Fiddlers Afleet Wins Oklahoma Derby By A Half-Length

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY – The 21st running of the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby, presented by NEWS 9, went to New York-bred Fiddlers Afleet who pressed the pace throughout the first six furlongs of the 1-1/8 miles before moving to a clear lead in the stretch.

Owned by Marc Ferrell of Los Angeles and trained by Michael Hushion, Fiddlers Afleet was ridden by Channing Hill. It was the first win for all of the connections in the Oklahoma Derby.

A 3-year-old colt by Northern Afleet from the Quiet American mare American Tango, Fiddlers Afleet provided Ferrell with one of his greatest thrills as an owner. He was first involved in racing as a teenager, working for Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg as a groom at the time Alysheba was setting records for earnings and winning most of the top races in America in the mid-1980s.

Fiddlers Afleet, normally preferring to have the lead in his races, instead sat just off the pace-setting Red Lead through the first three-quarters of a mile.

“I knew they were going slow but he was just relaxing,” Hill noted. “He didn’t come out of the gate really sharp. Down the backside I was thinking that someone was going to have to make a big move to get by me. I smooched at him to get him to pick up the bit, he picked it up and strided out nicely.”

Red Lead put up fractions of :23.73 seconds for the quarter-mile, :48.25 seconds for the half-mile and 1:13.21 for the three-quarters. As the field of eight negotiated the second and final turn, Hill asked Fiddlers Afleet to move.

The colt responded by taking over at the 3/16ths pole, moving out to a two-length lead in mid-stretch. Massone managed to work through some brief traffic to make a late charge but the winner was resilient and not charitable, holding on to win by half-length in 1:51.00 on the fast track.

Away at 9-2 odds in the wagering, Fiddlers Afleet returned $11.40 to win, $5 to place and $4 to show. Massone returned $4 to place and $3.40 to show. Red Lead fought hard the entire race and held third position, two lengths behind the runner-up to pay $6.60 to show.

The Oklahoma Derby win was the first at Remington Park and the fourth from 13 career starts for Fiddlers Afleet who earned $240,000 to push his lifetime bankroll to $451,835.

Duke of Mischief was the 2-1 wagering favorite who finished seventh after running most of the race in mid-pack with no challenge for the stretch.

A solid pair of stakes races supported the Oklahoma Derby, led by the $200,980 Remington Park Oaks won by one of three graded stakes winners in the race, Payton d’Oro.

Owned by the Henderson, Ky. partnership of Michael Pressley, John Ferris, Mike Riley, Lee Robey and Barry Higgins, Payton d’Oro is trained by Larry Jones and was ridden by Terry Thompson.

The winner of the Grade 2, $100,000 Black Eyed Susan Stakes on the eve of this year’s Preakness at Pimlico in Baltimore, Md., Payton d’Oro stalked the leaders in the Oaks for the first half-mile before waiting no more and moving for the lead. The score at Remington Park was her first since winning on May 15.

“This filly has done very well,” Jones said. “She is a little bit of a late bloomer but got good this spring. She did not show an affinity for Delaware Park in her starts there this summer. She looked like she did just fine here. We felt like we had her fit for racing.”

Thompson asked the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, from the Jade Hunter mare Jealous and Jaded, to move in the second turn and she quickly jumped past Morsel who set fractions of :24.32 seconds for a quarter-mile and :48.56 seconds for the half-mile. Once on the lead, Payton d’Oro was tough in fighting off a pair of challenges from Multipass and Peach Brew, prevailing over the former by a length. Peach Brew was a nose back for third.

The winner handled the 1-1/16 miles Oaks in 1:44.70.

Away at 7-5 odds in the wagering, Payton d’Oro returned $4.80 to win, $2.80 to place and $2.20 to show. Multipass paid $5.60 to place and $3.60 to show. Peach Brew returned $3 to show.

The connections enjoyed their first victory in the Remington Park Oaks as Payton d’Oro won for the fifth time from 11 career attempts and scored at Remington Park for the first time. The winner’s check of $120,000 for the Oaks moves the lifetime earnings for Payton d’Oro to $350,210.

The other two graded winners in the Oaks, along with the winner, were Peach Brew (Grade 3, $150,000 Arlington Park Oaks) and Hightap (Grade 3, $200,000 Iowa Oaks and Grade 3, $100,000 Dogwood Stakes).

The $150,000 Remington Green Stakes wrapped up the program Sunday with Orientate Express flying down the turf stretch late to win by a neck.

Owned by Prairie Lane Farms of Lanista, Neb. and trained by Kelly Von Hemel, Orientate was handled by Glen Murphy. The 4-year-old gelding rallied from the middle of the pack in the eight-horse field, crossing the finish in the 1-1/16 miles race in 1:44.50 over the firm going.

Orientate relaxed over the first mile of the Green, closing with a rush to take the win away from the 2008 winner in the race, Steve’s Double, in the final strides. The runner-up made the front but was all out to hold off late runners and couldn’t prevail, settling for second as the heavy 3-5 wagering favorite. Get Rich Quick rallied through heavy traffic to get up for third position.

Overlooked in the wagering at 12-1 odds, Orientate paid $27.80 to win, $8.80 to place and $4.60 to show. Steve’s Double returned $2.60 to place and $2.40 to show. Get Rich Quick returned $2.80 to show.

The Green win was the first in the race for all of the connections and the first at Remington Park for Orientate. A gelded son by Orientate from the River Special mare Waterwild, Orientate Express was bred in Kentucky. He has now won five races from 15 attempts and earned $90,000 to push his overall earnings to $215,905.

Remington Park will offer 10 races on Monday evening, six of them over the turf course before it is closed for maintenance. Turf racing will return at the end of October after the Monday card. The first race Monday is at 6:30pm.