Francisco Calderon was smoking hot in the saddle, increasing his lead in the jockeys’ standings this past week at Remington Park. Equally hot was the entire Gonzales family of trainers who were virtually untouchable as they won this past week’s Lip Chip Jockey and Trainers of the Week Award.
Calderon and Edwin Escobedo were ding-donging out front in the jockeys’ race until Escobedo injured his foot in a morning workout last week. They were taking turns in the top spot, but with the latter out, Calderon put his stamp of success on the race, winning seven races (March 27-30) to take an eight-victory lead over three jockeys in second place – Escobedo, Roman Cruz and Ali Rivera, who all have 10 wins.
“Edwin won’t ride this weekend,” said his wife Kaylee. “The specialist said he needs two weeks off before he gets back on a horse.”
That leaves Escobedo without any mounts this weekend for the upcoming trials Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5, to qualify for the estimated $800,000 Remington Park Futurity for 2-year-old Quarter Horses, Oklahoma-breds, at 330 yards.
Calderon won 7-of-20 starts this past week and ran second or third on six other mounts for 35 percent winners and 65 percent in-the-money horses. No other rider had more than three winners for the week. The closest jockeys, with at least nine mounts for the week in winning percentage were James Flores, Bryan Candanosa and Luis Maldonado. All three of them were at 22 percent (two-for-nine each).
The top five jockeys going into this week are Calderon (18 wins); Cruz, Escobedo and Rivera (tied for second at 10 each), and Juan Pulido in fifth with nine.
As far as trainers go, normally one trainer is given the award each week, but this week it goes to the Gonzales family because all three conditioning horses at Remington Park were winners at an incredible rate last week – James “JJ” Gonzales II and his sons James Gonzales III and Sebastian. It was a near perfect week of four racing days for them. James II won five-of-five starts, James III won three-of-six and had one second, and Sebastian went to the winner’s circle with the only horse he sent out.
Gonzales II won the feature race on Sunday, capping the week as last year’s $189,000 Remington Park Oaks winner, I Got Thiss, beat a strong stakes-caliber field in an allowance race. Cristian Esqueda was the winning rider for owner Bryton Dewald of Jamestown, N.D. She was bred in Oklahoma by Walter R. “Dick” Harrison.
James II won last Friday with Ten Bears in a claiming race and then had two wins each on Saturday and Sunday. His winners on the weekend were First Cartel Power and FDD Jess Speed on Saturday, both in maiden races. Gonzales’ winners on Sunday were I Got Thiss and FDD Coronado in a maiden event.
Gonzales III’s winners were Cyber de Capo and KJ Midnight Rider, breaking their maidens Friday and then Jessacorona Interest on Sunday, also winning for the first time. Sebastian’s winner was with Flying Chance taking down a maiden race on Saturday with Calderon in the saddle.
Remington Park racing continues Thursday through Sunday, April 3-6 with the first race nightly at 6pm and Sunday action at 4pm. Trials for the Remington Park Futurity will be contested on April 4 & 5, while trials for the Remington Park Derby and Remington Park Oaks will take place on April 6.
Remington Park has provided more than $376 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. The 2025 American Quarter Horse Season, features the $800,000 (estimated) Remington Park Futurity on Saturday, April 19. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
