Page 130 - May 2018 Speedhorse

Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Derby
DF AJ GREEN LEAVES
by John Moorehouse
Score another one for the underdog. DF AJ Green Leaves surprised as a 45-1 longshot in the Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Derby, winning the $317,400 stakes by daylight on April 21 at the Oklahoma track.
Running on a sloppy track in rainy condi- tions did not slow down the sophomore filly, who scored her second victory in 10 total starts and her first in stakes company. A finalist in last year’s Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Futurity-RG2, DF AJ Green Leaves broke
well in second from the 4 gate, building a 1/2-length lead by the first call. With jockey Omar Reyes aboard, DF AJ Green Leaves doubled her advantage by the time she entered the stretch and continued to pull away in the final yards, sporting a 1 1/4-length margin by the time she hit the wire.
“She broke really, really good,” Reyes told stallionesearch.com after the race. “As soon as the gates opened she was out there, and I just stayed after her and she finished well. She got the good start, finished well, and we got the win.”
Reyes now has ridden to victory in back-to- back runnings of this event. Last year, he was aboard winner Apollitical Scout.
DF AJ Green Leaves completed her 400-yard trip in :19.281, a significant improvement over
a :20.035 run in the April 8 trials that saw her
near the bottom of the quali- fying ladder in ninth position. The stakes-winning run also generated a career-high 103 speed index that was her first in triple digits, as well as her first speed index over 90.
James Padgett II trains
the filly and, like Reyes,
praised her start during a
post-race interview with stal-
lionesearch.com. “This is a
super-nice filly and the key to
her is the start,” he said. “If she leaves like that, she’s tough to beat. When she left in front, I was saying ‘Come on, wire, please get there.’”
Darling Farms owns DF AJ Green Leaves, and banked a $126,960 payday that exponen- tially increased her total earnings to $156,336. The filly also was rewarded for her surprising run with some national exposure. Coming off the victory, she entered the AQHA Racing National Poll in the #8 spot in the set of rankings released April 25 for horses who are at least 3 years old.
DF AJ Green Leaves was bred by Kelly/ Yearsley Equine LLC. With this result, the filly joins her dam, Three Green Leaves, as a stakes winner. A 2005 mare, Three Green Leaves
won the 2007 AQHA Juvenile Challenge
Championship-G2 at Los Alamitos - the highlight in an 18-race career that produced nearly $115,000 in earnings.
DF AJ Green Leaves was not the only heavy under- dog to surprise in this race; the entire top three was comprised of horses who faced long odds. First Of
15 (Apollitical Jess-Tinys Corona Queen), who was an even greater longshot at 57-1
odds, finished in second for owner Richard Tobin and trainer Jason Olmstead. Cristian Esqueda did the riding.
Hot Dam Bam A Lam (Captain Courage- Hot Nova), a 21-1 underdog, hit the board in third place for owner Gene Cox and trainer Donnie Strickland. Andrew Samaniego drew the riding assignment.
The remaining order of finish was EOS A Political Win (Apollitical Jess-Pithia), She Eat Fire (Corona Cartel-Fast Prize Tracy), Cloud Ridge (Carters Cartel-Snow Clouds), Political Attraction (Apollitical Jess-Gunsight Peak), Express Train No. 9 (Freighttrain B-Wildfire Express Two), Olivias Jett (Desirio-Hollie Jollie) and VF Zeus (Foose-Wheely Quick).
Remington Park $317,400 • 400 yards :19.281 • si 103
Mr Jess Perry
Apollitical Jess
Apollitical Time
DF AJ GREEN LEAVES, ‘15-f.
Tres Seis
Three Green Leaves
Sky Glow
DF AJ Green Leaves & Omar Reyes receive every call winning the $317,400 Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Derby-RG3 by 1 1/4-lengths.
128 SPEEDHORSE, May 2018
RACING NEWS
Dustin Orona Photography