Quarter Horse Season Opener and Family Fun Weekend

The 2021 Remington Park American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season begins Thursday, March 4, continuing for 50 dates through May 29.

The season’s stakes schedule features a total of 13 Grade 1 events, including the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association’s estimated purses of $1.1 million for the restricted Grade 1 Remington Park Futurity and $1 million for the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity. Two of those 13 Grade 1 events this season are restricted.

The Heritage Place Futurity on Champions’ Night, the final program of the season, Saturday, May 29, is the cornerstone race annually for 2-year-old Quarter Horses. The final day of racing features nine stakes races with a total estimated value of nearly $2 million. Last year’s purse in the Heritage Place Futurity was $826,260. Trials are scheduled for May 7-8.

The Remington Park Futurity, for 2-year-old Oklahoma-bred Quarter Horses, is scheduled for Saturday, April 17. The other top futurity, the Oklahoma Futurity, by purse is estimated at $380,000 on March 20.

Last year’s Remington Park races included the 2020 Grade 1 $3 million All American Futurity winner Whistle Stop Café, and the winner of the 2020 $600,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos in California, Apollitical Pence, arguably the top race in the country for older horses. Those two horses, stabled at Remington Park last year in the barn of trainer Blane Wood, is a testament to the quality of racing yearly in Oklahoma City.

Whistle Stop Café couldn’t put up a fast enough time to qualify for the finals of the Heritage Place Futurity, but the filly, now 3 years old, did win the $100,000 Heritage Place Juvenile Stakes here before going on to take two-thirds of the Quarter Horse Triple Crown, winning the $1 million Rainbow Futurity and All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico.

Apollitical Pence was the 12-1 upset winner in the Champion of Champions, beating some of the top horses in the country including Tell Cartel, Powerful Favorite and Dexxter. The now 5-year-old gelding won the $68,000 Mighty Jet Stakes at Remington last year.

The complete stakes schedule has 39 races, worth total purses estimated to be near $5.8 million.

The schedule of stakes races begins on opening weekend, Friday, March 5, with the $68,000 Mighty Deck Three for eligible Oklahoma-breds, 3 and older, at 250 yards. The stakes schedule holds 12 events for eligible Oklahoma-breds, some of them carrying restricted graded status.

The opening week (March 4-7) will host plenty of trials, qualifying contenders for the first futurity and derby of the season.

The Grade 2, $380,000 (estimated) Oklahoma Futurity, at 300 yards, will be contested on March 20 with qualifying trials conducted on Saturday, March 6. The historic Oklahoma Futurity carried a final purse of $383,725 in 2020. The Oklahoma Futurity is the longest-running futurity in the sport of American Quarter Horse racing, with the first edition in 1947. The 2021 race will be the 80th running, held since 2006 at Remington Park.

The Grade 3, $230,000 (estimated) Oklahoma Derby will share the bill on March 20, with the derby trials held on March 7. The Oklahoma Derby, at 350 yards, carried a purse of $232,600 last year.

Eligible Oklahoma-bred 2-year-olds will take part in the restricted Grade 1, $1.1 million (est.) Remington Park Futurity on April 17. Trials for the 330-yard event will be conducted over two race dates, April 2-3. The Remington Park Futurity carried a purse of $891,900 in 2020. Also on April 17, the $365,000 Remington Park Derby for Oklahoma-bred 3-year-olds going 400 yards in a restricted Grade 2 race.

The Grade 1, $250,000 Debbie Schauf Memorial Championship, named for the late, former executive director of the OQHRA, is an invitational event at 440 yards is set as part of the nine-stakes roster on Champions’ Night, May 29.

The established veterans also have the Grade 1, $100,000 Leo Stakes on May Day, the first day of the month. The 400-yard race serves as the Remington Park feature on a special day of racing that includes the Kentucky Derby.

American Quarter Horse Association Challenge races are scheduled again at Remington Park, taking place on different race days on the calendar. The finals for the Grade 2, $71,000 (est.) Bank of America Oklahoma Challenge will take place on March 27, at 440 yards, for 3 and older. If necessary, trials will be held on March 12. The Grade 2, $40,000 (est.) Remington Park Distance Challenge will be run on April 25 at 870 yards, for those 3 and older. If needed, trials will be scheduled for April 10.

Many of the long-distance runners tend to utilize the Grade 3, $50,000 SLM Big Daddy Stakes as a tune-up for their turn races. The “Big Daddy” will be held on March 7. The longer stakes races around the hook begin with the Grade 2, $50,000 Pauls Valley Stakes at 870 yards on April 1. The final turn stakes of the season is the Grade 2, $50,000 Remington Park Distance Championship on May 29.

There are nine stakes events on the calendar for Paint horses, with seven of those including Appaloosas. The Grade 1, $180,000 (est.) Oklahoma Paint and Appaloosa Futurity, at 300 yards, begins the schedule for the two breeds on March 20. Last year, the purse was worth $183,950. The Grade 1, $50,000 (est.) Speedhorse Graham Paint and Appaloosa Stakes will also be run on March 20. The race for 3-year-olds, at 350 yards, carried a purse of $56,000 last year.

The Grade 1 $135,000 (est.) Speedhorse Graham Paint and Appaloosa Futurity concludes the top races for Paints and Appaloosas on May 29. The event had a total purse of $136,700 in 2020.

A pair of Grade 1 races, restricted to only Paints, falls in April. The $100,000 (est.) American Paint Classic Futurity for 2-year-olds at 350 yards was worth $103,200 last year. The Grade 1 $30,000 (est.) American Paint Derby for 3-year-olds at 400 yards was worth $32,201 in 2020. Both races, presented by the Paint Stallion Breeders’ Association, will be conducted on April 24.

The 2021 Remington Park Stakes Schedule for the Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season is as follows: (Oklahoma-bred races are denoted by OK)
March 5 – $68,000 Mighty Deck Three Stakes (restricted Grade 2): 3 and older, 250 yards (OK)
March 7 – $50,000 SLM Big Daddy Stakes (Grade 3): 3 and older, 550 yards
March 20 – $180,000 (est.) Oklahoma Paint/Appaloosa Futurity (Grade 1): 2-year-olds, 300 yards
March 20 – $50,000 (est.) Speedhorse Graham Paint/Appaloosa Stakes (Grade 1): 3-year-olds, 350 yards
March 20 – $230,000 (est.) Oklahoma Derby (Grade 3), 3-year-olds, 350 yards
March 20 – $380,000 (est.) Oklahoma Futurity (Grade 2), 2-year-olds, 300 yards
March 20 – $50,000 Oklahoma Juvenile, 2-year-olds, 300 yards
March 20 – $50,000 Eastex Stakes (Grade 2), 3 and older, 350 yards
March 20 – $50,000 Decketta Stakes (Grade 2), 3 and older, Fillies and Mares, 350 yards
March 27 – $71,000 (est.) AQHA Challenge Championship (Grade 2), 3 and older, 440 yards
April 1 – $50,000 Pauls Valley Stakes (Grade 2), 3 and older, 870 yards
April 1 – $68,000 Mr Jet Moore Stakes (restricted Grade 2), 3 and older, 350 yards (OK)
April 9 – $20,000 Paul Harber Memorial, Paints and Appaloosas, 3 and older, 350 yards
April 17 – $365,000 (est.) Remington Park Derby (restricted Grade 2), 3-year-olds, 400 yards (OK)
April 17 – $1,100,000 (est.) Remington Park Futurity (restricted Grade 1), 2-year-olds, 330 yards (OK)
April 17 – $50,000 Bob Moore Memorial (Grade 2), 3 and older, 300 yards
April 17 – $75,000 Easy Date Stakes, 3 and older, Fillies and Mares, 350 yards
April 17 – $100,000 Remington Park Juvenile, 2-year-olds, 330 yards (OK)
April 17 – $68,000 Laico Bird Stakes (restricted Grade 3), 2-year-olds, 330 yards (OK)
April 17 – $68,000 Mr Master Bug Stakes (restricted Grade 3), 3-year-olds, 350 yards (OK)
April 17 – $100,000 Sooner State Stakes (restricted Grade 1), 3 and older, 400 yards (OK)
April 24 – $32,000 (est.) American Paint Stakes (Grade 1), 3-year-olds, 400 yards
April 24 – $129,000 (est.) American Paint Classic Futurity (Grade 1), 2-year-olds, 350 yards
April 24 – $20,000 Victoria Ennis Memorial, Paints and Appaloosas, 2-year-olds, 330 yards
April 25 – $40,000 (est.) Remington Park Distance Challenge (Grade 2), 3 and older, 870 yards
May 1 – $100,000 Leo Stakes (Grade 1), 3 and older, 400 yards
May 14 – $30,000 Mister Lewie Memorial (Grade 1), Paints and Appaloosas, 3 and older, 400 yards
May 22 – $68,000 FL Lady Bug Stakes (restricted Grade 3), 2-year-olds, 330 yards (OK)
May 22 – $50,000 Jack Brooks Stakes, 3-year-olds, 350 yards (OK)
May 22 – $68,000 Boyd Morris Memorial (restricted Grade 3), 3 and older, 400 yards (OK)
May 29 – $135,000 (est.) Speedhorse Graham Paint and Appaloosa Futurity (Grade 1), 2-year-olds, 350 yards
May 29 – $30,000 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Stakes (Grade 1), Paints and Appaloosas, 3 and older, 440 yards
May 29 – $250,000 (est.) Heritage Place Derby (Grade 2), 3-year-olds, 400 yards
May 29 – $1 million (est.) Heritage Place Futurity (Grade 1), 2-year-olds, 350 yards
May 29 – $100,000 Heritage Place Juvenile, 2-year-olds, 350 yards
May 29 – $50,000 Remington Park Distance Championship (Grade 2), 3 and older, 870 yards
May 29 – $100,000 Junos Request (Grade 1), 3 and older, Fillies and Mares, 400 yards
May 29 – $250,000 Debbie Schauf Remington Park Championship (Grade 1, invitation only), 3 and older, 440 yards
May 29 – $50,000 Easy Jet Stakes (restricted Grade 3), 2-year-olds, 350 yards (OK)