Smith returns to Remington next Sunday for Oklahoma Derby
Photo:
Eclipse Sportswire & Remington Park – edited composite
E J Won the Cup, with Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith named to ride, was one of the eight 3-year-olds drawn Saturday into the field for the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby next Sunday at Remington Park. Smith rode at Remington Park during the inaugural season in 1988.
The Oklahoma Derby headlines a 10-race program, the lone Sunday of the Remington Park season. As the final race, it is scheduled for 8:48 p.m. EDT on a card that begins at 4:03 p.m.
Click here for Remington Park entries and results.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003, Smith’s tremendous career was still just getting started when he finished second in the jockey standings in Remington Park’s first season with 68 wins. Among his local winners was Overage, who captured two local stakes events.
After that first season in Oklahoma City, Smith went on to a national riding career that took him to both coasts, 229 Grade 1 victories and mounts on legends such as horses of the year Zenyatta, Justify, Holy Bull, Skip Away and Azeri. Smith also earned the Eclipse Award as champion jockey in 1993 and 1994.
Smith has ridden E J Won the Cup, trained by Doug O’Neill, in six of the colt’s last seven attempts, including wins in the Texas Derby at Lone Star Park on May 27 and the St. Louis Derby at FanDuel in southern Illinois on Aug. 24.
E J Won the Cup is the top earner in the Oklahoma Derby field with $540,580 and is 4-1 in the morning-line odds.
Most Wanted at 5-2 is the program favorite. Trained by Brad Cox, a three-time winner of Remington Park’s richest race from 2019 to 2021, Most Wanted won the Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 11. Jockey Florent Géroux, winner of the 2019 Oklahoma Derby with Owendale, is on Most Wanted as the only rider to handle him in his undefeated career of three races.
Society Man is the lone graded winner in the Oklahoma Derby. He scored in $400,000 Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill Downs on June 9. Third most recently in the West Virginia Derby (G3) at Mountaineer, Society Man is trained by Danny Gargan and will be Ridden by Corey Lanerie. He was second in the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct on April 6, earning a spot in the Kentucky Derby, where he finished 16th in the field of 20. Society Man is 6-1 on the morning line. Gargan saddled Dornoch to victory in the Belmont Stakes on June 8 at Saratoga.
Flat Hanby leads the Oklahoma Derby field in career wins with five, all consecutively from April 23 to Sept. 6 at Remington, most recently winning the colts-geldings division of the Oklahoma Stallion Handicap. Trained by Boyd Caster, Flat Hanby will try to become the third Oklahoma-bred in history to win the race, joining Clever Trevor in 1989 and Shotgun Kowboy in 2015. Jockey Floyd Wethey, Jr. has been named on Flat Hanby, who is 15-1 on the morning line.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | HRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Indispensable Constitution |
0.00 | 3-1 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 2 |
|
E J Won the Cup Omaha Beach |
6.17 |
1st, St. Louis Derby Presented by FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK |
4-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, St. Louis Derby Presented by FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK |
|||||
| 3 |
|
Canada Gate Constitution |
0.00 |
1st, DMR MSW (08/22/2024-R3) |
8-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, DMR MSW (08/22/2024-R3) |
|||||
| 4 |
|
Flat Hanby Flat Out |
0.00 |
1st, Oklahoma Stallion Colts and Geldings H. |
15-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, Oklahoma Stallion Colts and Geldings H. |
|||||
| 5 |
|
Dimatic Gun Runner |
6.23 | 9-2 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 6 |
|
Most Wanted Candy Ride |
6.07 | 5-2 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 7 |
|
Mena Hard Spun |
3.79 |
1st, RP ALW (09/11/2024-R7) |
20-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, RP ALW (09/11/2024-R7) |
|||||
| 8 |
|
Society Man Good Magic |
6.48 | 6-1 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
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