TRAINER JUAN DIAZ, JR., GETS FASTEST QUALIFIER, JOOSE BOXX, IN FIRST NIGHT OF TRIALS FOR OKLAHOMA FUTURITY
by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – March 8, 2024 – Trainer Juan Diaz, Jr., of San Antonio, crossed the Red River this year with some talented runners, one of which was Joose Boxx, who was the fastest qualifier on the first night of trials for the Grade 2, $502,385 Oklahoma Futurity final set for March 23.
Diaz has won the last three training titles at the Sam Houston Race Park Quarter Horse meets from 2021-2023. Joose Boxx, a 2-year-old grey Quarter Horse by Kiss My Hocks, out of the Big Daddy Cartel mare CD Daddys Home, was sparkling in his trial, stopping the timer for 300 yards in :15.343 seconds for a speed index of 95 over a sloppy track with a 20 mph tailwind. Despite that dominant time for the evening, Joose Boxx still only beat the runner-up in his trial, Finn McOol, by a head.
Finn McOol’s rider, Roman Cruz, lost his whip halfway through the race. That could make for a nice rematch in the finals with Joose Boxx as They were the two fastest horses on Friday night at Remington Park.
Storylines were in abundant supply on this night of trials as trainer Trey Wood won three trials, qualifying one of those for the finals and trainer Milton Broadnax of Spencer, Okla., won the first race of his career.
Broadnax began starting horses in 2011 and did not have an official Quarter Horse starter on a racetrack since 2019. Broadnax ended a career 0-for-55 streak if you include Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, Paints and Appaloosas. In fact, only one time of those 55 races did a Broadnax horse run first, second or third. Friday night was his night in the spotlight as Liberty for Jess, who was the fastest qualifier after three trials, held on to finish fourth-fastest of the night to make the lucrative Oklahoma Futurity.
Broadnax was 0-for-41 with Quarter Horses, 0-for-11 with Thoroughbreds and 0-for-3 with mixed-breeds until Friday night. Liberty for Jess, a 2-year-old colt by Dash Master Jess, out of the Rushago mare Liberty Rush, earned $5,784 for the trial win and now, after only one start, sits second on Broadnax’s list of all-time top horses. To make it even better, the horse Liberty for Jess has to catch to move into first for Broadnax is his mama, Liberty Rush, who earned $7,523. Broadnax, is also the owner and breeder of Liberty for Jess, an Oklahoma-bred.
Liberty for Jess went off at 21-1 odds and paid $44.20 to win, $14.80 to place and $7.20 to show. He was ridden to victory by last year’s leading rider at Remington Park, Edwin Escobedo.
Diaz had some sharp runners at Remington Park last year as well. He won with Ivory Senator, Rey Donovan, Dashin Hocks and Colleys Cartel. His biggest win came with Ivory Senator in the Grade 3 Mr Master Bug Stakes on April 22, 2024. In his career that started officially in 2018, according to Equibase statistics, Diaz has had 1,011 Quarter Horse starters, winning 247 times, running second 164 times and third another 119 times for horses’ earnings of $7,347,445. He is winning at a 50 percent-clip in 2024, taking six trips to the winner’s circle with 12 starters. Diaz has two more starters in Saturday night’s Oklahoma Futurity trials.
The fastest five horses from Friday and Saturday night’s trials will qualify as the 10 finalists of the Oklahoma Futurity on March 23. The five tonight were, with their jockey, trainer, trial number (race number), times and speed index were:
Joose Box – Nestor Duran, Juan Diaz, Jr., trial three (race six), :15.343, 95
Finn McOol, Roman Cruz, Dee Keener, trial three (race six), :15.374, 94
Liberty for Jess, Edwin Escobedo, Milton Broadnax, trial two (race four), :15.463, 91
Cowboy Blue Z, Bryan Candanosa, Michael Joiner, trial one (race three), :15.471, 90
This will be the 83rd edition of the historic Oklahoma Futurity. The race was first contested in 1947 and has been run at Remington Park since 2006.
Racing resumes Saturday night with 11 races that begin at 6 p.m., including eight more trials for the Oklahoma Futurity. Sunday’s racing card begins at 4 p.m. and features trials for the Oklahoma Derby as well as the initial stakes races of the 2024 season, the Grade 2 SLM Big Daddy Stakes and the Mighty Deck Three Stakes.
•••••
Remington Park has provided more than $345 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 83rd edition of the historic Oklahoma Futurity, first contested in 1947, will be run Saturday, March 23. The American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season continues through June 1. 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.
Facebook Feed
🚨Attn Horsemen: The OQHRA Board of Directors Elections are coming up this Fall. Make sure you renew your OQHRA membership by September 1st in order to Vote ☑️!
Please help us congratulate Troy! He is such an important part of all of our success at Fair Meadows! Be sure to tell him Thank You when you see him! ... ’Expand’See Less
Congratulations Troy!!! Thank you for all you have done for all of us. A special thanks for a special longtime friendship that I truly treasure.😊
Troy is the absolute BEST!! Congratulations my friend!
Congratulations Troy !!
Congrats
He deserves it.
Troy’s Awesome, congratulations and thank you for always taking such care of us🏇🏻🏇🏻
Way to go Troy !!!!!
Looking good troy. I miss those days.
He is one of the best people you will ever meet in the race horse business
Congratulations Troy! One of the nicest people I ever had the privilege to work with.
Congratulations Troy. You always do a great job
My man Troy i can remember FMT in the beginning and Troy would always be the 1st one you saw either pulling in of a morning to work or at night to race, Troy always had the chaos organized in the haul in barn. Jim and Nina got the best one possible with Troy, one amazing man!
The Stephens family!
Jim,Barb and Kevin
Congratulations! Track would be lost with out you, you are awesome.
Congrats Troy!!!
You are the man, Troy
Congratulations
Congrats!!!
Never ran anything in OKLA., but CONGRATULATIONS TROY!!! Ppl like you are gold on ANY TRACK.
The Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association (OQHRA) has confirmed the detection of Olodaterol through pre-entry hair testing protocols required for participation at Oklahoma racetracks. Olodaterol is a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist, a class of bronchodilators that includes strictly prohibited substances such as clenbuterol, albuterol, and carmoterol.
Olodaterol is not an approved substance in racehorses, and its presence constitutes a violation of integrity standards. The positive findings were made as a condition of entry through OQHRA-managed hair testing, not by the regulatory body, and as such, horses testing positive were ruled ineligible for entry.
While reports of Olodaterol have surfaced in other states through hair samples, OQHRA is not currently aware of any confirmed positives in blood or urine samples. This reinforces the value of hair testing in identifying substances that may otherwise go undetected.
“This is a clear example of why hair testing matters,” said Krissy Bamberg, Executive Director of OQHRA. “Whether used pre-entry to prevent horses from competing, or post-race for official adjudication, hair testing provides a longer detection window and a clearer picture of the medications and substances a horse has been exposed to.”
OQHRA will continue to support and expand the use of hair testing as part of its integrity and welfare program. In addition, the association will continue to advocate for the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission to adopt hair testing as a standard matrix within the state’s official biological testing program. This includes both post-race testing and out-of-competition testing.
“We strongly encourage the Commission to expand its use of hair testing,” said Bamberg. “It's a reliable, science-based tool that gives regulators the ability to detect long-term exposure to prohibited substances and strengthens our ability to ensure fairness and safety in the sport.”
OQHRA and our partner racetracks remain committed to identifying and deterring the use of new and emerging substances and protecting the integrity of racing in Oklahoma. ... ’Expand’See Less
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: OQHRA. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
TRAINER JUAN DIAZ, JR., GETS FASTEST QUALIFIER, JOOSE BOXX, IN FIRST NIGHT OF TRIALS FOR OKLAHOMA FUTURITY
by Richard Linihan
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – March 8, 2024 – Trainer Juan Diaz, Jr., of San Antonio, crossed the Red River this year with some talented runners, one of which was Joose Boxx, who was the fastest qualifier on the first night of trials for the Grade 2, $502,385 Oklahoma Futurity final set for March 23.
Diaz has won the last three training titles at the Sam Houston Race Park Quarter Horse meets from 2021-2023. Joose Boxx, a 2-year-old grey Quarter Horse by Kiss My Hocks, out of the Big Daddy Cartel mare CD Daddys Home, was sparkling in his trial, stopping the timer for 300 yards in :15.343 seconds for a speed index of 95 over a sloppy track with a 20 mph tailwind. Despite that dominant time for the evening, Joose Boxx still only beat the runner-up in his trial, Finn McOol, by a head.
Finn McOol’s rider, Roman Cruz, lost his whip halfway through the race. That could make for a nice rematch in the finals with Joose Boxx as They were the two fastest horses on Friday night at Remington Park.
Storylines were in abundant supply on this night of trials as trainer Trey Wood won three trials, qualifying one of those for the finals and trainer Milton Broadnax of Spencer, Okla., won the first race of his career.
Broadnax began starting horses in 2011 and did not have an official Quarter Horse starter on a racetrack since 2019. Broadnax ended a career 0-for-55 streak if you include Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, Paints and Appaloosas. In fact, only one time of those 55 races did a Broadnax horse run first, second or third. Friday night was his night in the spotlight as Liberty for Jess, who was the fastest qualifier after three trials, held on to finish fourth-fastest of the night to make the lucrative Oklahoma Futurity.
Broadnax was 0-for-41 with Quarter Horses, 0-for-11 with Thoroughbreds and 0-for-3 with mixed-breeds until Friday night. Liberty for Jess, a 2-year-old colt by Dash Master Jess, out of the Rushago mare Liberty Rush, earned $5,784 for the trial win and now, after only one start, sits second on Broadnax’s list of all-time top horses. To make it even better, the horse Liberty for Jess has to catch to move into first for Broadnax is his mama, Liberty Rush, who earned $7,523. Broadnax, is also the owner and breeder of Liberty for Jess, an Oklahoma-bred.
Liberty for Jess went off at 21-1 odds and paid $44.20 to win, $14.80 to place and $7.20 to show. He was ridden to victory by last year’s leading rider at Remington Park, Edwin Escobedo.
Diaz had some sharp runners at Remington Park last year as well. He won with Ivory Senator, Rey Donovan, Dashin Hocks and Colleys Cartel. His biggest win came with Ivory Senator in the Grade 3 Mr Master Bug Stakes on April 22, 2024. In his career that started officially in 2018, according to Equibase statistics, Diaz has had 1,011 Quarter Horse starters, winning 247 times, running second 164 times and third another 119 times for horses’ earnings of $7,347,445. He is winning at a 50 percent-clip in 2024, taking six trips to the winner’s circle with 12 starters. Diaz has two more starters in Saturday night’s Oklahoma Futurity trials.
The fastest five horses from Friday and Saturday night’s trials will qualify as the 10 finalists of the Oklahoma Futurity on March 23. The five tonight were, with their jockey, trainer, trial number (race number), times and speed index were:
This will be the 83rd edition of the historic Oklahoma Futurity. The race was first contested in 1947 and has been run at Remington Park since 2006.
Racing resumes Saturday night with 11 races that begin at 6 p.m., including eight more trials for the Oklahoma Futurity. Sunday’s racing card begins at 4 p.m. and features trials for the Oklahoma Derby as well as the initial stakes races of the 2024 season, the Grade 2 SLM Big Daddy Stakes and the Mighty Deck Three Stakes.
•••••
Remington Park has provided more than $345 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 83rd edition of the historic Oklahoma Futurity, first contested in 1947, will be run Saturday, March 23. The American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season continues through June 1. 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.
Facebook Feed
🚨Attn Horsemen: The OQHRA Board of Directors Elections are coming up this Fall. Make sure you renew your OQHRA membership by September 1st in order to Vote ☑️!
Online OQHRA Membership form --> bit.ly/3E8BOFb ... ’Expand’See Less
2 hours ago
Comment on Facebook
Please help us congratulate Troy! He is such an important part of all of our success at Fair Meadows! Be sure to tell him Thank You when you see him! ... ’Expand’See Less
2 days ago
Comment on Facebook
Congratulations Troy!!! Thank you for all you have done for all of us. A special thanks for a special longtime friendship that I truly treasure.😊
Troy is the absolute BEST!! Congratulations my friend!
Congratulations Troy !!
Congrats
He deserves it.
Troy’s Awesome, congratulations and thank you for always taking such care of us🏇🏻🏇🏻
Way to go Troy !!!!!
Looking good troy. I miss those days.
He is one of the best people you will ever meet in the race horse business
Congratulations Troy! One of the nicest people I ever had the privilege to work with.
Congratulations Troy. You always do a great job
My man Troy i can remember FMT in the beginning and Troy would always be the 1st one you saw either pulling in of a morning to work or at night to race, Troy always had the chaos organized in the haul in barn. Jim and Nina got the best one possible with Troy, one amazing man! The Stephens family! Jim,Barb and Kevin
Congratulations! Track would be lost with out you, you are awesome.
Congrats Troy!!!
You are the man, Troy
Congratulations
Congrats!!!
Never ran anything in OKLA., but CONGRATULATIONS TROY!!! Ppl like you are gold on ANY TRACK.
View more comments
𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗹𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
The Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association (OQHRA) has confirmed the detection of Olodaterol through pre-entry hair testing protocols required for participation at Oklahoma racetracks. Olodaterol is a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist, a class of bronchodilators that includes strictly prohibited substances such as clenbuterol, albuterol, and carmoterol.
Olodaterol is not an approved substance in racehorses, and its presence constitutes a violation of integrity standards. The positive findings were made as a condition of entry through OQHRA-managed hair testing, not by the regulatory body, and as such, horses testing positive were ruled ineligible for entry.
While reports of Olodaterol have surfaced in other states through hair samples, OQHRA is not currently aware of any confirmed positives in blood or urine samples. This reinforces the value of hair testing in identifying substances that may otherwise go undetected.
“This is a clear example of why hair testing matters,” said Krissy Bamberg, Executive Director of OQHRA. “Whether used pre-entry to prevent horses from competing, or post-race for official adjudication, hair testing provides a longer detection window and a clearer picture of the medications and substances a horse has been exposed to.”
OQHRA will continue to support and expand the use of hair testing as part of its integrity and welfare program. In addition, the association will continue to advocate for the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission to adopt hair testing as a standard matrix within the state’s official biological testing program. This includes both post-race testing and out-of-competition testing.
“We strongly encourage the Commission to expand its use of hair testing,” said Bamberg. “It's a reliable, science-based tool that gives regulators the ability to detect long-term exposure to prohibited substances and strengthens our ability to ensure fairness and safety in the sport.”
OQHRA and our partner racetracks remain committed to identifying and deterring the use of new and emerging substances and protecting the integrity of racing in Oklahoma. ... ’Expand’See Less
3 days ago
Comment on Facebook
Why don’t you just require hair testing in test barn of top 2 finishers. Wouldn’t that be a more accurate chance to catch abuse?
You don’t find it in blood and urine because hair testing is highly variable and substances can last for years after it’s been administered.
Felipe Martinez this what you Ben saying all along
The Louisiana Racing Commission STILL does not recognize the hair testing we owners have been paying for the last few years!
Guess you missed the news from LA??
View more comments
Sign Up For OQHRA News & Updates
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: OQHRA. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact