Sallisaw trainer qualifies 6 of 10 horses in American Paint Futurity Trials
OKLAHOMA CITY — It was the Matt Whitekiller Show during the American Paint Classic Futurity trials Sunday at Remington Park as the Sallisaw trainer qualified six of the top 10 for the Grade 1 finals, including fastest qualifier Wire Transfer.
OKLAHOMA CITY — It was the Matt Whitekiller Show during the American Paint Classic Futurity trials Sunday at Remington Park as the Sallisaw trainer qualified six of the top 10 for the Grade 1 finals, including fastest qualifier Wire Transfer.
The 2-year-old Paint filly by CRM Livewire, out of the Tac It Like a Man (QH) mare Miss Fly on Tac (QH), stayed undefeated after three starts as she won the first trial of the night and her time held up the rest of the way. She will be the prohibitive favorite in the estimated $159,600 final set for April 28.
Wire Transfer, ridden to victory by regular rider Salvador Martinez, broke her maiden at Remington Park on March 7 by a head at 34-1 odds in the Oklahoma Paint and Appaloosa Futurity trials and then came back at 8-1 in the finals of that big race on March 23 by 1.25 lengths. If it’s possible, she was even more impressive Sunday, winning her trial by four lengths. She stopped the timer for 330 yards in 16.77 seconds on a fast track for a 90 speed-index. The second-fastest time of the day was an 86 speed-index.
Wire Transfer has earned $89,602 in three tries. Her 90 speed index performance was so impressive that the runner-up in her trial could do no better than a 71. She was sent off at 1-5 odds and figures to be close to that on finals night. On Sunday, she paid $2.40 to win, $2.20 to place and $2.10 to show. Wire Transfer was bred in Oklahoma by her owner, Robin Haggard of Gans.
Whitekiller’s qualifiers were first-fastest, third, fifth, seventh, eighth and 10th. The current King of the Paints, trainer Dee Keener, placed two into the finals after qualifying four for this race last year.
Keener became the all-time top trainer among Paint racing conditioners on May 3, 2020, passing the late, great Lewis Wartchow, who had held that mark for years.
On Sunday, Keener qualified the second-fastest, PFR Road Rage, and the ninth-fastest, WF Jess Candy. The most eye-catching thing about jockey Rolando Raudales booting home 25-1 long-shot PFR Road Rage to the win was that this was the only one to get in the finals from a rail post position. Most of the winners were racing from an outside post. She is a 2-year-old gray filly by multiple World Champion Painted Turnpike, out of the Dos Poruno mare Domestic Diva, with one win in two starts.
