West Virginia Derby top two could enter Oklahoma Derby; Taxed looks likely for Remington Park Oaks

OKLAHOMA CITY — It appears likely that the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby scheduled for Sept. 24 will include the first- and second-place finishers of the Grade 3 $500,000 West Virginia Derby — Red Route One and West Coast Cowboy.

In Grade 3, $200,000 Remington Park Oaks news, it seems likely that the winner of the Grade 2, $300,000 Black Eyed Susan at Pimlico in Maryland, Taxed, could race on the Oklahoma Derby undercard.

The Oklahoma Derby will be run at 1–1/8th miles on the main track while the Oaks is set for 1-1/16th miles.

The draw for the lone graded stakes events on the Remington Park calendar will take place Saturday morning.

Horse racing’s all-time winningest trainer, Steve Asmussen, said his West Virginia Derby winner, Red Route One, will make the trip to Oklahoma City for the Oklahoma Derby. If that happens, he likely will face the runner-up from the West Virginia Derby — West Coast Cowboy. The two horses hooked up coming into the stretch of the West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park and Red Route One pulled away to win by three lengths.

Red Route One is one of a pair of Asmussen runners who could be entered in the Oklahoma Derby. How Did He Do That is the stablemate of Red Route One, who ran fourth in the Preakness Stakes. How Did He Do That was the victor of the $250,000 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa.

Red Route One, owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron Winchell), was on the Kentucky Derby trail early this spring after running second in the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes and the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel Stakes, both at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. After finishing sixth in the Grade 1, $1,250,000 Arkansas Derby, he was put in the $200,000 Bath House Row Stakes at Oaklawn and came up a winner.

From there he was sent to the Preakness where he finished a respectable fourth, only 2.5 lengths back of Kentucky Derby winner Mage, who ran third. The 3-yearold son of Gun Runner, out of the Tapit mare Red House, was eased in the Belmont Stakes before coming back to win the West Virginia Derby with ease. He has raced 13 times, winning three, running second twice and third once for $1,053,025 in earnings. Red Route One would be the top earner in the field if he goes. He was bred in Kentucky by his owners.

West Coast Cowboy is a son of West Coast, out of the Tenpins mare Coco’s Sweetie, and is trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., who won the $401,200 Springboard Mile in 2021 with Make It Big at Remington Park. Joseph would be trying to add another $400,000 race to his resume at Remington Park with this 3-year-old.

He would send West Coast Cowboy to the Oklahoma Derby without a win in stakes company. West Coast Cowboy worked Sunday at Saratoga, breezing four furlongs in 47.83 seconds over a fast track, posting the second-fastest time at the distance that morning.

West Coast Cowboy has seven starts, two wins, one second and one third for a bankroll of $194,290. He is owned by Gentry Farms (A.P. Gentry) and was bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West.

Remington Park stakes coordinator Don Thompson confides that trainer Randy Morse is likely to run Taxed in the Remington Park Oaks. She is currently stabled at Churchill Downs after finishing fifth in the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga.

Taxed has been in-the-money in many big stakes events this year, including placing second in the $200,000 Martha Washington at Oaklawn in January, runner-up in the Grade 3, $600,000 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn in April, winning the Grade 2, $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico in May and second in the Grade 3, $200,000 Indiana Oaks at Horseshoe Indianapolis in July Through 10 career starts Taxed has two wins and three seconds for earnings of $422,444. The 3-year-old daughter of Collected, out of the Yankee Gentleman mare Yankee Union, is owned by Richard Bahde and was bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones.

Remington Park racing continues through Saturday, with the first post nightly at 7:07 p.m.