Dust Em gets wire-to-wire at Remington Park
OKLAHOMA CITY — After raining a good portion of the week in Oklahoma City, Saturday’s featured open allowance race was taken off the turf course, leaving only five horses to contest the race over a sloppy track at Remington Park.
OKLAHOMA CITY — After raining a good portion of the week in Oklahoma City, Saturday’s featured open allowance race was taken off the turf course, leaving only five horses to contest the race over a sloppy track at Remington Park.
The top turf gunners all failed to go, leaving this year’s $100,000 Governor’s Cup winner and odds-on favorite Paluxy in a good spot. However, as often happens, the only speed in a short field will often have it his own way as Dust Em did Saturday night, leaving the late-closing Paluxy chasing in vain down the stretch of the 1-1/16-mile event.
With no one to push and pressure Dust Em on the lead, this 5-year-old gelding under jockey Lindey Wade was allowed to go out on a leisurely pace, leaving him plenty left down the lane and he pulled away from the field to win by five lengths. The son of Too Much Bling, out of the Dixieland Heat mare Dixie Dust, sprinkled his mesmerizing powders on his late competitors, and there was nothing they could do to stop his victory for owner Carl R. Moore Management of Kennedale, Texas. Trainer Karen Jacks had this winner ready to fire and he didn’t disappoint.
Dust Em earned $24,000 from the $40,000 purse in the race for 3-year-olds and older. Paluxy did get up for second in a four-way photo as the remainder of the field battled to the wire. Dust Em’s record improved to 32 starts, 10 wins, four seconds and two thirds for a bankroll of $347,087. He was bred in Texas by Douglas Scharbauer.
Stretching out around two turns didn’t hurt Dust Em’s chances either. He didn’t get anywhere near the lead in his only other race this season at Remington Park, sprinting seven furlongs on Oct. 12, finishing fifth. He did, however, go gate to wire in a one-mile race around two turns on the main track at Sam Houston Race Park for the victory in the $100,000 Star of Texas Stakes in Houston on March 25.
On Saturday night, he made every pole a winning one again, setting early snail-like fractions of 25.17 seconds for the first quarter-mile, 50.31 seconds for the half-mile, 1:15.04 for three-quarters and the mile in 1:40.06. By this time, Dust Em had put this bunch away and stopped the timer in 1:46.44, increasing his length in the stretch from three lengths to five in the last 16th of a mile.
Paluxy, the defeated wagering favorite at 3-5 odds, was second, a head in front of thirdplace finisher Catdaddy (18-1), the longest shot in the shortest field.
Dust Em, as the 2-1 second betting choice, paid $6.60 to win, $2.40 to place and $2.20 to show. Seductive U S A (6-1) ran fourth and bringing up the rear in fifth was Mano Dura (7-1).
Broberg Now Fourth on All-Time Remington Park Training List Last year’s leading trainer at Remington Park, Karl Broberg, moved into fourth place on the all-time Remington Park trainer standings by wins. The climb up the ladder came on Saturday night when Da Ringo won the fourth race, a maiden claiming affair for $7,500 horses.
The trip to the winner’s circle here was Broberg’s 448th at Remington Park, moving him one ahead of Clinton Stuart. The top five now looks like this: 1. Steve Asmussen — 1,227. 2. Donnie Von Hemel — 1,085. 3. Joe Offolter — 580. 4. Karl Broberg — 448. 5. Clinton Stuart — 447. Remington Park racing continues into a new month with tonight through Saturday action. The first race nightly is at 7:07 p.m., except for Saturday night when action begins at 7:13 p.m., after conclusion of Breeders’ Cup simulcast action.
