Millionaire She's All In won a record fourth consecutive edition of the Oklahoma Classics Distaff and closed the curtain on a stellar racing career Oct. 18 for owner Robert Zoellner and trainer Donnie Von Hemel (VIDEO).
The 6-year-old Include mare took the $129,500 Classics Distaff, presented by the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, by an easy 6 1/4 lengths in a performance that highlighted a night of divisional stakes racing for Oklahoma-breds at Remington Park.
She's All In has been ridden regularly by Luis Quinonez over the past two years, and he let her talent do the work in her career bow, sitting just off the early pace then moving to the lead going into the final turn. She's All In covered 1 mile and 70 yards in 1:42.92 with plenty left in reserve over the fast track.
"I hate to see her go; I'm going to miss her," Quinonez said. "She's been good to me. I'm just happy to be a part of it."
She's All In won her 16th race from 38 career starts with 11 trips to the winner's circle coming at Remington Park from 14 starts there. The Distaff winner's share of $77,700 boosted her final career earnings to $1,102,489. Bred by Zoellner out of the Hickory Ridge mare Georgia OK, she is slated to be sold at the Fasig-Tipton November sale.
"It's bittersweet. It's her last race. I'm pretty emotional right now but what a ride," Zoellner said after the win. "Four (Distaffs) in a row. I want to thank Donnie (Von Hemel), Luis Q and Joe Flemmings, my farm manager. What a great job everybody's done with this mare. It's been so much fun. I wish everybody out there can experience what I'm experiencing right now."
The overwhelming 1-9 favorite, She's All In paid $2.20, $2.10, and $2.10. Pets Superstar was along for a distant second to pay $6 and $4.20. Foreign Sultress was another 2 1/4 lengths behind in third and returned $2.60.
She's All In has won every Classics Distaff since 2010 and ends her Remington career perfect at the Distaff distance, winning all six of her starts. Overall, she earned $520,144 of her total bankroll at Remington Park.
The mare gave Von Hemel a training triple on the night; he took the $120,850 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Sprint presented by Global Gaming Solutions with Eye Love Jeanie, another Zoellner homebred, and also won the $116,950 Oklahoma Classics Sprint presented by Kaw Nation with Chuck. Von Hemel has a record 25 wins in Oklahoma Classics races.
Eye Love Jeanie needed every bit of the six-furlong distance to win the Classics Sprint, when she gained the lead in the final jump to defeat pacesetting even-money favorite More Than Even (VIDEO). Winning jockey Quinonez maintained his position at the rail to win by a head. The 3-year-old daughter of Showing Up from the Awesome Again mare First At The Wire covered the distance in 1:11.25 and paid $6.40, $3, and $2.20. More Than Even returned $2.60 and $2.10. Lesley Be Judged paid $3.20.
Eye Love Jeanie won her third race from six lifetime starts. The first-place check of $72,510 now gives her $123,721 overall.
Chuck also won with a rally, but had to go wide from off the pace to get his first victory from seven starts in 2013 when taking the Classics Sprint (VIDEO).
Patiently ridden by jockey Belen Quinonez, Chuck, a 3-year-old colt by Evansville Slew from the Marquetry mare Holdthebaby, closed from the outside at the top of the stretch to out-duel Right Squall and run down the 1-2 favorite Okie Ride, who was seeking his third straight Oklahoma Classics Sprint.
"Donnie told me to break, and since we were in the one-hole, to just to sit there and bide my time," Quinonez noted. "I didn't expect to be that close, I thought I was going to be farther back. I was three lengths behind the speed and I knew I had tons of horse. At the head of the lane, I swung him out and hit him a couple times and he went on. It was pretty nice."
Owned and bred by Norma Lee Stockseth of Corpus Cristi, Texas, Chuck has now recorded all three of his lifetime wins at Remington, boosting his lifetime earnings to $150,128. The 20-1 longshot paid $42.40, $16.80, and $6. Right Squall paid $6.40 and $3.20. Okie Ride set the pace and tired in the stretch to finish third for a $2.10 payoff.
The richest race on the Classics card may have taken a backseat to the She's All In retirement party, but a future Oklahoma-bred star came of age in winning the $158,000 Chickasaw Nation Oklahoma Classics Cup.
Owned, trained and bred by C.R. Trout of Edmond, Okla., 4-year-old gelding Imahit ran a perfect race to win by 1 1/4 lengths under Ken Tohill. The jockey had Imahit placed mid-pack in the field of eight, waiting about four lengths off the pace duelers My Brother Don and Polka Joke going into the final turn of the 1 1/16-mile event. At that point, Tohill moved Imahit to the outside where he went smoothly to the lead three wide reaching mid-stretch.
Z Rockstar was the first to reach the early leaders and briefly had the advantage in the lane. However, Imahit took it away from Z Rockstar about as quickly as he had gained it. Imahit comfortably drew away for victory in 1:44.16 over the fast main track (VIDEO). Late-running Ted's Folly closed for second, a neck ahead of Z Rockstar, who held third.
The even-money wagering favorite, Imahit paid $4, $3.20, and $2.60. Ted's Folly returned $4.20 and $2.80, and Z Rockstar paid $2.80.
The win was the fifth from 14 career starts for Imahit, a son of Whywhywhy from the Sahm mare Halo Hit. He has won four of his races at Remington and earned $94,800 for the score to move his overall money total to $245,336. The Cup win was the third overall Classics score for Trout and the second for Tohill.
Fast Resource won the $120,850 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Turf presented by Cherokee Nation Entertainment (VIDEO), and 15-1 shot Okie Smokey took the $88,500 Oklahoma Classics Lassie presented by Coors Light (VIDEO). Lingerlonger was an eight-length winner of the $85,500 Oklahoma Classics Juvenile presented by Chicasaw Nation (VIDEO), and Dusty Okie won the $126,700 Oklahoma Classics Turf presented by Choctaw Nation (VIDEO).