U. S. Army wins on a sloppy course on a cold night at Remington Park
OKLAHOMA CITY — U. S. Army had his marching orders under veteran jockey Luis Quinonez, and he did as he was told — love that sloppy track and meet back at the winner’s circle on Saturday night at Remington Park.
OKLAHOMA CITY — U. S. Army had his marching orders under veteran jockey Luis Quinonez, and he did as he was told — love that sloppy track and meet back at the winner’s circle on Saturday night at Remington Park.
The 3-year-old gelded son of Army Mule (Friesan Fire), out of the War Front mare She Stays Rollin, let Remington Park’s second all-time winningest rider, Quinonez, lead the way. Quinonez trails only all-time leading rider in Oklahoma City, Cliff Berry, in those standings. The veteran jockey, who makes his home in Jones, had two wins on the card Saturday night, giving him 23 for the meet and 1,474 at Remington Park. Berry won an untouchable 2,125 races at Remington Park. Quinonez also is only seven wins away from 4,000 for his career which officially began in 1989.
Aboard Army Mule for trainer Shawn Davis and owner George A. Sharp of Delray Beach, Fla., Quinonez sat sixth behind all the splashing front-runners and made his move in the turn for home. At the top of the stretch, U. S. Army had moved from five lengths behind to three lengths in front. His winning margin was four lengths at the wire as the 9-5 betting favorite. He paid $5.60 to win, $3.40 to place and $3 to show. U. S. Army earned $22,047 from the $37,000 purse for Sharp and improved to 13 starts, four wins, five seconds and two thirds for a bankroll of $129,704.
U. S. Army was an $8,000 purchase by Don Gibb at the Keeneland Association Horses of All Ages Sale in January 2021, and Gibb pinhooked him in the Fasig Tipton California Yearlings and Horses of All Ages Sale in 2021 for $32,000, the price Sharp paid. Both men turned a nice profit on U. S. Army.
Mazuma (15-1) and Release McCraken (8-1) set the early pace with interior fractions of 24.25 seconds for the first quarter-mile before the former took over in 47.98 seconds for the half-mile and 1:13.53 for three-quarters of a mile. Release McCracken had dropped back slightly in second before passing a tiring Mazuma in the stretch. U. S. Army passed both of them and hit the seven-furlongs timer in 1:26.62 and his winning time for the one-mile distance was 1:39.87. Release McCraken held on for second, a half-length ahead of Mazuma.
U. S. Army has now won two of his last four starts at Remington Park and his third overall at this track. His wins came at a mile Saturday and six furlongs back on Sept. 16 here. He now has a streak of eight consecutive races of running third or better. Seven of those races were wins or seconds. He has raced in stakes company twice. His first black type attempt came in the $75,000 Kip Deville Stakes as a 2-yearold, running sixth at Remington Park, on Sept. 25 last year. He subsequently raced in the $75,000 Zia Juvenile Stakes, finishing third to How Did He Do That, this year’s Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby winner.
Remington Park will resume racing tonight through Saturday, with the first race nightly set for 7:07 p.m.
