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 10th 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):
Whiskey and Rain, :17.540, 93, Francisco Calderon, Monty Arrossa, trial four (race seven)
R Cowgirl, :17.673, 89, James Flores, Dee Keener, trial three (race six)
Railway Café, :17.717, 88, Edwin Escobedo, Dee Keener, trial two (race five)
Triple L Xpress, :17.720, 88, Bryan Candanosa, Dee Keener, trial five (race eight)
Tess the Wire, :17.733, 87, Jorge Torres, Matt Whitekiller, trial two (race five)
WF Candy Tellin Tales, :17.738, 87, James Flores, Dee Keener, trial one (race four)
V Golden Game, :17.758, 87, Agustin Silva, Mark Barnes, trial two (race five)
Wired Red Head, :17.787, 86, Eugenio Navarette, Matt Whitekiller, trial three (race six)
EL Flying Cowgirl, :17.791, 86, Cordarelton Benn, Dee Keener, trial two (race five)
•••••• 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.
𝑶𝑲𝑳𝑨𝑯𝑶𝑴𝑨 𝑪𝑰𝑻𝒀, 𝑶𝑲 – 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 wasn’t expected to win his 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 on Thursday at Remington Park; he was a longshot at 15-1 odds. He certainly was the surprise of the night when he was the 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆, cementing a spot in the finals of this 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝟏 $𝟏,𝟏𝟔𝟏,𝟎𝟏𝟎 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟑𝟏.
The Heritage Place Futurity is the cornerstone 350-yard race for 2-year-old American Quarter Horses, and is one of the most heralded futurities in the country annually. The fastest five horses from 13 trials on Thursday and the five fastest of 13 more trials on Friday will make up the field of 10 finalists for the million-dollar race.
In the fifth trial Thursday, Calling Chicks, a beautiful gray gelding by Eyesa Cashing Teller, out of the Fly Jess Fly mare Call Me Paratus, broke on top early under 𝐣𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐳 and never was headed. He looked more like 1-5 than 15-1 as he opened up to a three-quarters length victory in his heat. When he hit the line in :17.438 seconds, earning, a 95 speed-index on the fast track. It turned out to be the fastest time of the night, despite there being eight more trials to run. It was run with a slight tailwind behind him, virtually the same speed for every race Thursday night, between 5-8 mph.
No one could have expected this from a horse that had run fourth and fifth in his first two starts. The key, however, was that his first two tries came against futurity trial company, not maidens. In his first start for 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐲, Calling Chicks raced on a sloppy track in the Oklahoma Futurity trials and finished 1-1/4 lengths behind the eventual winner of the Remington Park Futurity – Flying Joy 1. The next time out, Calling Chicks faced Remington Park Futurity trial horses and could do no better than fifth, beaten 1-1/2 lengths. His speed index that night over a muddy track (90) was certainly good enough to win a trial for the Heritage Place and that’s just what he did on Thursday as the fastest qualifier. It was also the first time Calling Chicks had raced over a fast track. Possibly another determining factor as well.
Calling Chicks, 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐛𝐲 𝐃𝐫. 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡, broke his maiden in this trial and put a smile on the face of 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐇 𝐄 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐇𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚) 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚. He paid $32.60 to win, $10.60 to place and $3.80 to show across the board. Cruz, last year’s top rider at Remington Park for the first time, had ridden Calling Chicks in his first race, was off in the second start and then got back on him Thursday for one more chance. It paid off. It’s amazing that a horse that has earned only $9,649 in three starts, has a shot at winning a large portion of a million-dollar purse in three weeks, but that is the case. If that isn’t enough to make a great story, it must also be pointed out that the owner bought Calling Chicks for $8,000 from the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale in 2024.
Other than Calling Chicks, the fastest of the five qualifiers from Thursday night were (with jockey, trainer, trial number, times and speed index): • DR Americas Dynasty, Juan Pulido, Marco Chavez-Gutierrez, trial four, :17.481, 94 • Hawkeye Vision, Joseph Belloc, Jr., James J. Gonzales III, trial four, :17.507, 93 • Jess Flash the Cash, Ramiro Garcia, Jason Olmstead, trial five, :17.548, 92 • Effortless Favorite, Francisco Ramirez, Jr., Jason Olmstead, trial nine, :17.561, 91
It was a great night of training for conditioners Marco Chavez-Gutierrez and Jason Olmstead. Chavez-Gutierrez might trade his night with Olmstead’s, even though the former won two more races than latter. Any other night, a training quadruple would have been an incredible evening of racing, but none of Chavez-Gutierrez’s four winners qualified for the finals of the Heritage Place Futurity.
Olmstead’s two winners did qualify. One of Chavez-Gutierrez’s winners, Apollirevenge, was the last eliminated from the bubble on the night. He lasted until Effortless Favorite won the ninth trial in a slightly faster time. Apollirevenge covered his 350 yards in :17.595 in the third trial, just three-hundredths of a second slower than the last finalist.
••••
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 $1,000,000 Heritage Place Futurity on May 31, the final night of this meet. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
Photo: Calling Chicks (1) wins the fifth trial of the evening on Thursday, May 8, 2025 at Remington Park to post the top 350-yard qualifying time on the first night of trials for the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity. The final will be held on May 31. 📸: Dustin Orona Photography... ’Expand’See Less
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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 10th 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):
••••••
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.
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𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐑, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐃
By Richard Linihan
𝑶𝑲𝑳𝑨𝑯𝑶𝑴𝑨 𝑪𝑰𝑻𝒀, 𝑶𝑲 – 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 wasn’t expected to win his 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 on Thursday at Remington Park; he was a longshot at 15-1 odds. He certainly was the surprise of the night when he was the 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆, cementing a spot in the finals of this 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝟏 $𝟏,𝟏𝟔𝟏,𝟎𝟏𝟎 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟑𝟏.
The Heritage Place Futurity is the cornerstone 350-yard race for 2-year-old American Quarter Horses, and is one of the most heralded futurities in the country annually. The fastest five horses from 13 trials on Thursday and the five fastest of 13 more trials on Friday will make up the field of 10 finalists for the million-dollar race.
In the fifth trial Thursday, Calling Chicks, a beautiful gray gelding by Eyesa Cashing Teller, out of the Fly Jess Fly mare Call Me Paratus, broke on top early under 𝐣𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐳 and never was headed. He looked more like 1-5 than 15-1 as he opened up to a three-quarters length victory in his heat. When he hit the line in :17.438 seconds, earning, a 95 speed-index on the fast track. It turned out to be the fastest time of the night, despite there being eight more trials to run. It was run with a slight tailwind behind him, virtually the same speed for every race Thursday night, between 5-8 mph.
No one could have expected this from a horse that had run fourth and fifth in his first two starts. The key, however, was that his first two tries came against futurity trial company, not maidens. In his first start for 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐲, Calling Chicks raced on a sloppy track in the Oklahoma Futurity trials and finished 1-1/4 lengths behind the eventual winner of the Remington Park Futurity – Flying Joy 1. The next time out, Calling Chicks faced Remington Park Futurity trial horses and could do no better than fifth, beaten 1-1/2 lengths. His speed index that night over a muddy track (90) was certainly good enough to win a trial for the Heritage Place and that’s just what he did on Thursday as the fastest qualifier. It was also the first time Calling Chicks had raced over a fast track. Possibly another determining factor as well.
Calling Chicks, 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐛𝐲 𝐃𝐫. 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡, broke his maiden in this trial and put a smile on the face of 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐇 𝐄 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐇𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚) 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚. He paid $32.60 to win, $10.60 to place and $3.80 to show across the board. Cruz, last year’s top rider at Remington Park for the first time, had ridden Calling Chicks in his first race, was off in the second start and then got back on him Thursday for one more chance. It paid off. It’s amazing that a horse that has earned only $9,649 in three starts, has a shot at winning a large portion of a million-dollar purse in three weeks, but that is the case. If that isn’t enough to make a great story, it must also be pointed out that the owner bought Calling Chicks for $8,000 from the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale in 2024.
Other than Calling Chicks, the fastest of the five qualifiers from Thursday night were (with jockey, trainer, trial number, times and speed index):
• DR Americas Dynasty, Juan Pulido, Marco Chavez-Gutierrez, trial four, :17.481, 94
• Hawkeye Vision, Joseph Belloc, Jr., James J. Gonzales III,
trial four, :17.507, 93
• Jess Flash the Cash, Ramiro Garcia, Jason Olmstead,
trial five, :17.548, 92
• Effortless Favorite, Francisco Ramirez, Jr., Jason Olmstead,
trial nine, :17.561, 91
It was a great night of training for conditioners Marco Chavez-Gutierrez and Jason Olmstead. Chavez-Gutierrez might trade his night with Olmstead’s, even though the former won two more races than latter. Any other night, a training quadruple would have been an incredible evening of racing, but none of Chavez-Gutierrez’s four winners qualified for the finals of the Heritage Place Futurity.
Olmstead’s two winners did qualify. One of Chavez-Gutierrez’s winners, Apollirevenge, was the last eliminated from the bubble on the night. He lasted until Effortless Favorite won the ninth trial in a slightly faster time. Apollirevenge covered his 350 yards in :17.595 in the third trial, just three-hundredths of a second slower than the last finalist.
••••
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 $1,000,000 Heritage Place Futurity on May 31, the final night of this meet. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
Photo: Calling Chicks (1) wins the fifth trial of the evening on Thursday, May 8, 2025 at Remington Park to post the top 350-yard qualifying time on the first night of trials for the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity. The final will be held on May 31. 📸: Dustin Orona Photography ... ’Expand’See Less
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