Three-time Remington Park champion trainer Clint Crawford is set for the the track's March 7 opening.

© Dustin Orona Photography

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—FEBRUARY 26, 2024— Trainer Clint Crawford is hoping for a race meet more like he had at Remington Park in 2018 than the one he had in 2023.

Crawford finished on top of the trainers’ standings in 2015, 2016 and 2018, his three title championships here as a conditioner as compared to running sixth last year. He had 22 wins in 2015 to tie with Jeff Dean for most victories for a trainer.

Crawford improved off that with 36 wins in 2016 and his most ever in 2018 with 46 trips to the winner’s circle to grab the trophy all by himself those two years. His 46 wins in a season is the fifth-most all-time for a single race meet. The most ever won by a trainer was Eddie Willis’ 53 in 2011.

The current American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa meet begins Thursday, March 7, and Crawford, 53, is already jacked up about it. He is excited about that and also the fact he just bought a new place in Shawnee, Okla.

"I feel pretty good about it," Crawford said. "Last year was kind of a rough year even though we still earned over a million dollars the hard way; with no stock. This year, though, we have a lot of talent in the barn. We just kind of hung in there last year. We did have our big mare Sassalitical last year. She won the Decketta Stakes and Easy Date Stakes (at Remington Park) and then chipped an ankle in the Junos Request Stakes. We laid her off after that and tried to bring her back in the fall but her works weren’t very good so (owner) Tyler (Graham and Naia Graham) sold her for about a half-million."

Consequently, Sassalitical will not return to Remington Park this year, leaving a hole in Crawford’s barn for an older horse to shine. Sassallitical retires having won 5-of-16 starts lifetime with $253,457 in earnings.

"I really don’t have much in that area, but there is one 3-year-old filly named Bigtime B that I’m hoping to run in the Heritage Place Oaks and then the Rainbow and All American Oaks (at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico)," said Crawford.

Bigtime B, a 3-year-old daughter of Valiant Hero, out of the Bigtime Favorite mare Jess Big Time, has raced four times in her career, winning twice, both times at Ruidoso Downs. She won her Ruidoso Futurity trial on May 26 last year and then again in the Rainbow Futurity trials on June 30. She didn’t race in either final. Her other two starts were a sixth-place finish at Remington Park on April 13 and a fifth-place effort in the All American Futurity trials in August at Ruidoso.

If Crawford seems a little lukewarm about any older horses in his barn, he is beyond thrilled about the possibilities with some of his 2-year-olds.

"We have a 2-year-old filly we’re excited about named Flirtacious Showboat (by Kiss My Hocks, out of Ivory James mare named Splish Splash) that ran second in a training race at Remington (on Feb. 14) and was just barely beaten by the horse with the fastest time of the day in all the training races. Even though we ran second, I think we had the second-fastest time of the day."

There were 13 schooling races that day and AJ Princess was the fastest for 250 yards in :13.72 seconds from the gate. Flirtacious Showboat’s time was :13.73.

"And our jockey had a good hold on her," Crawford said. "We don’t care about winning those things. You don’t get paid for it."

Among his other juvenile Quarter Horses he can’t wait to see run are Chickn Hock and Seven Cmon Eleven. Chickn Hock will be a first-time starter by Kiss My Hocks, out of the Desirio mare PJ Chick in Black, and was purchased for $350,000.

"This colt is going to be really good if we can get him to stop hopping at the start of his workouts," said Crawford. "We’re going to take the rig off him to see if that helps."

The other one Crawford is anticipating big things from is Seven Cmon Eleven, a full brother to five-time winner Seven, who raced only one year in 2020 as a 2-year-old, making it to the winner’s circle five times in eight tries.

Seven broke his maiden at Remington Park on March 27, 2020, in his first race and opened his career with three wins in a row. He won his trials for the Ruidoso Futurity and the Rainbow Futurity before finishing third in the Rainbow Futurity final. He went on to win his All American Futurity trial before finishing eighth in the All American Juvenile Stakes.

Seven had the fastest qualifying trial for the Black Gold 400 Championship Futurity – Lads Division – at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla., but ran sixth in the final.

"Then he colicked and we lost him after that," said Crawford. "Well, Seven Cmon Eleven is a big strong gelding full brother to Seven."

The talented gelding, who will be a first-time starter this meet, has been entered in the training races Wednesday, Feb. 28. at Remington Park. They start at 11 a.m. and he will be in the third of nine schooling races that day. He will break from the 8-hole in a field of eight.

Draw for Opening Night

After Wednesday’s training races, the Remington Park racing office will turn all attention to Friday morning, March 1, when they draw the races for the opening night of the season.

The fields for the first program on the evening of Thursday, March 7, will be led by trial races for the Grade 1 Oklahoma Paint and Appaloosa Futurity.

The Oklahoma Paint and Appaloosa Futurity trials will be contested at 300 yards, finding the 10 fastest qualifiers for the final on March 23.

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Remington Park has provided more than $344 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. The 2024 racing schedule begins Thursday, March 7, as the American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season starts its 50-date season. Parking and admission are always free. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.