Page 34 - 11 May 2012

Sooner State Stakes-RG1
A TOSS UP
by John Moorehouse
After A Toss Up won the Remington Park Derby for Accredited Oklahoma-Breds, co-owner James Sills predicted his 3-year-old gelding would be even better than he was dur- ing a promising rookie campaign that included three wins and nearly $87,000 in prize money.
So far, Sills has been proven correct. A Toss Up notched his third stakes win of the 2012 season on April 28, holding on to claim first place in the $100,000 Sooner State Stakes-RG1 at Remington Park.
A Toss Up logged his latest win, his sixth in 10 lifetime outs, two weeks after the derby victory. This most recent triumph
came despite A Toss Up being the
youngest competitor in the nine-
horse field.
Youth was served, as A Toss Up brought home a $52,284 payday that pushed the gelding’s career bankroll over the quarter- million mark to $272,572.
This latest stakes win did not come easy. A Toss Up and Candy Cartel broke side by side, from the seventh and eighth gates, respec- tively, and battled for the lead for the entirety of the 400 yards.
“He left well but the number
eight left right with us,” winning jockey Jimmy Brooks noted after the race. “It was the two of us all the way. The last 100 yards (A Toss Up)
A Toss Up and jockey Jimmy Brooks make a wire-to-wire run to win the $100,000 Restricted Grade 1 Sooner State Stakes.
just started to pull away under a hand ride.”
Eddie Willis trains A Toss Up, who finished the race in :19.451 to tally a 99 speed index— his best of the 2012 sea- son and highest since a career-high 107 on Sept. 10 of last year in the Black Gold 330 Futurity at Will Rogers.
Sills bred A Toss Up, and he and Flores both own Shake Cartel, the
dam of A Toss Up. A 2002 mare, Shake Cartel has three foals—all starters—and two of them hold black type. Miss Okey, a half-sister to A
Toss Up, finished second in the 2009 version of the Black Gold 330 Futurity.
Candy Cartel (Corona Cartel-This Candys Special) had a six-race winning streak snapped that dated back nearly a full calendar year to May 29 of 2011 at Remington. Carl Pevehouse owns the filly, a Clinton Crawford trainee rid- den by Tony Bennett. Chi Ter (Granite Lake- This Chicks Stylish) placed third for owner Mary Passmore and trainer Jackie Kirby. Jesus Salazar was aboard.
The remaining order of finish was Fishin CR (Fishin Kisses-Junos Tiny Gold), T Gold J (Gold Medal Jess-Turns To Cash), Finche (Tres Seis-Doctor Prospector), Chablis (Azoom- Teller Corona), Jess Special Candy (Mr Jess Perry-This Candys Special) and American Spit Curl (Spit Curl Jess-American Dove).
A Toss Up’s connections gather in the winner’s circle following the Sooner State Stakes-RG1 on April 28 at Remington Park.
32 SPEEDHORSE, May 11, 2012
Remington Park

First Down Dash
Sweet First Down
Sweet Bye And Bye
A TOSS UP, ’09-g.
Corona Cartel
Shake Cartel
Shake N Quack
RACING NEWS
Dustin Orona Photography Dustin Orona Photography