MIDDAY NEWS FINDS HIS NICHE AT 550 YARDS, TAKING SLM BIG DADDY STAKES AT REMINGTON PARK

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – March 10, 2021 – Midday News has turned into a 550-yard monster, winning his second race in a row at the distance, taking the Grade 3, $50,000 SLM Big Daddy Stakes at Remington Park on Tuesday.

Prior to his last two starts, Midday News had been stuck in the back seat, running fourth, second, fourth and third at either 400 or 440 yards. Since trainer Michael Joiner has let him loose at 550 yards, he has been unbeatable.

He won an allowance race at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, on Nov. 28 at the distance by three-quarters of a length to prep for the SLM Big Daddy.

“We watched him run at a quarter of a mile and he was just getting wound up at that point, so we tried him at 550 at Lone Star and he won,” said Joiner. “We started pointing him toward this race after that.”

The 5-year-old gelding by FDD Dynasty, out of the Mr Jess Perry mare Summer Love Song, outlasted runner-up Why Buy the Cow by a half-length at the wire. The winner, ridden by Raul Ramirez, Jr., and owned by Linda Joiner, Pat Smith, Izora Southway, Holly King and Kelly Allen of Santa Teresa, New Mexico, earned $29,622 for his efforts and improved his record to 16 starts, four wins, three seconds and five thirds for a career bankroll of $251,383.

Ramirez didn’t take much of the credit for the win.

“We just stayed with them for 200 yards and then he just took over and made it easy for me,” he said. “He’s a happy horse; stays happy.”

Why Bow the Cow put the pressure on late and was another half-length ahead of third-place finisher Viva Le Don. The winning time for the 550 yards was :28.027 on the fast track, good enough for a 79 speed index.

Midday News was sent off as the 6-5 betting favorite and paid $4.60, $3.60 and $2.60 across the board to win, place and show. Last years’ winner in this race, Shockinglyfamous, was 7-2, and could do no better than fifth this year.

The SLM Big Daddy Stakes is named in honor of one of the most popular horses in Remington Park history. SLM Big Daddy was a multiple stakes winner over three years in the late 1990s here as well as a back-to-back American Quarter Horse Association World Champion in 1997 and 1998.

Racing continues at Remington Park with a four-night set, Thursday through Sunday, March 11-14. The first race nightly is at 6pm-Central.

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Tracked by more than 165,000 fans on Facebook and 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $258 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 open daily for casino gaming and simulcast horse racing. The 2021 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season continues through May 29. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.