Reflections on a Remarkable Season

By Scott Wells
President & General Manager

Reflections on a Remarkable Season: As president and GM of this amazing place (Remington Park), I often get so caught up in the day-to-day operations and all the little “brushfires” that crop up that I don’t take time to appreciate the big picture. But with only 8 nights of racing left in the 2010 Thoroughbred season, and with just a month to go in 2010 period, I’d like to share with you a few of the things which amuse and amaze me as I take a quick look back:

Fifty Million Dollars! This month we passed the $50,000,000 mark in our contributions to Oklahoma Education. That’s especially important when I hear our state politicians talking about budget deficits and service cuts. With Oklahoma ranking near the bottom in several important educational categories, all of us at Remington Park are glad we’re doing our part to help Oklahoma’s students.

All-Stars! We’ve had more Hall of Famers, Eclipse Award winners, Kentucky Derby winners, Preakness winners and Breeders’ Cup winners at Remington Park in 2010 than we’ve had in all the previous years combined! The first weekend of the Thoroughbred season, Calvin Borel, winner of 3 of the last 4 Kentucky Derbies, thrilled a loud and appreciative Remington Park crowd with his winning ride aboard Atta Boy Roy, who went on to be the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Oklahoma Derby week we hosted legendary Hall of Fame jockeys Chris McCarron and Ron Turcotte (the jockey of Secretariat), who signed autographs for thousands of fans. That same week trainers Bob Baffert, Neil Drysdale, Todd Pletcher, Larry Jones, Steve Asmussen and Bret Calhoun all raced horses here. The only ones on that list who aren’t in the Hall of Fame already soon will be. And somehow we seem to overlook two major stars simply because they’re here on such a regular basis-- trainer Cash Asmussen, also a multiple Breeders’ Cup winner, Eclipse Award winner and Europe’s top jockey for more than a decade—and current jockey Aaron Gryder, an all-star jockey if there ever was one! All he did last year was to win the world’s richest race, the $10-million Dubai World Cup—by 14 lengths! The fact that all these celebrities have chosen to race at Remington Park proves that the OKC Thunder isn’t the only world-class sports franchise in town!

The Progress! Bad-looking old TVs? Gone. Replaced with flatscreens. Worn out carpet? Gone. Replaced. Splintered wooden floors? Gone. Replaced with beautiful, sparkling tiles. Outdated slot machines? Gone. Replaced by the most popular machines in existence. Uncomfortable aluminum benches? Gone. Replaced with fun outdoor furniture and umbrellas. Cracked and faded asphalt? Gone. Replaced with cool, colorful paving stones, planters, fountains and waterfalls. Dumpy Trackside Café? Gone. Replaced with Henry Hudson’s Pub. Shag carpet and outdated furniture in the Suites? Gone. Replaced by the best that money can buy. The list goes on and on and will continue to grow with some dramatic soon-to-be-announced improvements. The result? This is not your grandpa’s Remington Park. This is a new and exciting place to meet up with friends and to have a good time. That’s our goal—for you and your friends to have a good time. And nearly 2 million visitors this year are telling us we’re doing a pretty good job of it. But stay tuned. There’s some REALLY exciting stuff coming soon and you won’t want to miss it!

www.remingtonpark.com