Oklahoma

Always Dreaming (Bodemeister--Above Perfection, by In Excess {Ire}), the 2017 Kentucky Derby winner, has been purchased to continue his stud career in Oklahoma at River Oaks Farm. He will join resident stallions Revved Up, Caleb's Posse, Wilburn, and Excaper. In a deal brokered by Chad Schumer, Always Dreaming ranks sixth behind Justify, Good Magic, etc. and ahead of Bolt d'Oro, Collected, Mo Town, etc. He previously stood at WinStar Farm in Kentucky. In three crops of racing age, he has sired 83 winners, including last season's GI Pennsylvania Derby winner...

The Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association pledged its support to the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma after a tornado struck Will Rogers Downs May 27--killing one horse, while injuring and displacing others. Approximately 150 horses were affected by the tornado, which caused widespread damage in northeast Oklahoma, damaged 14 barns on the backside and left the location without power and water. The aftermath also left horse trailers, travel trailers, and buildings significantly damaged and the loss of power resulted in a lack of water and the need for immediate evacuation. "The...

Last week, I attended the Race Track Chaplaincy of America (RTCA) national conference at the Falls Creek Conference Center in Davis, Oklahoma. There were more than 100 participants including track chaplains, local council leaders, national board and staff. I am here to share a good news story about a group that is serving God, serving people and making a difference in horse racing. At its core, our sport showcases the Thoroughbred, one of the greatest creatures on this earth, and the dedicated group of people who love and work with...

The 2023 Thoroughbred Season at Remington Park will stretch one day deeper into December as an afternoon program has been added for Saturday, Dec.16, the track announced Friday. The first race will be at 2:30pm. The extra date of races will serve as a make-up for the nine races lost Wednesday, Dec. 6 when the track lighting system did not power up to the full potential needed for racing. The Dec. 16 race date will feature 12 races to put a wrap on the season. Remington Park had previously planned...

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled Thursday that it will not grant a full-court rehearing to the losing plaintiffs who contested a three-judge panel's Mar. 3 decision to uphold the constitutionality of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA). The case is one of five anti-HISA constitutionality lawsuits currently active in the federal court system. Led by the states of Oklahoma, West Virginia and Louisiana, the plaintiffs collectively petitioned Apr. 17 for a rarely granted "en banc" procedure that asked for a rehearing before...

Edited Press Release The Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission (OHRC) became the first in North America to adopt a rule which emulates the globally-recognized Category 1 interference philosophy at a Feb. 17 meeting. The amended rule changes the consideration of stewards when determining interference. The exact wording of the amended rule is below: "If the Stewards determine a hHorse or its rider has caused an interference and finished in front of the Horse it interfered with, and if not for the interference the Horse would have finished behind the horse it...

Revved Up (Candy Ride {Arg}--Storm Flag Flying, by Storm Cat), a multiple graded-stakes placed winner of $372,524, has been retired from racing and will enter stud at Lori and Francisco Bravo's River Oaks Farm in Sulphur, Oklahoma. He will stand for a fee of $2,000 as the property of the Revved Up syndicate. A five-time winner at the races and placed in the GIII River City H. and GIII Arlington H., the Phipps-bred Revved Up, a $350,000 purchase out of the 2018 Fasig-Tipton July Horse of Racing Age Sale, is...

For the third year in a row, Welder (Visualiser--Dance Softly, by Tiznow), a millionaire Oklahoma-bred Thoroughbred, earned Oklahoma's 2020 All-Breeds Horse of the Year, presented by the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission. The 8-year-old, owned by Ra-Max Farms (Clayton Rash) of Claremore, Oklahoma, trained by Teri Luneack and ridden by three-time Remington Park champion David Cabrera, is the only Thoroughbred to have ever won the award more than once. His $40,795 in Oklahoma-bred earnings were about $6,000 more than runner-up Eagles Fly Higher, a Quarter Horse, who had $34,800. Welder also...