Bosanova Blood (#9) gains the edge in victory over JT True Grit (#2) to score the win in the featured allowance event on Friday at Remington Park.

© Dustin Orona Photography

By Richard Linihan

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—MAY 23, 2025—While 3-1 wagering favorite Candy Blood was doing a dance in warmups that would have made Dancing With the Stars contestants envious, Bosanova Blood was preparing to waltz into the winner’s circle in the featured allowance race Friday.

Candy Blood, the class of the race for non-winners since Nov. 23, 2024 with almost a half-million in earnings his career, was shaking his tailfeathers, his head and acting like he had never seen a racetrack in warmups. Bosanova Blood was all business as he stepped into the starting gate. When the gates popped open, Candy Blood was nowhere to be found and it quickly became a two-horse race between Bosanova Blood, the 7-2 second betting favorite, and JT True Grit (5-1). They raced equally throughout but it was tough to determine the victor live as they hit the finish in the 250-yard race with Bosanova Blood outside in post-position nine and JT True Grit in post number two.  as the winner was in the 9-hole and the runner-up in the 2-hole.

A photo finish revealed that Bosanova Blood, under jockey Jose Vega, had won the race by a neck. No one was more surprised that he would win the feature race than Vega, who was a replacement for jockey Arturo Alvarez. That rider had been named to ride Bosanova Blood at entry time but he was racing at Ruidoso Downs, N.M. instead.

Bosanova Blood covered the 250 yards on a fast track in :12.999, for a speed index of 101.

It was a mount Vega must have been thrilled to pick up as it was his only winner of the night. Bosanova Blood was only 1-for-10 lifetime at Remington Park before this race, but he ran Friday like he owned the joint. Vega kept him straight and fast for trainer Diego Arroyo and owner Chavez Concrete (Genaro Chavez) of Amarillo, Texas.

Bosanova Blood, a 6-year-old Oklahoma-bred horse by Apollitical Blood, out of the Corona Cartel mare Bosanova Baby, earned $19,650 for his owner and improved his record lifetime to 24 starts, six wins, one second and four thirds for earnings of $137,546. He was bred by Verle Bohner.

Candy Blood could only manage a sixth-place finish despite running against champions like Danjer, Apollitical Pence, Empressum and Instygator in his past stakes encounters. He was coming off a bit of a layoff, however, having not been out since his fourth-place finish in the Grade 1, $90,000 Robert Boniface Stakes at Los Alamitos in California on Oct. 12 of last year.

Finishing behind the two front-runners who finished necks apart was Favorite Nova (7-2) in third, another 1-1/4 lengths back.

It wasn’t like Bosanova Blood was that much of a shocker considering his last two races. He ran here April 13 in his only other start this spring and was barely beaten even though he finished sixth in open allowance company. Bosanova Blood lost by just three-quarters of a length that night in a blanket finish. In that race, he was coming off a layoff from Sept. 28, 2024, to April 13. That start had to help him in Friday’s race.

Bosanova Blood also previously ran second, beaten only a neck to Shakers No Secret in a conditioned allowance race in that Sept. 28 race. All Shakers No Secret has done in his career is win 10-of-30 lifetime for $691,164 in earnings.

Remington Park continues Saturday, May 24 at 6pm. Sunday, May 25 action begins at 4pm. All times are Central.

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Remington Park has provided more than $380 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the casino's opening in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. The 2025 American Quarter Horse Season will begin on March 6. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

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