RJ HAVING FUN HAD BLAST WINNING REMINGTON PARK DERBY UNDER JOCKEY JUAN PULIDO

by Richard Linihan

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK  – April 29, 2024 – The favorites ran 1-2 in the $169,175 Remington Park Derby on Monday with RJ Having Fun outlasting Jess a Salty Candy by a half-length.

Under jockey Juan Pulido, RJ Having Fun broke seventh in the field of 10 3-year-olds, but passed them all to get to the wire first. The gray gelded son of PYC Fun N Fancy, out of the This Snow is Royal mare Snow Clouds, put the exclamation mark on a banner day for trainer Toby Keeton. Keeton won two of the six stakes races that were run in makeup fashion after they were postponed due to severe weather on April 27.

Keeton’s other stakes win on Monday came with Jess Good Wine in the Dee Raper Sooner State Stakes, the second race of the afternoon.

RJ Having Fun earned $67,670 for the win and improved lifetime to 10 starts, five wins, four seconds and one third, putting $334,336 in the bank for Keeton of Selma, Texas, who also owns the horse. RJ Having Fun was bought for $40,000 at the 2022 Heritage Place September Yearling Sale.

The winner stopped the timer in :19.879 for the 400-yards over the fast track, for Oklahoma-bred 3-year-old American Quarter Horses. His speed-index was an 89.

RJ Having Fun was made the 2-1 wagering favorite and beat Jess a Salty Candy (3-1 second favorite) to the wire. The runner-up was another neck ahead of Apollitical Whiplash (16-1) in third. The winner paid $6.20 to win, $3.40 to place and $2.20 to show.

Keeton was seen high-fiving everyone in sight after the race.

“He never lets me down,” Keeton said afterwards. “He really does his job in the finals. I knew he was going to run big. His hair was blooming and he had gained weight. We might try to find a nice Okie-bred stakes for him here before the end of the meet and then on to the Rainbow Derby at Ruidoso Downs.”

This gelding was bred by Rito Sosa in Oklahoma.

The order of finish past the top three was Lucky Luke (59-1) fourth, Cardiac Cowboy (12-1) fifth, Relentless Coronado (6-1) sixth, Cowboys R Myheros (4-1) seventh, JS Eyema Texas Man (61-1) eighth, BV Trust in You (34-1) ninth and Midnight Politics (5-1) 10^th.

It was the first win in the stakes series for all connections.

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Remington Park has provided more than $347 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 $1,000,000 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.