O DONOVAN ROSSA PROVES ONCE AGAIN HE IS VIRTUALLY UNBEATABLE AROUND THE TURN AT REMINGTON PARK, WINNING DISTANCE CHALLENGE
by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, Ok – April 6, 2025– The reigning distance champion at Remington Park, O Donovan Rossa, proved Sunday that he might just be set to claim that title again this year. Sunday he won the Grade 2, $35,156 Q-Racing Video Remington Park Distance Challenge at 870 yards.
It was a short, but talented bunch of five horses that tried the hook in the first stakes race at that distance this meet and O Donovan Rossa showed them how the cow ate the cabbage in the final strides of the race. The 7-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding had his work cut out for him as the longest shot in the shortest field gave him fits to the wire.
O Donovan Rossa, a son of Apollitical Jess, out of the Country Chicks Man mare Shanachee, held on by a half-length in the end as Invincible Streak (11-1) fought to the end. He finished another neck in front of Wynnchester (3-1), who was making his first start around the hook. Rock Ya Later (9-5 second betting favorite) was another half-length back in fourth, but 12-1/4 lengths ahead of Markus Aurelius (8-1), who blew the turn from the 5-hole.
It didn’t appear that the veteran horse of the hook set had lost a step. It gave his mature co-owner Lloyd Yother of Kelly Yother Equine reason to smile.
“The old man has still got it,” Yother said of O Donovan Rossa. “He is kind of like me, long in the tooth.”
Leading trainer Dee Keener said O Donovan Rossa loves this track and that he didn’t think he needed a warmup race like he used last year. O Donovan Rossa ran in the straightaway 550-yard Grade 2, $50,000 SLM Big Daddy Stakes last year before winning this same Distance Challenge in his second 2024 out by 1-1/2 lengths. Oddly enough, last year’s exacta (first and second horses) were exactly the same. Invincible Streak was the runner-up last year, also, but was sent off at a more respectable 8-1 odds. Last year’s $2 exacta paid $18.80 and this year’s was worth $31.80.
Cruz rode O Donovan Rossa to both victories and explained his successful ride after Sunday’s win.
“He got settled in and we just waited for the gate to open,” said Cruz. “I thought that 1-horse (Wynnchester) might give us some trouble. I didn’t go with him (on the lead). I wanted to just sit a half off of him so I wouldn’t get stuck behind him. Then I let (O Donovan Rossa) tell me when it was time to go. And I just let him go!”
O Donovan Rossa, bred by co-owner J. Garvan Kelly of Broken Arrow, Okla., stopped the timer in :45.069 for a speed-index of 99 over the muddy track. It was the second win in as many years in this series for all connections.
O Donovan Rossa was sent off as the prohibitive favorite at 6-5 and returned $4.40 to win, $2.40 to place and $2.20 to show. Last year, he went off 3-5 and paid $3.20 to win, $2.40 to place and $2.10 to show.
O Donovan Rossa earned $18,281 for this victory and improved lifetime to 42 starts, 13 wins, seven seconds and six thirds and a bankroll of $366,964.
••••
Remington Park has provided more than $377 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 year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. The 2025 American Quarter Horse Season, features the $868,455 Remington Park Futurity on Saturday, April 19. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – April 18, 2025 – Entice Me Ona Monday, the top qualifier from the first of two nights of trials, has been tabbed as the morning-line favorite for Saturday night’s $868,455 Remington Park Futurity.
Entice Me Ona Monday is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the restricted Grade 1 event, for eligible Oklahoma-bred 2-year-olds. Owned by Tejas Troubadours of Rhome, Texas and trained by Jason Olmstead, Entice Me Ona Monday put up the best time at 330 yards on Friday, April 4 to head a group of five from that first night of trials for the Remington Park Futurity. Jockey Ramiro Garcia was up for the trial and has chosen to stay on the gelding by Cyber Monday from the Make It Anywhere mare Enticilizeur.
Garcia also qualified three other Olmstead runners for the Remington Park Futurity in Illegal Cowgirl 123, Good Blue Candy and AJs Secret Cash but elected to stay with Entice Me Ona Monday.
The Oklahoma Futurity winner in March, Flying Joy 1, is the second morning-line favorite at 9-2 odds. She finished second on trials night to Entice Me Ona Monday, beaten a half-length. The placing was the first defeat for Flying Joy 1 from three starts this season. She posted victory in the Oklahoma Futurity on March 22 for owner David Rogers of Graham, Texas and trainer Trey Wood. Jockey Ricky Ramirez keeps his usual mount for the Remington Park Futurity.
Jamies Sin Tacha, the top qualifier from the second evening of trials on Saturday, April 5, is the third morning-line favorite at 5-1 odds. Jamies Sin Tacha is owned by Miguel Vargas of Grand Prairie, Texas and trained by James J. Gonzales III. He will be ridden again by Christian Cardenas.
The field of 10, by post-position and program order, for the Remington Park Futurity with trainer, jockey and morning-line odds:
• Illegal Cowgirl 123: Jason Olmstead, Armando Alvidrez, 6-1 • Jamies Sin Tacha: James J. Gonzales III, Christian Cardenas, 5-1 • MM Rampage: Trey Wood, Angel O. Ramirez, 10-1 • Entice Me Ona Monday: Jason Olmstead, Ramiro Garcia, 2-1 • Maverykk: Michael Joiner, Francisco Calderon, 20-1 • Eyem D Prince: Salimm Hernandez, Agustin Silva, 20-1 • Good Blue Candy: Jason Olmstead, Eugenio Navarrete, 20-1 • AJs Secret Cash: Jason Olmstead, Francisco Ramirez, Jr., 8-1 • Ima Bigg Flash: John Stinebaugh, Ali Rivera, 8-1 • Flying Joy 1: Trey Wood, Ricky Ramirez, 9-2
The Remington Park Futurity, at 330 yards, is the 10th of 12 races on Saturday night and is scheduled to leave the gate at 10:03pm. The racing program for the evening also boasts eight other stakes events, including: $100,000 Dee Raper Sooner State Stakes; the $160,670 Remington Park Oaks and the $185,420 Remington Park Derby, among the others. The total purses for the 12-race program stand at more than $1.6 million.
The first race on Saturday is at 6pm. All times are Central.
Remington Park racing resumes tonight through Saturday, April 17-19. Saturday, April 19 is Remington Park Futurity Night. First race nightly is 6pm-Central. There is no Remington Park racing on Easter.
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O DONOVAN ROSSA PROVES ONCE AGAIN HE IS VIRTUALLY UNBEATABLE AROUND THE TURN AT REMINGTON PARK, WINNING DISTANCE CHALLENGE
by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, Ok – April 6, 2025– The reigning distance champion at Remington Park, O Donovan Rossa, proved Sunday that he might just be set to claim that title again this year. Sunday he won the Grade 2, $35,156 Q-Racing Video Remington Park Distance Challenge at 870 yards.
It was a short, but talented bunch of five horses that tried the hook in the first stakes race at that distance this meet and O Donovan Rossa showed them how the cow ate the cabbage in the final strides of the race. The 7-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding had his work cut out for him as the longest shot in the shortest field gave him fits to the wire.
O Donovan Rossa, a son of Apollitical Jess, out of the Country Chicks Man mare Shanachee, held on by a half-length in the end as Invincible Streak (11-1) fought to the end. He finished another neck in front of Wynnchester (3-1), who was making his first start around the hook. Rock Ya Later (9-5 second betting favorite) was another half-length back in fourth, but 12-1/4 lengths ahead of Markus Aurelius (8-1), who blew the turn from the 5-hole.
It didn’t appear that the veteran horse of the hook set had lost a step. It gave his mature co-owner Lloyd Yother of Kelly Yother Equine reason to smile.
“The old man has still got it,” Yother said of O Donovan Rossa. “He is kind of like me, long in the tooth.”
Leading trainer Dee Keener said O Donovan Rossa loves this track and that he didn’t think he needed a warmup race like he used last year. O Donovan Rossa ran in the straightaway 550-yard Grade 2, $50,000 SLM Big Daddy Stakes last year before winning this same Distance Challenge in his second 2024 out by 1-1/2 lengths. Oddly enough, last year’s exacta (first and second horses) were exactly the same. Invincible Streak was the runner-up last year, also, but was sent off at a more respectable 8-1 odds. Last year’s $2 exacta paid $18.80 and this year’s was worth $31.80.
Cruz rode O Donovan Rossa to both victories and explained his successful ride after Sunday’s win.
“He got settled in and we just waited for the gate to open,” said Cruz. “I thought that 1-horse (Wynnchester) might give us some trouble. I didn’t go with him (on the lead). I wanted to just sit a half off of him so I wouldn’t get stuck behind him. Then I let (O Donovan Rossa) tell me when it was time to go. And I just let him go!”
O Donovan Rossa, bred by co-owner J. Garvan Kelly of Broken Arrow, Okla., stopped the timer in :45.069 for a speed-index of 99 over the muddy track. It was the second win in as many years in this series for all connections.
O Donovan Rossa was sent off as the prohibitive favorite at 6-5 and returned $4.40 to win, $2.40 to place and $2.20 to show. Last year, he went off 3-5 and paid $3.20 to win, $2.40 to place and $2.10 to show.
O Donovan Rossa earned $18,281 for this victory and improved lifetime to 42 starts, 13 wins, seven seconds and six thirds and a bankroll of $366,964.
••••
Remington Park has provided more than $377 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 year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. The 2025 American Quarter Horse Season, features the $868,455 Remington Park Futurity on Saturday, April 19. 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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𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐅𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – April 18, 2025 – Entice Me Ona Monday, the top qualifier from the first of two nights of trials, has been tabbed as the morning-line favorite for Saturday night’s $868,455 Remington Park Futurity.
Entice Me Ona Monday is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the restricted Grade 1 event, for eligible Oklahoma-bred 2-year-olds. Owned by Tejas Troubadours of Rhome, Texas and trained by Jason Olmstead, Entice Me Ona Monday put up the best time at 330 yards on Friday, April 4 to head a group of five from that first night of trials for the Remington Park Futurity. Jockey Ramiro Garcia was up for the trial and has chosen to stay on the gelding by Cyber Monday from the Make It Anywhere mare Enticilizeur.
Garcia also qualified three other Olmstead runners for the Remington Park Futurity in Illegal Cowgirl 123, Good Blue Candy and AJs Secret Cash but elected to stay with Entice Me Ona Monday.
The Oklahoma Futurity winner in March, Flying Joy 1, is the second morning-line favorite at 9-2 odds. She finished second on trials night to Entice Me Ona Monday, beaten a half-length. The placing was the first defeat for Flying Joy 1 from three starts this season. She posted victory in the Oklahoma Futurity on March 22 for owner David Rogers of Graham, Texas and trainer Trey Wood. Jockey Ricky Ramirez keeps his usual mount for the Remington Park Futurity.
Jamies Sin Tacha, the top qualifier from the second evening of trials on Saturday, April 5, is the third morning-line favorite at 5-1 odds. Jamies Sin Tacha is owned by Miguel Vargas of Grand Prairie, Texas and trained by James J. Gonzales III. He will be ridden again by Christian Cardenas.
The field of 10, by post-position and program order, for the Remington Park Futurity with trainer, jockey and morning-line odds:
• Illegal Cowgirl 123: Jason Olmstead, Armando Alvidrez,
6-1
• Jamies Sin Tacha: James J. Gonzales III, Christian Cardenas,
5-1
• MM Rampage: Trey Wood, Angel O. Ramirez,
10-1
• Entice Me Ona Monday: Jason Olmstead, Ramiro Garcia,
2-1
• Maverykk: Michael Joiner, Francisco Calderon,
20-1
• Eyem D Prince: Salimm Hernandez, Agustin Silva,
20-1
• Good Blue Candy: Jason Olmstead, Eugenio Navarrete,
20-1
• AJs Secret Cash: Jason Olmstead, Francisco Ramirez, Jr.,
8-1
• Ima Bigg Flash: John Stinebaugh, Ali Rivera,
8-1
• Flying Joy 1: Trey Wood, Ricky Ramirez,
9-2
The Remington Park Futurity, at 330 yards, is the 10th of 12 races on Saturday night and is scheduled to leave the gate at 10:03pm. The racing program for the evening also boasts eight other stakes events, including: $100,000 Dee Raper Sooner State Stakes; the $160,670 Remington Park Oaks and the $185,420 Remington Park Derby, among the others. The total purses for the 12-race program stand at more than $1.6 million.
The first race on Saturday is at 6pm. All times are Central.
Remington Park racing resumes tonight through Saturday, April 17-19. Saturday, April 19 is Remington Park Futurity Night. First race nightly is 6pm-Central. There is no Remington Park racing on Easter.
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