Remington Park hosts one of its best cards of the year this Sunday which is headlined by both the 2023 Oklahoma Derby and Remington Park Oaks.
The 2023 Oklahoma Derby will see the biggest field take to the track since 2014. Brad Cox has enjoyed tremendous success in the race and will be looking for a fourth victory. He sends out Hit Show who will start as one of the favorites following his 2023 Withers Stakes victory.
In the Remington Oaks, a field of eight will head down to post with Brad Cox hoping he will be able to cap off a memorable day with Merlazza. The early favorite, she has won three of her seven career starts and will be hoping to score the biggest prize of her career to date this weekend.
Oklahoma Derby
Grade 3, 1 mile and an eighth, dirt, open to horses aged three. Total prize pool: $400,000
A highly competitive renewal of the Oklahoma Derby awaits with Hit Show likely to start as the favorite.
A winner of three of his first four career starts, he has been entered in some big races which included a fifth place finish in the 2023 Kentucky Derby. Now winless in his last four, his best recent performance came in the 2023 Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes where he finished second.
Proven at this level with his 2023 Withers Stakes victory, if he can overcome his wide gate posting, he could be a danger to all.
Hoping to make the most of his central draw will be Red Route One. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Asmussen will be aiming for his first win in the race since 2017. The winner of the 2023 West Virginia Derby, he will need to bounce back from his eighth-place finish in the 2023 Dueling Grounds Derby when last seen.
Two horses who have been handed ideal draws are Tumbarumba and Raise Cain.
Tumbarumba has had a brilliant 2023 where he has won three of his last four starts. His last start saw him win the 2023 Ellis Park Derby and he could be capable of repeating the trick once again.
Raise Cain is now winless in his last five starts but during that time has run in some hugely competitive races. His eighth-place finish in the 2023 Kentucky Derby can’t be overlooked, but his best moment of 2023 was when winning the 2023 Gotham Stakes. That form certainly places him in the mix.
Two other horses to keep an eye on could be Cagliostro and West Coast Cowboy.
Cagliostro is now without a victory in his last five races but has been running in some competitive races. Despite not getting his head in front, he did finish third in the 2023 Indiana Derby and that certainly offers up some hope.
West Coast Cowboy finished second in the 2023 West Virginia Derby, finishing one place behind the reopposing Red Route One but he will be hopeful of overturning that form here.
Another horse hoping to overturn form from the West Virginia Derby is Groveland. He could only finish fifth that day and looks to have plenty to find with both Red Route One and Cagliostro. However, his chances can’t be completely dismissed as he did finish second in the 2023 Grade 3 Sam F Davis Stakes and any repeat of that performance could see him go close.
Rounding out the field are Ghost Hero, Heroic Move, Gunflash, Pearl’s Earl, How Did He Do That and Mor Lana Spirit.
2023 Oklahoma Derby Odds & Racing Prediction:
Hit Show has the best form in the book and will likely start as the one they will all need to beat. Having to overcome a wide draw may hinder his chances and Red Route One could be the one to pick up the pieces.
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds from JazzSports |
| Ghost Hero | Floyd Wethey Jr | Jayde Gelner | +2000 |
| Tumbarumba | Rafael Bejarano | Brian Lynch | +600 |
| Raise Cain | Umberto Rispoli | Ben Colebrook | +500 |
| Cagliostro | Cristian Torres | Cherie DeVaux | +700 |
| Heroic Move | Harry Hernandez | Robertino Diodoro | +2000 |
| Gunflash | Luis Fuentes | Karl Broberg | +3000 |
| West Coast Cowboy | Tyler Connor | Saffie Joseph Jr | +800 |
| Pearl’s Earl | Jose Angel Medina | Eric Snodgrass | +9900 |
| How Did He Do That | Stewart Elliot | Steve Asmussen | +2000 |
| Red Route One | Joel Rosario | Steve Asmussen | +350 |
| Groveland | Jesus Lopez Castanon | Eoin Harty | +1500 |
| Mor Lana Spirit | Leandro Goncalves | Kari Craddock | +3000 |
| Hit Show | Flavien Prat | Brad Cox | +200 |
Remington Park Oaks
Grade 3, 1 mile and a sixteenth, dirt, open to fillies aged three. Total prize pool: $200,000
Flavien Prat and Brad Cox will hope to round off a super Sunday with a win in this year’s Remington Park Oaks.
One of the most respected duos in racing will team up once again with Merlazza and they will be hoping to end her three-race losing streak. A winner of the 2023 Valley of the Vapors Stakes, she will be bidding to land the first graded prize of her career.
Drawn in the widest gate is the speedy Ancient Peace. Like Merlazza, she is winless in her last three starts but was only narrowly denied in the 2023 Summertime Oaks. If she can break quickly, she looks to be a major contender.
Likely to round out the top three in the betting is Honor D Lady. Also winless in her last three, she finished second in the 2023 Selene Stakes but did win the 2023 Honey Ryder Stakes. Although she has form to find, she is another credible challenger.
Beyond the top three in the market there could be some decent value to be found with Nomadic Pride. A winner in Allowance company last time out, this will be her first graded start.
Other Allowance winners in the lineup are the pair of Magic Bubbles and Appropriated Funds. Both are nicely bred and will be making their first graded appearances.
Completing the line up is Perfect Wish and Love Tank.
Unlike most in this year’s lineup, Perfect Wish arrives at Remington Park thriving fresh off the back of three successive victories. Whilst two of those have come at Allowance level, her win last time out in the 2023 Iowa Stallion Filly Stakes has to be respected.
Love Tank looks to be the outsider of the contest and will need to step up from her fourth-place finish in the 2023 Iowa Oaks.
2023 Remington Park Oaks Odds & Racing Pick
Another tricky betting contest awaits in this year’s Remington Oaks, with many horses in the line up searching for form. Merlazza is the most successful horse in the race but a small play on Honor D Lady could prove to be a successful move.
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds from JazzSports |
| Perfect Wish | Floyd Wethey Jr | Jayde Gelner | +1000 |
| Merlazza | Flavien Prat | Brad Cox | +200 |
| Magic Bubbles | Joel Rosario | Steve Asmussen | +1000 |
| Honor D Lady | Tyler Conner | Saffie Joseph Jr | +450 |
| Nomadic Pride | Cristian Torres | Thomas Amoss | +600 |
| Appropiated Funds | Iram Diego | Jaylan Renay Clary | +800 |
| Love Tank | David Cabrera | H Ray Ashford | +2000 |
| Ancient Peace | Rafael Bejarano | Brian Lynch | +250 |
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