The sprite 98-year-old owner Elizabeth Logan is trying to make the magic happen again in this year’s Grade 1, $1,161,010 Heritage Place Futurity, after she won Oklahoma’s richest horse race in 2022 with Tres Crystals.
Logan, of Haskell, Okla., wasn’t on hand at Remington Park on Friday night on day two of the Heritage Place Futurity trials when her 2-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding, Jay W, was the fastest qualifier. The final is scheduled for Saturday, May 31, the final night of the Remington Park season.
“She wasn’t here,” said leading trainer Dee Keener, of Logan on trials night, “but, I’ll bet she was at the simulcast facility in Tulsa (Okla.). She can’t really see anymore, but she has a woman who drives her, and, oh yeah, she will be here for the finals with this horse. She has to have her friends tell her how her horse is doing during a race.”
Jay W, with a 13 mph tailwind in the third of 13 trials, put up a time of :17.407 seconds over a fast track in the in his trial as the fastest of the night, earning a 96 speed-index for the 350-yard run. The wind significantly died down below double figures in the later trials.
A gelded son of Valiant Hero, out of the Apollitical Jess mare A Pollitical Phoebe, Jay W was bought at the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale last fall for $42,000.
Jay W picked this night to break his maiden and did it at 12-1 odds even though he was campaigning out of the top trainer’s barn the past three Remington Park meets. Prior to this trial win, Jay W had run second in his Oklahoma Futurity trial on March 7. He then lost to Fasterthanmybrothers in a subsequent maiden event, he got revenge on that rival in this trial score. Fasterthanmybrothers (5-1) could only manage a fourth-place run on Friday against Jay W. The 6-5 post-time favorite, DR Whizkey on Ice, got up for third in this same trial. Jay W won by three-quarters of a length over runner-up Cyber Command III (9-2), who was a half-length ahead of Fasterthanmybrothers.
Jesus Ayala has been up for all three lifetime attempts by Jay W.
Logan won $467,225 when Tres Crystals won the Heritage Place Futurity in 2022. She is now hoping to experience a similar richly rewarding victory in about three weeks.
Other than Jay W, the other four that qualified Friday were (with jockey, trainer, trial number, times and speed index):
- Jess a Good Angel, Juan Pulido, Cristian Alcala, trial five, :17.466, 94
- Flying Policy 123, Edwin Escobedo, Michael Joiner, trial six, :17.512, 93
- Cyber Command III, Bryan Candanosa, Kash Reed, trial three, :17.517, 93
- Coronados 123, Mario Delgado, Juvenal Licona-Vazquez, trial eight :17.565, 91
The fastest five qualifiers Thursday night were:
- Calling Chicks, Roman Cruz, Buddy Clay, trial five, :17.438, 95
- Dr Americas Dynasty, Juan Pulido, Marco Chavez-Gutierrez, trial four, :17.481, 94
- Hawkeye Vision, Joseph Belloc, Jr., James J. Gonzales III, trial four, :17.507, 93
- Jess Flash the Cash, Ramiro Garcia, Jason Olmstead, trial five, :17.548, 92
- Effortless Favorite, Francisco Ramirez, Jr., Jason Olmstead, trial nine, :17.561, 91
Remington Park racing continues Saturday and Sunday, May 10 & 11. Saturday racing begins at 6pm and features the Mister Lewie Memorial for Paints & Appaloosas and trials for the Heritage Place Derby. Action Sunday begins at 4pm, featuring trials for the Heritage Place Oaks.
