SIX OF TOP TEN FINALISTS FOR G1 SPEEDHORSE GRAHAM PAINT & APPALOOSA FUTURITY FROM TRAINER DEE KEENER’S BARN

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – May 22, 2023 – The all-time winningest Paint trainer Dee Keener qualified six of the top 10 finalists for the Grade 1, $257,675 Speedhorse Graham Paint & Appaloosa Futurity set to be run on the final night of this Remington Park season. However, it was trainer Monty Arrossa with the fastest of all when Whiskey and Rain won her trial in :17.540 seconds over a fast track.

The Speedhorse Graham Paint and Appaloosa Futurity is the richest race in the world for Paints and Appaloosas and will be run on Saturday, June 3.

Keener qualified the second-fastest, the third, the fourth, the sixth, the eighth and 10^th with R Cowgirl, Railway Café, Triple L Xpress, WF Candy Tellin Tales, Mighty Mocha and EL Flying Cowgirl, respectively. R Cowgirl, Railway Café, Triple L Xpress and WF Candy Tellin Tales all won their trials.

Whiskey and Rain outshone them all, however, as the only qualifier to hit a speed index of 90 or higher. That 2-year-old filly by CRM Livewire, out of the Rebel Easy Cash mare Baileys N Sunsets, has won her last two starts, including a victory in the $203,500 Oklahoma Paint and Appaloosa Futurity on March 25 here. Jockey Francisco Calderon took over in the saddle for Whiskey and Rain in that stakes race and hasn’t lost on her since he did. Her only loss came in the trials for that futurity when she was beaten a neck in second by Muddy Puddles. Muddy Puddles raced in the trials Saturday, but did not qualify for the finals.

“She had some problems at the gate during those (earlier) trials,” said Arrossa’s assistant trainer Ned Vane after she gained her revenge on Muddy Puddles in the finals of the Oklahoma Paint and Appaloosa Futurity. “I knew she had room for improvement.”

Whiskey and Rain was bred in Oklahoma by owner Dunn Ranch of Wynnewood, Okla.

Trainer Matt Whitekiller, the second all-time winningest Paint trainer, was the only other conditioner with more than one finalist. He qualified horses in the fifth position and the ninth.

The fastest 10 horses in the trials Saturday qualified for the finals of the Grade 1 Speedhorse Graham Paint & Appaloosa Futurity to be run June 3. The finalists with running time for the 350 yards, speed index, jockey, trainer and trial number (race number):

1. Whiskey and Rain, :17.540, 93, Francisco Calderon, Monty Arrossa, trial four (race seven)
2. R Cowgirl, :17.673, 89, James Flores, Dee Keener, trial three (race six)
3. Railway Café, :17.717, 88, Edwin Escobedo, Dee Keener, trial two (race five)
4. Triple L Xpress, :17.720, 88, Bryan Candanosa, Dee Keener, trial five (race eight)
5. Tess the Wire, :17.733, 87, Jorge Torres, Matt Whitekiller, trial two (race five)
6. WF Candy Tellin Tales, :17.738, 87, James Flores, Dee Keener, trial one (race four)
7. V Golden Game, :17.758, 87, Agustin Silva, Mark Barnes, trial two (race five)
8. Mighty Mocha, :17.777, 86, Bryan Candanosa, Dee Keener, trial one, (race four)
9. Wired Red Head, :17.787, 86, Eugenio Navarette, Matt Whitekiller, trial three (race six)
10. EL Flying Cowgirl, :17.791, 86, Cordarelton Benn, Dee Keener, trial two (race five)

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Tracked by more than 175,000 fans on Facebook and 10,700 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $320 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 features the 2023 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa season through June 3. Remington Park presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.