WEST TEXAS ROYALTY BIGGEST UPSET OF NIGHT, WINNING REMINGTON PARK DERBY AT 44-1 ODDS

by Richard Linihan

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – April 20, 2026 – Trainer Josue Garcia pulled off the biggest surprise of the night, taking the $217,910 Remington Park Derby with 44-1 longshot West Texas Royalty on Saturday night.

In fact, Garcia followed that by sweeping the late daily double in the next race – winning the $971,955 Remington Park Futurity with Apolliticalgolddigger. The late $2 double returned a nice $400 payoff.

There were boxcar payouts in the derby keyed by West Texas Royalty, who paid $91.60 to win on a $2 ticket, $24.60 to place and $12.40 to show. The 10-cent superfecta of $1,033.25 was rounded out by runner-up JC Speeding (8-5), third-place finisher Coronados 123 (21-1) and Js FDD (16-1) in fourth. The heavy 4-5 wagering favorite, Cyber Command III, broke behind the field and ran sixth. The $2 exacta was worth $361.40 and the 50-cent trifecta returned $593.45.

“When I stood this horse (West Texas Royalty) in the gate Wednesday was the first time I had seen him,” said winning rider Calderon.

Leading rider Juan Pulido was aboard West Texas Royalty in the Remington Park Derby trials when he ran third. Pulido chose Cyber Command III in the finals, a horse that had a faster qualifying time.

West Texas Royalty, owned by Kevin Hogan of Cypress, Texas, had never won at the distance of 400 yards nor at Remington Park before Saturday night. He was 0-for-2 at Remington and 0-for-3 at the distance. This also was West Texas Royalty’s first trip to the winner’s circle in a stakes race. The 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding had won his first career start at Sam Houston Race Park in Texas against futurity trial horses, but didn’t qualify for that final. His only other win lifetime was when he was placed first through disqualification in trials at the Gillespie County Fair racetrack in Texas.

None of that mattered on Saturday night. All Calderon wanted was a clean trip from the gate and a chance.

“Thank God we got out of the gate nicely,” he said. “I knew JC Speeding would have to catch us after he broke. We were fierce today.”

West Texas Royalty earned $87,164 from the Derby purse after coming into the race with only $24,713 in earnings compared to JC Speeding’s $271,697. The winner improved lifetime to 10-3-2-2, $111,877 in earnings. The winning time for the 400 yards was :19.578, good for a 95 speed index.

This was the second year in a row that Garcia had won the Remington Park Derby. He was victorious last year with Valiant Painted Sign for Darling Farms.

Remington Park racing continues Sunday, April 19 with a first post time of 4pm-Central.

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Remington Park has provided more than $410 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. The $1,000,000 Heritage Place Futurity takes place on the final night of the spring season on Saturday, May 30. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.