TRAINER EDDIE WILLIS WINS HIS 11TH TRAINING TITLE AT REMINGTON PARK, BREAKING TIE WITH RODNEY REED FOR MOST ALL TIME
OKLAHOMA CITY – June 5, 2020 – When Eddie Willis won his 10th training title at Remington Park in 2019, it tied him with trainer Rodney Reed for most all-time at this Oklahoma City track.
That tie has been broken. Willis won an unprecedented 11th training title at Remington Park during the 2020 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season that just concluded. The leading trainer award is named after Jack Brooks, an eight-time winner of the prestigious All American Futurity and Hall of Fame horsemen.
Willis knew when he was a little boy that something like this was what he wanted to do all his life.
“I can’t remember a time when I was a kid that there wasn’t a horse around,” said Willis. “When I was 16, I dropped out of school in Caney, Okla. I still have the farm in Caney, but I live in Ada now.”
He said his dad trained a few horses and that it has been in his blood.
“Well, it is nice winning titles,” he said. “You love to win races. But you get in it to make a living and make money. That will happen when you do things right. My horses have won more than $1 million at Remington Park several times.”
Willis had starters 236 times and won with 37 of them, ran second 52 times, and third 30 more. He had a 16% percent winning rate and his horses ran first, second or third 50% of the time, earning $1,131,137 on the track. He finished $300,000 more than runner-up Monty Arrossa.
“That happens when you work really hard, have great hands and an older son that works for me,” Willis said. “When you have that kind of foundation, you’re supposed to win races. And we do work hard. I don’t have as many hands as a lot of barns that split their grooms among the horses. They all work with every horse in my barn. Every hand. When you have too many working for you, it’s not as good, I believe.”
Willis’ first training title at Remington Park came in 2004. From 2010-2014, he had a five-year string of titles here. On the lesser side, he had a drought from 2015-2018 here.
Winning titles or not, his success remains as constant as the northern star at Remington.
“Never wanted to win all the races, just my share,” said Willis. “If you start 200 horses, you ought to win with 35 or 40 of them. We won 53 one year (2011) at Remington Park; won six stakes races in a row once (2003) with (jockey) Larry Payne.”
Payne had his rivalry with G.R. Carter throughout his career, but Willis never got caught up in any rivalry with another top trainer.
“I never mind getting outrun by someone who works hard,” he said.
As for the future, he doesn’t really think about the long range.
“I’ve already sent 20 head to Ruidoso,” he said. “I’m almost 63 years old now. Been doing this since 1979, but I can do a lot of things. I shoe horses. I can work with equipment. But this (racing) is a passion.”
Passion at Willis’ level leads to trophies, plaques and Halls of Fame. He has all of that, as he was inducted into the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Remington Park in 2018.
••••••
Tracked by more than 164,000 fans on Facebook and more than 10,500 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $243 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, Remington Park is in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District.
𝑶𝑲𝑳𝑨𝑯𝑶𝑴𝑨 𝑪𝑰𝑻𝒀, 𝑶𝑲 – 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – The sprite 98-year-old 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧 is trying to make the magic happen again in this year’s 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝟏, $𝟏,𝟏𝟔𝟏,𝟎𝟏𝟎 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, after she won Oklahoma’s richest horse race in 2022 with Tres Crystals.
Logan, of Haskell, Okla., wasn’t on hand at Remington Park on Friday night on day two of the Heritage Place Futurity trials when her 2-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding, Jay W, was the 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓. The final is scheduled for Saturday, May 31, the final night of the Remington Park season.
“She wasn’t here,” said leading 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫, of Logan on trials night, “but, I’ll bet she was at the simulcast facility in Tulsa (Okla.). She can’t really see anymore, but she has a woman who drives her, and, oh yeah, she will be here for the finals with this horse. She has to have her friends tell her how her horse is doing during a race.”
Jay W, with a 13 mph tailwind in the third of 13 trials, put up a time of :17.407 seconds over a fast track in the in his trial as the fastest of the night, earning a 96 speed-index for the 350-yard run. The wind significantly died down below double figures in the later trials.
A gelded son of Valiant Hero, out of the Apollitical Jess mare A Pollitical Phoebe, Jay W was bought at the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale last fall for $42,000.
Jay W picked this night to break his maiden and did it at 12-1 odds even though he was campaigning out of the top trainer’s barn the past three Remington Park meets. Prior to this trial win, Jay W had run second in his Oklahoma Futurity trial on March 7. He then lost to Fasterthanmybrothers in a subsequent maiden event, he got revenge on that rival in this trial score.
Fasterthanmybrothers (5-1) could only manage a fourth-place run on Friday against Jay W. The 6-5 post-time favorite, DR Whizkey on Ice, got up for third in this same trial. Jay W won by three-quarters of a length over runner-up Cyber Command III (9-2), who was a half-length ahead of Fasterthanmybrothers.
𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐀𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐩 for all three lifetime attempts by Jay W.
Logan won $467,225 when Tres Crystals won the Heritage Place Futurity in 2022. She is now hoping to experience a similar richly rewarding victory in about three weeks.
Other than Jay W, the other four that qualified Friday were (with jockey, trainer, trial number, times and speed index): • Jess a Good Angel, Juan Pulido, Cristian Alcala, trial five, :17.466, 94 • Flying Policy 123, Edwin Escobedo, Michael Joiner, trial six, :17.512, 93 • Cyber Command III, Bryan Candanosa, Kash Reed, trial three, :17.517, 93 • Coronados 123, Mario Delgado, Juvenal Licona-Vazquez, trial eight :17.565, 91
The fastest five qualifiers Thursday night were: • Calling Chicks, Roman Cruz, Buddy Clay, trial five, :17.438, 95 • 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 ••••
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 $1,1,61,010 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: Jay W (2) wins the third trial on Friday, May 9, 2025 at Remington Park to post the top time on the second night of trials for the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity. Jockey Jesus Ayala was up for the victory 📸: Dustin Orona Photography... ’Expand’See Less
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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TRAINER EDDIE WILLIS WINS HIS 11TH TRAINING TITLE AT REMINGTON PARK, BREAKING TIE WITH RODNEY REED FOR MOST ALL TIME
OKLAHOMA CITY – June 5, 2020 – When Eddie Willis won his 10th training title at Remington Park in 2019, it tied him with trainer Rodney Reed for most all-time at this Oklahoma City track.
That tie has been broken. Willis won an unprecedented 11th training title at Remington Park during the 2020 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season that just concluded. The leading trainer award is named after Jack Brooks, an eight-time winner of the prestigious All American Futurity and Hall of Fame horsemen.
Willis knew when he was a little boy that something like this was what he wanted to do all his life.
He said his dad trained a few horses and that it has been in his blood.
Willis had starters 236 times and won with 37 of them, ran second 52 times, and third 30 more. He had a 16% percent winning rate and his horses ran first, second or third 50% of the time, earning $1,131,137 on the track. He finished $300,000 more than runner-up Monty Arrossa.
Willis’ first training title at Remington Park came in 2004. From 2010-2014, he had a five-year string of titles here. On the lesser side, he had a drought from 2015-2018 here.
Winning titles or not, his success remains as constant as the northern star at Remington.
Payne had his rivalry with G.R. Carter throughout his career, but Willis never got caught up in any rivalry with another top trainer.
As for the future, he doesn’t really think about the long range.
Passion at Willis’ level leads to trophies, plaques and Halls of Fame. He has all of that, as he was inducted into the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Remington Park in 2018.
••••••
Tracked by more than 164,000 fans on Facebook and more than 10,500 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $243 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, Remington Park is in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District.
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𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐇 𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐀𝐍, 𝟗𝟖 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆, 𝐓𝐑𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂 𝐎𝐅 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐑 𝐉𝐀𝐘 𝐖 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐒
By Richard Linihan
𝑶𝑲𝑳𝑨𝑯𝑶𝑴𝑨 𝑪𝑰𝑻𝒀, 𝑶𝑲 – 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – The sprite 98-year-old 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧 is trying to make the magic happen again in this year’s 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝟏, $𝟏,𝟏𝟔𝟏,𝟎𝟏𝟎 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, after she won Oklahoma’s richest horse race in 2022 with Tres Crystals.
Logan, of Haskell, Okla., wasn’t on hand at Remington Park on Friday night on day two of the Heritage Place Futurity trials when her 2-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding, Jay W, was the 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓. The final is scheduled for Saturday, May 31, the final night of the Remington Park season.
“She wasn’t here,” said leading 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫, of Logan on trials night, “but, I’ll bet she was at the simulcast facility in Tulsa (Okla.). She can’t really see anymore, but she has a woman who drives her, and, oh yeah, she will be here for the finals with this horse. She has to have her friends tell her how her horse is doing during a race.”
Jay W, with a 13 mph tailwind in the third of 13 trials, put up a time of :17.407 seconds over a fast track in the in his trial as the fastest of the night, earning a 96 speed-index for the 350-yard run. The wind significantly died down below double figures in the later trials.
A gelded son of Valiant Hero, out of the Apollitical Jess mare A Pollitical Phoebe, Jay W was bought at the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale last fall for $42,000.
Jay W picked this night to break his maiden and did it at 12-1 odds even though he was campaigning out of the top trainer’s barn the past three Remington Park meets. Prior to this trial win, Jay W had run second in his Oklahoma Futurity trial on March 7. He then lost to Fasterthanmybrothers in a subsequent maiden event, he got revenge on that rival in this trial score.
Fasterthanmybrothers (5-1) could only manage a fourth-place run on Friday against Jay W. The 6-5 post-time favorite, DR Whizkey on Ice, got up for third in this same trial. Jay W won by three-quarters of a length over runner-up Cyber Command III (9-2), who was a half-length ahead of Fasterthanmybrothers.
𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐀𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐩 for all three lifetime attempts by Jay W.
Logan won $467,225 when Tres Crystals won the Heritage Place Futurity in 2022. She is now hoping to experience a similar richly rewarding victory in about three weeks.
Other than Jay W, the other four that qualified Friday were (with jockey, trainer, trial number, times and speed index):
• Jess a Good Angel, Juan Pulido, Cristian Alcala, trial five, :17.466, 94
• Flying Policy 123, Edwin Escobedo, Michael Joiner, trial six, :17.512, 93
• Cyber Command III, Bryan Candanosa, Kash Reed, trial three, :17.517, 93
• Coronados 123, Mario Delgado, Juvenal Licona-Vazquez, trial eight :17.565, 91
The fastest five qualifiers Thursday night were:
• Calling Chicks, Roman Cruz, Buddy Clay, trial five, :17.438, 95
• 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
••••
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 $1,1,61,010 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: Jay W (2) wins the third trial on Friday, May 9, 2025 at Remington Park to post the top time on the second night of trials for the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity. Jockey Jesus Ayala was up for the victory 📸: Dustin Orona Photography ... ’Expand’See Less
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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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Congratulations teem keener
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