Secretariat

By Scott Wells
President & General Manager

Although I think of myself as a fairly young man, barely in middle age and quite “up on things,” many of the truly young people who work with me at Remington Park remind me that they were just small children the first time I worked here 20 years ago. That means that although I’ve seen all of the amazing advances in technology that they’ve seen, they (probably most of YOU, who are reading this), don’t remember firsthand a good part of what I’ve seen. A lot of it is old-fashioned stuff and either you wouldn’t care about it or your parents have already bored you with “Back when WE were young we had to….(name your primitive chore…use a pay phone, rub sticks together to make fire, etc.).” But there is one thing I wouldn’t trade for the 20-plus years which separate me from my young friends: I saw Secretariat. I not only saw him, I touched him. No big deal? Yeah, it’s a big deal. And on October 10, YOU are going to have the opportunity to get really close to him in a way that amazes even me. I’ll tell you about it.

You’re going to be seeing and hearing a lot about Secretariat in the next few months as billboards and ads appear and the movie about him opens and receives a big international push toward the Oscars. So you may as well have the inside information and impress your friends with your knowledge. Yes, Secretariat was a racehorse. Yes, he was exceptional, or they wouldn’t be releasing a movie about him. To put it in perspective, though, they made a movie about Seabiscuit and on his best day Secretariat would’ve beaten Seabiscuit about the length of a football field. Secretariat not only appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but also on the covers of Newsweek and Time magazines. He was owned by a beautiful, classy woman whose family faced bankruptcy yet who had the courage to stand up to some rich and powerful men who really expected to take advantage of her. And Secretariat was ridden by a cute little guy named Ron Turcotte, who experienced the greatest extremes of any jockey in history. Pay attention to that last word, “history.” It’s not often that we get the chance to come into contact with something that’s really a part of history—someone or something which will still be noteworthy a hundred years from now. But, Secretariat and Ron Turcotte fit that category. The Kentucky Derby has been run now for 136 years and it’s had a winner every time. But only Secretariat and Ron Turcotte did it their way. The race is 1 ¼ miles. That’s 5 quarter-miles, back-to-back. Secretariat ran each quarter-mile faster than the last! His final quarter-mile was almost as fast as the best sprinters can go a quarter! His final time was the fastest in 136 years and will probably never be broken. But the Kentucky Derby was just the beginning of Secretariat’s legend. Next he blasted from last to first to win the Preakness. And then in the 1 ½ mile Belmont Stakes, he ran the greatest race ever run by any horse anywhere—winning by 31 lengths and breaking the world’s record by an incredible 2 3/5 seconds! The image of Secretariat charging away from his competitors is considered one of the most monumental feats in all of sports.

Ron Turcotte is coming to Remington Park on Oklahoma Derby Day as our special Guest of Honor! He’ll be signing some autographs and appearing in the paddock and winner’s circle. I mentioned that Ron has experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows of any jockey. You see, about five years after riding the greatest horse ever, Ron was paralyzed from the waist down in a racing accident and he has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. Since then he has dedicated himself to helping other injured jockeys. His appearance at Remington will benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. In my mind, what he has done in the face of personal tragedy makes him even more of a Champion off the racetrack as he was on it! I hope everyone who possibly can will turn out on October 10 to pay their respects to this remarkable man—and of course to enjoy Oklahoma’s greatest day of Thoroughbred racing—Oklahoma Derby Day!

Check our fan page for a surprise under the "Secretariat" tab :D
http://www.facebook.com/RemingtonParkFanPage

What's a Derby?

By Scott Wells President & General Manager What’s a Derby? Technically, it’s a race for 3-year-old horses, but ever since a guy named Matt Winn, it’s been defined as “an excuse to party”. Matt Winn is my hero. You see, Matt Winn was the GM of Churchill Downs when the Kentucky Derby was “just a race.” Matt recognized one important fact: Get all the pretty girls in the state to show up at one place on the same day and you WILL have a party. So he made the Kentucky Derby a world famous event just by inviting beautiful women to wear fancy hats. I’m no genius, but I am the GM of Remington Park and I know enough to imitate a guy like Matt Winn. So we will be hosting the Oklahoma Derby on Sunday afternoon, October 10. And guess what? We WILL have thousands, yes, THOUSANDS of beautiful women, and most of them will be wearing fancy hats (We have a hat contest with lots of cool prizes). I mean some really fancy hats. And some REALLY BEAUTIFUL WOMEN. Oh yes, and guys. I almost forgot the guys. See, when thousands of beautiful women congregate, thousands of guys tend to show up, too. And they try to impress the ladies by betting on the winning horses or winning in the casino. And it works. It seems women like smart guys. Matt Winn had it all figured out about a hundred years ago and the formula still works. You may not be able to make it to the Kentucky Derby. It’s the first Saturday in May (in Louisville) and tickets are REALLY expensive and hard to get. But you CAN make it to the Oklahoma Derby. It’s in Oklahoma City. It’s Sunday afternoon, October 10. Admission is free. Parking is free. Even valet parking is free. You even get free tip sheets when you buy a program. And get this: The jockey who rode Secretariat will be at Remington Park signing autographs that day. If you don’t know what a big deal Secretariat was/is, read my next blog in a day or two but BELIEVE ME! You will NEVER have another chance to meet or see Ron Turcotte, the jockey who actually rode the greatest horse of all time unless you are at Remington Park on October 10. With all the other great-looking guys and girls. You get it. It’s an excuse to have a REALLY GREAT PARTY! All thanks to a guy named Matt. No wonder his last name was “win.” Oklahoma Derby Day 10/10/10

Looking back 22 years ago - Remington Park 22nd Anniversary

HISTORY & STORY
Courtesy of Dale Day

Remington Park opened on September 1, 1988, just a few years after Oklahomans legalized pari-mutuel horse racing in a referendum earlier in the decade. Seated on 375 acres in northeast Oklahoma City, Remington Park was built at a cost of nearly $100 million and founded by the late Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.

Always noted for outstanding and competitive racing, Remington Park has had many stars emerge from its ranks, including the great Oklahoma-bred Clever Trevor who immediately put the track on the national map. He won the inaugural Oklahoma Derby (then known as the Remington Park Derby) in 1989. That race served as a stepping stone to a season where he would earn more than $1 million and compete in the Kentucky Derby.

The American Quarter Horse Season has always been star-studded with the best in the sport annually calling Remington Park home. Stars such as Refrigerator, Winalota Cash, SLM Big Daddy, Tailor Fit and Stolis Winner are just a few of the World Champions that regularly campaigned in Oklahoma City.

Large crowds packed Remington Park in the early years, frequenting the seasons for Thoroughbred and American Quarter Horse racing. The largest gathering in track history took place on February 29, 1992 when 26,411 came to the track to for a Wallet Day promotional giveaway. The richest pari-mutuel payoff in track history took place when there was one perfect ticket in the Remington Park Pick Six on February 24, 1990. The ticket was worth $1,070,482.50.

The competitive landscape for the entertainment dollar changed drastically in the mid-1990s as Native American Casinos sprang up around Oklahoma. With that in mind, Oklahomans chose to allow the state’s racetracks to have similar business structures when State Question 712 was passed by a resounding vote on November 2, 2004. The measure allowed Remington Park to add Electronic Casino Gaming to its entertainment experience. The Casino opened in late November 2005 after a massive $35 Million renovation of the facility was completed. The Casino addition immediately brought large crowds back to Remington Park. Attendance topped 1.5 million in 2008, establishing a new record for guests in a calendar year. Record crowds have also returned to Remington Park for the biggest racing events throughout the year such as the Triple Crown races, the Breeders’ Cup and the best in live racing like the Heritage Place Futurity and Remington Park Championship night in the Quarter Horse Season and the Oklahoma Derby during the Thoroughbred Season.

The first Million-dollar race in Oklahoma history took place on June 1, 2008 at Remington Park with the running of the $1,106,320 Heritage Place Futurity, won by Stolis Winner. The seven-digit, Grade 1 event has placed Remington Park into an elite category of just a handful of racetracks that host an American Quarter Horse race worth more than a million dollars. Remington Park proudly presents this million-dollar race on the final weekend of each Quarter Horse season. The 2009 Heritage Place Futurity toppled the mark for the richest race in state history with a total purse of $1,107,000.

The Oklahoma Derby has been revitalized in recent years and continues to serve as Remington Park’s marquee Thoroughbred race. Thanks to a growing purse structure for the derby and other major stakes races, Remington Park now regularly draws horses that compete on a national-level in the highly-regarded graded races.

The 2010 Oklahoma Derby, at $400,000+, will be the richest Thoroughbred race ever contested in Oklahoma. Placed just a few weeks before the Breeders’ Cup Championships, the Oklahoma Derby provides an excellent final prep-race for those 3-year-olds that will compete in the richest race day in America.