TRAINER MONTY ARROSSA TAKES GRADE 1 DEBBIE SCHAUF REMINGTON PARK CHAMPIONSHIP WITH DEXXTER

OKLAHOMA CITY – Trainer Monty Arrossa came to Remington Park with only 12 horses for owner Dunn Ranch of Wynnewood, Okla., and a curiosity of what it would be like to race here. He found out he likes it. He likes it a lot.

The Idaho-born, 47-year-old trainer started etching his mark on the American Quarter Horse racing scene here on March 21 when he won his first stakes race at Remington Park with Aint She Tempting in the Grade 2, $383,725 Oklahoma Futurity at 18-1 odds. He concluded his amazing run with a win in the Grade, 1 $211,600 Debbie Schauf Remington Park Championship on the season’s closing night with Dexxter.

Arrossa, from Jerome, Idaho, where he grew up, won an amazing $810,984 for his owners from those 12 starters to finish second in the money standings behind only leading trainer Eddie Willis, whose horses accumulated $1,131,137 in earnings.

“The Dunns sent us some horses to run in California and we’d always thought about trying Remington Park, so we decided to come in this year,” Arrossa said. “I promise I’ll be back next year, for sure. I’m so thankful everyone at Remington Park rolled out the red carpet for us.”

Dexxter won both of his starts at Remington Park, taking the Grade 1, $70,960 Leo Stakes on May 2 and then followed that with the Debbie Schauf Remington Park Championship on closing night. He was one of three horses that were sent off at 7-2 odds. Eagles Fly Higher was the slight betting favorite and ran seventh. The other 7-2 horse was Mi Amor Secreto who rallied for second, a half-length behind Dexxter.

Jockey James Flores, the 2019 AQHA Champion Jockey and third-time title-winning rider here, broke fourth with Dexxter, then quickly moved to the lead before holding off the closing kick of the runner-up.

“I almost didn’t get to come to Remington to see my horses run so big,” said Arrossa. “Los Alamitos had suggested all along that they didn’t want their trainers to travel, but they loosened up the restrictions and I was able to get a flight out and get here by the fourth race (Saturday night).”

Arrossa saw Dexxter get home a winner, stopping the timer for the 440 yards in 21.207 seconds, over a fast track, for a 103 speed index. He beat several stakes winners and the 2018 All American Futurity winner Apocalyptical Jess in this race. Running third was Apollitical Pence, another Arrossa horse in the field, a nose behind the second-place horse. Dexxter paid $9.40, $5 and $3.60 to win, place and show.

“This was the most amazing field of older horses I’ve seen race against each other in a long time,” Arrossa said. “People told me he might not be able to get 440 yards (Dexxter’s first time at the distance). We had to prove it. I always like a challenge when someone says we can’t do something.”

Dexxter is a 4-year-old gelded son of Corona Cartel, out of the Tres Seis mare Tres of Linda. He was bred in Utah by McColee Land & Livestock and is owned by Dunn Ranch and Valeriano Racing Stables, partners of Perryton, Texas. He earned $125,622 from this purse to improve to 17 starts, seven wins, three seconds and one third for total earnings of $404,894.

Arrossa ranked third in the country in number of wins in 2018 and was ninth last year. Last year, Arrossa started 334 horses, won 63 times, finished second 66 times and third 53 more times. His horses earned $1,109,943. It was the second year in a row his starters have pocketed more than $1 million, a far cry from $14,937 in earnings when he started in 1991.

The Debbie Schauf Remington Park Championship, the track’s top race for older Quarter Horses, is named in honor of the longtime executive director of the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association, who passed away unexpectedly in August 2019.

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Tracked by more than 163,000 fans on Facebook and more than 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $242 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Remington Park is located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District.