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admin February 28, 2024 0 Comments

WILL TRAINER TREY WOOD’S BARN COOL OFF GOING INTO THIRD WEEK OF REMINGTON PARK TRAINING RACES?

Nine Training Races Set for Wednesday at Remington Park

by Richard Linihan

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – February, 28, 2024 – Trainer Cody Noel led the way after the first week of training races at Remington Park with five winners, but Trey Wood flew past him like he was standing still after the second week.

Who will have the hot hand as Remington Park hosts only one day of training races this week on Wednesday, Feb. 28 with only nine races to run. Wood had 10 horses win training races in the second week – eight in one day – as his stable was virtually unbeatable. There was a total of 21 training races on the tab for week two. Wood had 21 runners entered in those races. All races were contested from the gate at 250 yards.

The schooling races are predominantly for 2-year-olds prepping for their first career pari-mutuel starts as the Remington Park American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa meet gets ready to kick off Thursday, March 7.

Through two weeks of training races, last year’s leading trainer Dee Keener, holds down the second spot for most winners with six. He is followed by Noel’s five and five other conditioners who have more than one – Clint Crawford 4; Jesus Ruiz 3; and Matt Whitekiller, Buddy Clay and Kasey Willis with two apiece.

On Wednesday’s slate of training races, Crawford has the most horses entered with seven ready to run, followed by three trainers with five horses each set to go – Guillermo Valdivia, Randy Smith and Keener. Diego Arroyo and Shawna Webster have four entries apiece followed by three apiece for Luis Villafranco, Heath Taylor, Salimm Hernandez and Jorge “Raymond” Gonzalez. Trainers with two in are Luis Nino, Juvenal Licoma-Vazquez, Hernesto Ramirez, Whitekiller and Ruiz.

The National Weather Service is calling for a cold front to move into the Oklahoma City area and blast Remington Park with highs in the 40s for Wednesday’s training races after record-breaking temperatures in the 80s on Monday and Tuesday.

After two weeks of training races, here’s a look at the fastest 2-year-old Quarter Horse winners on those four days of schooling with horse, date, trainer, jockey, time, speed index:

Finn McOol, Feb. 22, Cruz, Keener, :13.584 with a strong tailwind, 80
Kingpyn, Feb. 15, James Flores, Hernandez-Pulido, :13.590 with slight tailwind, 80
Kollys Capi, Feb. 21, Roman Cruz, Garcia, :13.693 into a moderate headwind, 76
AJ Princess, Feb. 14, Mario Delgado, Noel, :13.722 into a stiff headwind, 75

There was one other horse of note that raced in schooling races the second week and that was a 2-year-old Paint horse named Painted to be Quick, who logged a time of :13.54 with a 16 mph tailwind on Feb. 22 for a speed index of 82, faster than any Quarter Horse that day. The 2-year-old daughter of multiple World Champion Painted Turnpike is trained by Whitekiller and was ridden to the win by 2023 World Champion jockey Francisco Calderon.

Wednesday’s Remington Park training races begin at 11am.

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Remington Park has provided more than $344 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 racing schedule begins Thursday, March 7, as the American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season starts its 50-date season. 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.