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MARQ FRENCH DEFENDS TITLE ON OKLAHOMA CLASSICS NIGHT
AT REMINGTON PARK
Saturday, September 26, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY – The state’s top eligible Thoroughbreds battled throughout six stakes races on Saturday night at Remington Park, competing for purse money in excess of $478,000 during the Oklahoma Classics. Marq French won the richest race on the card for the second year in a row, fighting hard throughout the stretch of the 1-1/16 miles to hold his long shot rivals at bay.
CLASSICS PICS
$100,000 OKLAHOMA THOROUGHBRED ASSOCIATION CLASSIC
Marq French had finished fifth in his last three times to the track this year, beaten almost 39 lengths in those starts. But a closer look revealed that two of those tries were on the turf at different distances and one on the synthetic dirt in Chicago at Arlington Park. If you were to go back to this 7-year-old gelding’s last start on real dirt, he was dominant in winning the $56,000 OTA Classic at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, going 6 furlongs, distancing a field by more than four lengths.
The three poor starts didn’t fool the wagering public on Saturday as the gelding owned by Van and Margie French of McAlester, Okla. was the post-time heavy favorite at 3-5. In fact, the last time this horse had raced at the 1- 1/16 miles distance on the dirt was when he won the OTA Classic last year at Remington Park.
“This horse is a little bit ornery,” said jockey Cliff Berry, who won his 19th Classics race when Marq French crossed the finish first, leaving him only two behind Don Pettinger, who has the record at 21. “But when it’s time to get down to business, he does.”
It was trainer Donnie Von Hemel’s 19th Classics win, extending his record over Steve Hobby to 19-10. Von Hemel also won the Distaff with Peach Brew earlier in the evening.
Marq French finished three-quarters of a length ahead of 39-1 long shot J J’s Indy, who almost pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the 17-year history of the Classics. Jockey Dale Cordova, who had retired for over 10 years prior to his return to his riding career this season, was aboard J J’s Indy. Regent Leader followed those two home, in third.
It was the third win for Marq French in five Classics starts. He also won last year’s Classic and the Sprint in 2006. “We thought he might just be a sprinter earlier in his career, but he has really blossomed into a nice distance horse,” said Von Hemel.
Marq French joins Zee Oh, Six, Slide Show, Mr Ross, Medium Rare, D Fine Okie, Brush with Pride and Bayakoa’s Image with three Classics wins. Notable Okie has four and Highland Ice holds the record with five Classics racing victories.
Marq French, a 7-year-old gelded son of Marquetry from the Topsider mare Intimate, has won 13-of-40 starts and boasts $466,626 in earnings. His share of this Classic purse was $60,000. He paid $3.40 to win, $3 to place and $2.40 to show. Surprise runner-up J J’s Indy paid $17.20 to place and $6.80 to show. Regent Leader returned $4.20 to show. The $2 exacta payout was a generous $105 with a 3-5 favorite on top. The $1 trifecta was worth $381.50.
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$84,364 DIAMOND G RANCH FILLY & MARE TURF
The final three races on the Oklahoma Classics Night card ran so close to form that they could have been scripted as all three odds-on favorites brought home the trophy. Peach Brew won the Distaff, Skedee won the Filly & Mare Turf and defending champion Marq French was the best in the Classic and all three were sent off at 3-5 odds.
In the Filly & Mare Turf, Skedee, owned by the Ringwood, Okla. partnership of Robert Poteet, John Lowder and Mary Sullivan, and trained by Sullivan, was booted home by jockey Chris Landeros.
It was the first stakes win for Skedee, but the 4-year-old filly by Sefapiano from the De Sarmiento mare Phuri Dai showed some class in her previous race when she raced very evenly in the $50,000 Ran Ricks Memorial Stakes at a mile on the turf at Remington Park on Sept. 7, to finish a close-up third.
Skedee shortened up to 7-1/2 furlongs for the Filly & Mare Turf showed she has a promising future, whipping this field by 6-1/4 lengths in a time of 1:29.63 over the firm going. Garbu and She ran second another head in front of third-place filly Everlastingly.
It was Skedee’s fourth win in 11 career starts and her third victory from six starts on the Remington Park grass course. She won $50,621 for her owners and improved her lifetime money to $125,760.
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$70,000 REMINGTON PARK DISTAFF
Some of the best horses on the face of the earth have been beaten more than eight lengths by the super-filly Rachel Alexandra, the current front-runner for Horse of the Year. So when Peach Brew, a 3-year-old filly who only got beat eight lengths by Rachel Alexandra, was entered in the Distaff, there was no doubt she was the class of the event.
After running third this spring to Rachel Alexandra at Oaklawn in the Martha Washington Stakes, Peach Brew began a brutal march through graded stakes company before returning to Remington Park. She won the Oklahoma Classics Lassie last year as a 2-year-old but in her last start before coming back home, she was entered in the Grade 3 Pucker Up Stakes in Chicago at Arlington Park.
“She was bumped very hard in that race and it put her into the rail,” said trainer Donnie Von Hemel, “so I guess she had a pretty legitimate excuse to run better in this spot.”
Prior to her rough last attempt, Peach Brew was victorious in the Grade 3, $150,000 Arlington Oaks in Chicago.
When Peach Brew took over in mid-stretch over the front-running Burbance, Bar Babe tried to go with her but couldn’t keep pace and finished second. Peach Brew, at 3-5 odds, proved that race in Chicago was a fluke by doing what she does best at Remington Park in winning. She has won 2-of-5 starts here including two Oklahoma Classics stakes in back-to-back years. The sophomore filly by Milwaukee Brew is owned by Dr. Robert Zoellner of Tulsa and was ridden to victory by Quincy Hamilton. When she crossed the line first, Zoellner and his crew went crazy in the winner’s circle.
“If you saw this bunch and their reaction, that is why racing is still exciting and a great sport here at Remington Park,” said Von Hemel.
Peach Brew earned $42,000 for the win and now has banked $256,006 from four wins in 15 starts for her career. She paid $3.20 to win, $2.10 to place and $2.10 to show to her backers. Bar Babe paid $2.20 to place and $2.10 to show. Burbance paid $2.20 to show for third.
Peach Brew stopped the clock in 1:38.95 for the mile and 70 yards.
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$70,000 FILLY & MARE SPRINT
What a difference a year makes. As a 2-year-old filly in 2008, Fanci Candi could not find the winner’s circle at Remington Park in two tries, but after a year of growth and trips to Arkansas and Canada, the Wertaloona filly from the Bionic Light mare Fanci V won her second race in a row in Oklahoma City for Steve Asmussen, the leading trainer in the country and at Remington Park.
Jockey Jermaine Bridgmohan sat right off the shoulder of the front-running Miranda Diane and pulled clear in the stretch to win by 3-1/4 lengths. Fanci Candi stopped the timer in 1:16.58 for the 6-1/2 furlongs as the 9-5 second wagering choice. Miranda Diane, a winner of four races in a row in the late spring this year, was sent off as the 6-5 favorite and for the third time in five starts at Remington Park, she was the bridesmaid, finishing second.
Fanci Candi won $42,000 for the first-place finish for owner Tom Tysdal of Lawton, Okla., to push her earnings to $185,703 for her young career. She has won 6-of-18 starts lifetime, picking up her fourth win in her last five tries. She paid $5.60 to win, $2.60 to place and $2.40 to show. Miranda Diane paid $2.60 to place and $2.10 to show. Half a Diamond, at 19-1 odds and six-lengths behind the winner, paid $4 to show.
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$70,000 CHEROKEE CASINO – WRD SPRINT
Talk about a Midas touch. Trainer Tommy Page claimed Herecomesthemannow for owner Danny Caldwell of Poteau, Okla. for the bargain basement price of $7,500 on the Opening Night of the Remington Park season in August. A the
9-year-old gelding has done in the two races since is win, about $50,000. Not a bad return on the money.
Under jockey Curtis Kimes, Herecomesthemannow looked like a young pup rather than “old man” in the field of six. He left his younger rivals (the next-oldest competitor was a 6-year-old) in his wake as they drove to the wire.
Herecomesthemannow has found new life in only the past 10 weeks as he was beaten about seven lengths in the Route 66 Stakes by Steal Your Face at Fair Meadows in Tulsa on July 11. A little more than two months later, Herecomesthemannow more than made up those seven lengths and about three more as he finished 2-1/4 lengths ahead of Steal Your Face, last year’s champion in the Sprint.
In two short races, Herecomesthemannow has moved up from $7,500 claimers to win at the $15,000 claiming level and he was so full of himself after that win on Sept. 13 at Remington Park in the slop that Caldwell decided to step him up again. He responded in the Sprint like a greyhound looking for dog biscuits at the finish line, winning $42,000 to move his career earnings to $351,266. It was the 69th start of the old gelding’s career and his 13th win. Three of those victories have come this year for the gelding by Here We Come from the Encino mare Enimosa Lulu.
Herecomesthemannow paid $14.80 to win, $5.60 to place and $3.20 to show, as a 6-1 outsider. Steal Your Face was the second choice on the board at 2-1 and finished 1-3/4 lengths ahead of third-place Okie Time. Running time for the six furlongs was 1:09.27. Laidbacklynny was sent off as the 6-5 favorite, but clipped heels with Fifth Date a few yards out of the gate and nearly went to his knees. Fifth Date was disqualified from fourth and Laidbacklynny was moved up to fourth by the decision of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission stewards.
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$84,364 TRAO – OHBPA TURF
It was déjà vu all over again in the Turf as the exact same horses finished first and second, Strategic Leader and Must Be He.
Defending champion Strategic Leader once again fell back into another county at the beginning of the race and just like last year, he made his move turning for home, passing horses like they were fixed to a carousel and spinning their wheels. The most impressive thing about the late run of Strategic Leader is that he had to do it all on his own.
The horses that set the early pace did it in a pedestrian 48.05 seconds for the first half-mile. They should have had plenty left down the stretch, making it tough for Strategic Leader to make his late charge but he did anyway. Under jockey Dean Butler, the 6-year-old son of Strategic Mission from the Mr. Leader mare Clogger cruised past last year’s runner-up Must Be He to win by 1-1/2 lengths.
Despite the fact he was the defending champ in the Turf, Strategic Leader was sent off at lukewarm 4-1 odds in just his second start of the year. The $10.20 to win, $5 to place and $3.40 to show was a pleasant surprise for those who backed the champion a second year in a row.
Butler had the mount this year despite Benny Landeros driving him to victory last year. Landeros had already committed to ride Some Quick in this race when H and S Farms decided to enter him late with supplemental money. Butler picked up the mount and made it pay big for trainer Ralph Mitchell. It was Strategic Leader’s ninth career win from 27 starts and the $50,621 for first increased his bankroll to $266,825.
Must Be He paid $4 to place and $2.60 to show. Ti Township was third paying $2.40 to show.
Last year Strategic Leader covered the distance of a mile in 1:35.28. This year he came home in 1:36.24, a little slower, but good enough.
Should Strategic Leader return next year to defend his title, he would be trying to tie the record of three Classics Turf wins in a row set by Notable Okie from 2005-2007.
2009 CLASSICS PICS
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