Page 144 - Speedhorse June 2019

Remington Park Invitational Championship-G1
POLITICAL ATTRACTION
by Michael Cusortelli
Political Attraction maintained his perfect season record with a convincing 1-length victory in the 440-yard $255,680 Remington
Park Invitational Championship-G1 at Remington Park on June 1.
Racing for Rogelio Marquez Jr. and Kathy Robinson, Political Attraction made his quarter-mile trip in :21.105 while recording a season-best 104 speed index.
Regular rider James Flores, the leading jockey during the 2019 Remington Park meet, rode the four-year-old gelded son of 2010 World Champion Apollitical Jess for trainer R.L. “Rick” Robinson.
“He’s an awesome horse,” said Flores of Political Attraction. “The way he’s been per- forming and training, I knew this horse could be really tough in this race.
“He broke sharp, (but) I kept him busy,” the rider added. “I never saw anybody get close to him, but we wanted to make a statement.”
Political Attraction was third out of the gates coming out of the inside post position. At the first call he was in the lead by a head, pulling away for a length margin at the top of the stretch and holding that difference as he crossed the finish line.
Political Attraction has literally been unbeat- able this year. He won three graded stakes at
three different distances at Remington Park. The geld- ing began his season with a 3/4-length win as the 11-10 favorite in the 350-yard $50,000 Eastex Stakes-G2
on March 23. He followed that with a neck victory as
the 4-5 choice in the 400- yard $100,000 Sooner State Stakes-RG1 on April 20, a win he shared with Hes Limitless in a dead-heat finish.
“This is the kind of horse that you’re never scared to go into any kind of race with,” stated co-owner Marquez Jr. “Every race that we ran him in was a stepping stone to get him here.
“Everything went as planned, and he came through,” he added.
Campaigned in two states - Oklahoma and New Mexico - Political Attraction has won nine of 17 outs, including one of four at the classic 440-yard distance. The $154,800 win- ner’s share of the $255,680 Remington Park Invitational Championship purse increased his earnings to $586,282, of which $235,176 has been banked this season, and he earned
a berth to the Champion of Champions. The gelding has won a total of six stakes
events, including the 2017 Speedhorse Futurity-G3
at Fair Meadows at Tulsa and the Black Gold 350 Championship Futurity-RG3 at Will Rogers Downs.
Political Attraction was
the 3-1 second choice and returned an $8.20 win mutuel.
Political Attraction was bred in Oklahoma by Ron Lyles. The gelding was a $10,000 purchase by Terry
McLean at the 2016 Heritage Place Yearling Sale. The sorrel gelding is the first starter pro-
duced by his dam, Gunsight Peak, an Idaho- bred daughter of the Chicks Beduino stallion Separatist. His second dam, the Wyoming-bred Leaving Memories mare Tomatillo, is the dam of one winner from three starters.
Stakes winner Mi Amor Secreto (The Louisiana Cartel-Streakin In Secret), a 23-1 longshot, finished a strong second place to complete a $130.40 ($2) exacta. Mi Amor Secreto banked a $50,000 payday to bring his earnings to $174,537 from 14 starts for his owner Kelly Perez. Jose Amador Alvarez rode the homebred four-year-old gelding for trainer Marcos Carrizales.
Remington Park $255,680 • 440 yards :21.105 • si 104
Mr Jess Perry
Apollitical Jess
Apollitical Time
POLITICAL ATTRACTION, ‘15-g.
Separatist
Gunsight Peak
Tomatillo
142 SPEEDHORSE, June 2019
Political Attraction and James Flores win the $255,680 Remington Park Invitational Championship
RACING NEWS
Dustin Orona Photography