John Locke saddles three winners including feature score

For Immediate Release
Friday, October 17, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY - The barn of trainer John Locke was ready to run Friday night at Remington Park as his athletes posted three wins during the nine-race program. The victory that completed the triple belonged to feature winner Thanks Mr G in the ninth.

Owned by Savannah of Houston, the Locke-trained Thanks Mr G rallied to win the $29,900 allowance feature for older runners going five furlongs over the turf. The 5-year-old gelding rallied through traffic, splitting rivals late before going on to win by a length in :58.02 over the firm surface under Benny Landeros.

Heaven's Reward was second while Pescadero was third.

Away at 14-1 odds, Thanks Mr G was good to his backers with $31.40 to win, $8.80 to place and $5.80 to show. Heaven's Reward paid $4.40 to place and $4 to show. Pescadero paid $4.80 to show.

The win was the seventh from 32 career starts for Thanks Mr G, a Florida-bred son of Tour d'Or from the Buckaroo mare Too Many Happy. In winning his first Remington Park race, Thanks Mr G picked up $17,688 to push his career earnings to $104,725.

Locke's first two winners on the evening came with Puts and Calls ($34.80 to win) in the opening race and with Favorite Jazz ($6.80) who finished in a dead-heat for victory in the sixth race with Marco de Esperanza.

The training triple gives Locke 15 wins for the season, placing him into a three-way tie for third in the standings with Joe Offolter and Donnie Von Hemel. Steve Asmussen is still on top of the heap with 28 Remington Park wins this season.

Jockey Richard Eramia posted a riding triple Friday, finding the winner's circle with Puts and Calls in the first race, Favorite Jazz in the sixth and Comanche Vision ($10.80) in the eighth.

The hat trick for Eramia now gives him 24 wins on the season. He's in fifth place behind the leading rider Eddie Martin, Jr. who has 37 triumphs.

Remington Park opens at 10 a.m. Saturday for simulcast racing and casino gaming. The simulcast slate includes a Pick 6 Carryover of $121, 721 at Belmont Park where racing begins at Noon.

Remington Park's Saturday night program features three stakes races, all for females. The $75,000 Remington Park Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies going one mile over turf, is the headliner on the card.

First race on Saturday night is 6:30 p.m.