Preview Racing


Showdown Of Champions Set For Remington Park Championship
Reigning AQHA Racing Champions and stablemates Jessies First Down and Hold Air Hostage will meet for the first time in the Grade 1, $250,000 Remington Park Championship on Saturday night at Remington Park.

© Hold Air Hostage / Richard Chamberlain
Showdown Of Champions Set For Remington Park Championship

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—MAY 26, 2018—The Grade 1, $250,000 Remington Park Championship on Saturday night drew an incredible field of talent, featuring the 2017 American Quarter Horse Association World Champion and Champion 3-year-old.

The pair are career millionaires, trained by the same trainer and they are the first and second choice in the morning-line odds.

Jessies First Down, the two-time defending World Champ, is the morning-line favorite at 6-5 odds. Hold Air Hostage, the 3-year-old Champion, is the second choice at 7-5 odds. Both stars are trained by James Padgett and both enter the Remington Park Championship off of outstanding stakes scores earlier this season.

Jessies First Down made his 2018 debut in the Grade 1, $100,000 Leo Stakes, dusting his competition with ease while pulling away to a two-length victory on April 28. A week later on May 5, Hold Air Hostage had his season opener, winning the $100,000 Sooner State Stakes for Oklahoma-breds by three-quarters of a length. Both horses were ridden by Rodrigo Vallejo who has chosen to ride Jessies First Down in the Remington Park Championship.

Owned by breeder Ted Abrams of Houston, Jessies First Down will attempt to avenge his second-place finish in last year’s race. He was just a head behind Zoomin Effortlessly in 2017. After that close defeat, Jessies First Down won three of his last four stakes efforts to earn his second straight World Champion title. The gelded son of world champion sire FDD Dynasty has earned $1,135,202 while winning 16 of 35 career attempts.

Hold Air Hostage won the 2017 Heritage Place Derby at Remington Park before moving on to win both the $1.1 million Rainbow Derby and $1.3 million All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs, N.M. to clinch his 3-year-old championship. The 4-year-old gelding has won six consecutive races and will be ridden in the Remington Park Championship by Jose Alvarez.

Hold Air Hostage has won nine of his 11 career starts and boasts earnings of $1,274,517. He is a son of leading sire Apollitical Jess.

The field for the 440-yard Remington Park Championship, race 11 on Saturday at 10:26pm, by post position and program number order, with trainer, jockey and morning-line odds:

  1. Hold Air Hostage: James Padgett, Jose Alvarez, 7-5
  2. Koolnfamous: Toby Keeton, Agustin Silva, 20-1
  3. Myst Fit: Blane Wood, Edwuin Lujan, 20-1
  4. Bodacious Eagle: Michael Joiner, G.R. Carter, 10-1
  5. Jessies Fast Down: James Padgett, Rodrigo Vallejo, 6-5
  6. Firing Tools: Mike Robbins, Stormy Smith, 15-1
  7. Rock About It: Tammy Johnson, Benito Baca, 15-1
  8. Tough To Bee: Blane Wood, Ricky Ramirez, 8-1

The Remington Park Championship is part of a 12-race program featuring eight stakes races on Saturday, the final night of the 2018 American Quarter Horse Season at Remington Park. The “Mega-Card” night of racing carries total purses of $2,271,230. The record for the “Mega-Card” night of racing is $2,335,670 set in 2015.

The other seven stakes races on “Mega-Card” Saturday include:

  • Race 5 - $50,000, Grade 2, Remington Park Distance Championship, 870yds
  • Race 6 - $254,300, Grade 1, Speedhorse Graham Paint/Appaloosa Futurity, 350yds
  • Race 7 - $100,000, Grade 1, Junos Request Stakes, 400yds
  • Race 8 - $50,000, Grade 3 (restricted) Easy Jet Stakes, 350yds
  • Race 9 - $363,790, Grade 2, Heritage Place Derby, 400yds
  • Race 10 - $1,024,840, Grade 1, Heritage Place Futurity, 350yds
  • Race 12 - $100,000 Heritage Place Juvenile

The first race on “Mega-Card” night this Saturday is at 5pm-Central.

The final three race dates of the 2018 American Quarter Horse Season at Remington Park take place Thursday thru Saturday, May 31-June 2. The first race on Thursday, May 31 and Friday, June 1 will begin at 6pm. The opening race on the final night, Saturday, June 2, starts at 5pm.

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Tracked by over 140,000 fans on Facebook and more than 9,600 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided over $192 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Remington Park, Oklahoma City's only Racetrack & Casino, is home to the $1,024,840 Heritage Place Futurity for Oklahoma-breds, on Saturday, June 2. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, Remington Park is in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. For more information, reservations and group bookings please call 405-424-1000, 866-456-9880 or visit remingtonpark.com.