Champion jockey Ricky Ramirez was named the Remington Park 'Jockey of the Week' sponsored by Lip Chip.

© Dustin Orona Photography

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—MARCH 13, 2024— The first Remington Park Jockey & Trainer of the Week, presented by Lip Chip, to start the 2024 Spring Season are Ricky Ramirez and Dee Keener.

Ramirez posted four victories from 13 mounts over the first four race dates of the season, taking the top spot in the jockey standings. He also rode four mounts to third place finishes, for an in-the-money mark of 62%.

Ramirez rode Fire Eat N Cowboy, the top qualifier for the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby, winning his 350-yard trial on Sunday, March 10 in :17.620.

Ramirez has one leading rider title at Remington Park, scoring the award in 2017. He was the American Quarter Horse Association Champion Jockey in 2015.

Dee Keener won his first Remington Park title in 2023 and has made a quick start toward contending for a repeat this season. He has five winners, five second-place finishers and another one in third for a 58% rate of putting runners in-the-money over 30 starters.

Dee Keener was named the Remington Park 'Trainer of the Week' sponsored by Lip Chip.
© Dustin Orona Photography

Keener promptly qualified half the field for the Oklahoma Paint & Appaloosa Futurity on March 7, when five of his athletes made the final to be run on March 23. He will send top qualifier OG Nikki Sixx, RF Livies Livewire, Toll Road, WF Apolitical Bullet and Vesper Martini to the $210,200 final.

Keener also qualified two runners, one during each night of trials, for the historic Oklahoma Futurity, the headline event on March 23. His charges in the Grade 2, $502,385 final are Finn McOol (qualified March 8) and Billie Blues Girl (qualified March 9).

Remington Park’s Original Track Announcer, Jim Byers, Will Call Races This Week As Dale Day Competes In National Handicapping Championship

Jim Byers, Remington Park’s original track announcer in 1988, will step in to fill the shoes of regular race caller Dale Day this week.

Day will be trying to repeat his Top 10 effort in the 25th National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas, presented by Caesars Entertainment. When he qualified for the top handicapping contest in the country two years ago, Day finished 10th in the nation and pocketed a sweet $50,000 for his efforts.

The competition at the Horseshoe in Las Vegas begins Friday and runs through Sunday, so Byers will fill in for live racing at Remington Park Thursday-Sunday this week. Post time is 6 p.m. nightly with the exception of 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Byers currently is the regular announcer for Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, all breeds, and has been there since 2016. He has previously called races at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., as well.  In his first run at Remington Park, Byers called races from 1988-99.

Prior to that he was the track announcer at the now closed Hollywood Park from 1984-87. His talents in sports does not end at horse racing. Byers has been a play-by-play announcer for hockey and baseball and spent some time on the ice as a linesman.

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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.