Apollitical Muse weathered a six-race campaign over the entire three-month spring season, winning the Heritage Place Oaks and Remington Park Oaks in the process. She has been deservedly rewarded by being voted Remington Park’s Champion Horse of the Meeting for the 2025 American Quarter Horse / Paint / Appaloosa season.
The 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred filly by Apollitical Jess, from the Southern Cartel mare BP Shes Southern, is owned by Gregory Cullum of Fort Gibson, Okla., and trained by Jed Vane. She also was named Champion 3-year-old Female and Champion Oklahoma-bred for the meeting. She was the unanimous winner in the 3-year-old Female category.
Apollitical Muse was ridden to victory in the Grade 2, $300,900 Heritage Place Oaks by jockey Roman Cruz. Her pilot in the $160,670 Remington Park Oaks was the track’s leading rider Juan Pulido.
Apollitical Muse was bred in Oklahoma by Rancho El Cabresto. Her record for the meet was six starts, boasting four wins, including the two big stakes races for 3-year-old fillies. Over the course of her four trips to the winner’s circle, other than the two Oaks, she also won an Oklahoma Derby trial and her Heritage Place Oaks trial. She ran second her Remington Park Oaks trial.
“The (filly) has a lot of heart,” said Vane. “I’m so blessed that Greg sent her to us. I have a great team at the barn. It takes an army. I’m so proud of them all.”
Collum was all-in on this filly from the beginning.
“I’m very happy to have spent $55,000 (at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale in 2023) for her,” Collum said.
Effortless Favorite – Champion 2-Year-Old
Despite Effortless Favorite dead-heating for victory with Apollirevenge in the meeting’s most prestigious race – the Grade 1, $1,160,010 Heritage Place Futurity – it was Effortless Favorite that prevailed in the voting for this category in a tight decision. Both horses hit the line together in :17.497 seconds at 350 yards in the big race and both horses received votes for Horse of the Meeting, but the line was drawn slightly in favor of Effortless Favorite for top juvenile in the voting. Apollirevenge was sent off at 4-1 odds and Effortless Favorite at 8-1. Had there not been scratches in the Heritage Place Futurity, Apollirevenge would not have run in the million-dollar event. She drew in as an also-eligible.
Effortless Favorite and Apollirevenge both are 3-for-3 lifetime with wins in a maiden race, the Heritage Place trials and the Heritage Place Futurity. Effortless Favorite has earned $363,138.
Francisco Ramirez, Jr., was the winning rider of Effortless Favorite for trainer Jason Olmstead, and owners Tom and Bill Maher and Dick Tobin of Pierre, S.D. He was bred in Oklahoma by Wallace Johnson. The 2-year-old colt by Favorite Cartel, is out of the Corona Cartel mare Swingin Cartel.
House of Lords – Champion 3-Year-Old Male
This Oklahoma-bred gelding by Flying Cowboy 123, out of the Okey Dokey Dale mare This Candys Okay, had an undefeated season at Remington Park, winning both of his races, including the Grade 2, $244,000 Heritage Place Derby. He also won his trial and was the fastest qualifier on that night.
Jockey Francisco Calderon had a huge Champions Night winning with this one and then going on to dead-heat for the win in the Heritage Place Futurity. He rode House of Lords for owner Valeriano Racing Stables (Sammy Valeriano) of Odessa, Texas, and trainer Victor Rodriguez-Flores. House of Lords was bred by Buck Way Ranch. House of Lords improved his lifetime record to 9-5-1-0, $161,412 earned.
Hooked N Gone – Champion Older Male
This Oklahoma-bred 5-year-old gelded son of PYC Paint Your Wagon, out of the Pretty Boy Perry mare Pretty Girl Kate, got a couple of votes for Horse of the Meet, but despite not winning that category, he squeaked past Mr Michel for this Championship title. Mr Michel won two stakes during the meet, the Grade 1, $100,880 Leo Stakes and the Grade 2 ,$53,200 SLM Big addy Stakes, and if not for the misfortune of breaking badly in the Grade 1, $255,680 Debbie Schauf Remington Park Championship, might have been the Champion in this category. Hooked N Gone won the Championship, the top race for older horses every season. Mr Michel was a fast-closing fourth.
Hooked N Gone, owned and bred by Regina Layman of Neosho Falls, Kan., trained by Victor Ibarra and ridden to victory by Jesus Ayala, also finished second in the Dee Raper Sooner State Stakes earlier in the meet. Hooked N Gone surprised virtually everyone, winning the big race at 19-1 odds. His lifetime record improved to 27 starts, 7 wins, 9 seconds and 3 thirds for career earnings of $736,823.
Curls Joyful Wagon – Champion Older Female
This 5-year-old Oklahoma-bred mare by PYC Paint Your Wagon, out of the Spit Curl Jess mare Eye a Spit Curl Girl, won her category convincingly with in two stakes wins during the season, culminating in a big victory in the Grade 1, $100,000 Junos Stakes on Champions Night. She also won the Decketta Stakes earlier in the meet.
Curls Joyful Wagon is owned by J. Martin Stacy of Irving, Texas, trained by John Stinebaugh and was ridden to victory by Francisco Calderon in the Junos Request and Ali Rivera in the Decketta. She was bred by Stacy. Her lifetime record at the end of the meet was 26 starts for 9 wins, 3 seconds, 3 thirds for earnings of $466,005.
O Donovan Rossa – Champion Distance Runner
This 7-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelded son of Apollitical Jess, from the Country Chicks Man mare Shanachee, won one stakes race at 870 yards during the meet – the AQHA Remington Park Distance Challenge on April 6– and ran second in two others around the turn. The runner-up finishes came in the Pauls Valley Stakes and the Remington Park Distance Championship. Fast Flashn beat him in the Pauls Valley, but may have been hurt in the voting by not running in the Remington Park Distance Championship, a race won by FL Rizzo.
O Donovan Rossa is quite the home-track favorite in this category, having won six times around the hook in Oklahoma City. He has won 9-of-20 lifetime at 870 yards for owner Kelly Yother Equine (Garvan Kelly) of Broken Arrow, Okla. Remington Park’s three-time top trainer Dee Keener is the regular conditioner for this hard-knocking gelding and Roman Cruz his regular rider. O Donovan Rossa’s lifetime record is 44 starts, 13 wins, nine seconds and six thirds for $389,764 earned.
JLC Simon Says Run – Champion Claimer
This 3-year-old Texas-bred filly by First Prize Stone, out of the Mr Eye Opener mare Tennessee Totty, lost her first race of the meeting, but bounced back to win three claiming races in a row to garner this championship. The filly, owned by Spur Racing of Meeker, Okla., and trained by Jonathan Chavira, was ridden to victory by Angel Ramirez, breaking her maiden here on April 17. She followed that with a win on May 11 in a claiming $15,000 non-winners of two race for Oklahoma-breds. JLC Simon Says Run concluded the meet with a win on May 28 in a claiming $15,000, non-winners of three race for Oklahoma-breds. Her lifetime record improved this meet to nine starts, three wins, one second and one third for $31,504 in earnings. She was bred by John Louis Chamberlain.
JC Speeding – Champion Paint
Like a bullet from a gun, this Paint was almost faster than the speed of light, setting two track records during the meeting and winning the richest Paint-Appaloosa race in the world to remain undefeated at 4-for-4 lifetime. The 2-year-old gelded son of Chilitos, out of the High Rate Of Return (QH) mare High Speed Kitty (QH), is owned by Planefun (Carl Duggins) of Broken Arrow, Okla., and won the Grade 1, $238,200 Speedhorse Graham Paint and Appaloosa Futurity on Champions Night, to distance himself over stablemate Turbulent as fastest mixed breed horse on the grounds. He was a unanimous winner of the Champion Paint category.
JC Speeding set new track records at 330 yards and 350 yards for Paints and Appaloosas on April 25 and May 31, respectively. The 330-yard record was subsequently broken by his stablemate, Cowgirl Chaos. The gelding sped 350 yards in :17.176 on closing night to win the Speedhorse Graham Futurity for a 103 speed index.
Trained by Dee Keener, jockey James Flores was aboard for three of his wins and Mario Delgado broke the horse’s maiden here on April 3. JC Speeding was bred by Richard Joneson. JC Speeding has earned $119,341 in his four-race career this spring at Remington Park.
JC Speeding is also double-registered as an American Quarter Horse
Cowgirl Chaos – Champion Appaloosa
This 3-year-old Appaloosa filly won three of her four starts this meet, two in allowance conditions and once in a maiden special weight race. In her only other start she was a runner-up against non-winners.
Cowgirl Chaos is an Oklahoma-bred daughter of Flying Cowboy 123 (QH), out of the Freighttrain B (QH) mare Jess Cuz and has a lifetime mark of 9 attempts, 3 wins, 2 seconds and 1 third for career earnings of $53,615. She is owned by her breeder Jeff Adams and is trained by Dee Keener. She was ridden to victory in her toughest race, an allowance for non-winners of three lifetime, Paints and Appaloosas, by Jesus Ayala. Cowgirl Chaos defeated stakes winner Painted to Be Quick in that race by one length.
Cowgirl Chaos also broke the Track Record for mixed breeds at 330 yards in that allowance on May 29, covering the distance in :16.330 for a 104 speed-index. Cowgirl Chaos broke the record set by her stablemate, JC Speeding, the Champion Paint of the meet. He had set the new mark on April 25 in the Victoria Ennis Memorial.
Remington Park has provided more than $380 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
