Less
2 hours ago
Comment on Facebook
Please help us congratulate Troy! He is such an important part of all of our success at Fair Meadows! Be sure to tell him Thank You when you see him! ... ’Expand’See Less
2 days ago
Comment on Facebook
Congratulations Troy!!! Thank you for all you have done for all of us. A special thanks for a special longtime friendship that I truly treasure.😊
Troy is the absolute BEST!! Congratulations my friend!
Congratulations Troy !!
Congrats
He deserves it.
Troy’s Awesome, congratulations and thank you for always taking such care of us🏇🏻🏇🏻
Way to go Troy !!!!!
Looking good troy. I miss those days.
He is one of the best people you will ever meet in the race horse business
Congratulations Troy! One of the nicest people I ever had the privilege to work with.
Congratulations Troy. You always do a great job
My man Troy i can remember FMT in the beginning and Troy would always be the 1st one you saw either pulling in of a morning to work or at night to race, Troy always had the chaos organized in the haul in barn. Jim and Nina got the best one possible with Troy, one amazing man! The Stephens family! Jim,Barb and Kevin
Congratulations! Track would be lost with out you, you are awesome.
Congrats Troy!!!
You are the man, Troy
Congratulations
Congrats!!!
Never ran anything in OKLA., but CONGRATULATIONS TROY!!! Ppl like you are gold on ANY TRACK.
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𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗹𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
The Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association (OQHRA) has confirmed the detection of Olodaterol through pre-entry hair testing protocols required for participation at Oklahoma racetracks. Olodaterol is a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist, a class of bronchodilators that includes strictly prohibited substances such as clenbuterol, albuterol, and carmoterol.
Olodaterol is not an approved substance in racehorses, and its presence constitutes a violation of integrity standards. The positive findings were made as a condition of entry through OQHRA-managed hair testing, not by the regulatory body, and as such, horses testing positive were ruled ineligible for entry.
While reports of Olodaterol have surfaced in other states through hair samples, OQHRA is not currently aware of any confirmed positives in blood or urine samples. This reinforces the value of hair testing in identifying substances that may otherwise go undetected.
“This is a clear example of why hair testing matters,” said Krissy Bamberg, Executive Director of OQHRA. “Whether used pre-entry to prevent horses from competing, or post-race for official adjudication, hair testing provides a longer detection window and a clearer picture of the medications and substances a horse has been exposed to.”
OQHRA will continue to support and expand the use of hair testing as part of its integrity and welfare program. In addition, the association will continue to advocate for the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission to adopt hair testing as a standard matrix within the state’s official biological testing program. This includes both post-race testing and out-of-competition testing.
“We strongly encourage the Commission to expand its use of hair testing,” said Bamberg. “It's a reliable, science-based tool that gives regulators the ability to detect long-term exposure to prohibited substances and strengthens our ability to ensure fairness and safety in the sport.”
OQHRA and our partner racetracks remain committed to identifying and deterring the use of new and emerging substances and protecting the integrity of racing in Oklahoma. ... ’Expand’See Less
3 days ago
Comment on Facebook
Why don’t you just require hair testing in test barn of top 2 finishers. Wouldn’t that be a more accurate chance to catch abuse?
You don’t find it in blood and urine because hair testing is highly variable and substances can last for years after it’s been administered.
Felipe Martinez this what you Ben saying all along
The Louisiana Racing Commission STILL does not recognize the hair testing we owners have been paying for the last few years!
Guess you missed the news from LA??
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