Page 166 - May 2022

RACING NEWS
Dee Raper Sooner State Stakes-RG1
CANDY BLOOD
by John Moorehouse
Candy Blood rode to the third stakes win of his career in the $100,000 Dee Raper Sooner State Stakes-RG1 at Remington Park
on April 16.
The race was named in tribute to longtime
Oklahoma horseman Dee Raper, who ran Belle Mere Farm in Norman, Oklahoma, and who passed away in 2020. Raper was an Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame inductee in 2010 and horses in the race rode
with red saddle cloths, in recognition of Raper’s avid Oklahoma Sooners fandom.
Loaded into the No. 7 gate, Candy Blood was active in the paddock, broke on top and stayed in the lead at every remaining juncture of the 400-yards. Candy Blood led by a head at the first call and going into the stretch, hitting the wire first by a neck at the front of a photo finish.
Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Juvenile
Trained by Monty Arrossa, Candy Blood finished the race in :19.589 for a 95 speed index. Francisco Calderon had the riding assignment. It marked the first time any of Candy Blood’s connections won this race.
Candy Blood went into the race as the post- time favorite, at 3-5 odds. Rick Sumner and Dunn Ranch own Candy Blood, a four-year- old gray gelding. Candy Blood now has been
a 2009 mare who finished third in the 2011 Heritage Place Futurity-G1.
JK Wildcat Red (One Dashing Eagle- Shaky Girl), a 22-1 longshot, finished second for owner Regina Laymon and trainer Jerry Livingston. Raul Valenzuela was in the irons.
JC Wild King (Apollitical Jess-Oh Cherokee Rose) hit the board in third under James Flores for owner Jose Cervantes and trainer Santos Carrizales Jr.
Rounding out the finishing order, Presidential Embrace (Brace For Bernal- Presidential Request) was fourth, followed
by O Donovan Rossa (Apollitical Jess- Shanachee), XF Wingman (Apollitical Jess- Xoom), Apollitical Gold (Apollitical Jess-SRC Gold), Its the Whiskey (Coronado Cartel- Takin On Smashingly) and BP Primetime (Im A Fancy PYC-BP Southern Mariah).
to the winner’s circle nine times in 18 career starts. The $57,600 payday from this event elevated his total bank- roll to $477,475.
Candy Blood is no stranger to stakes company; he won last year’s running of the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Handicap and the 2020 ver- sion of the Holiday Handicap, both held at Los Alamitos.
The gelding was bred by Sumner out of Ranch Candy,
Remington Park
$100,000 • 400 yards :19.589 • si 95
Apollitical Jess
Apollitical Blood
Brazilian Dasher
CANDY BLOOD, ‘18-g.
Wave Carver
Ranch Candy
Give Me Candy
HOOKED N GONE
by Tracy Gantz
Regina Laymon didn’t mind the four-hour drive from her home in Neosho Falls, Kansas, to Remington Park for the April 16
card. After all, Hooked N Gone won the $100,000 Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Juvenile, JK Wildcat Red finished second in the Dee Raper Sooner State Stakes, and Pevs Charley ran third in the Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Derby-RG2. Laymon owns all three and bred Hooked N Gone and JK Wildcat Red as well.
“It was worth it,” Laymon said. “I thought Hooked N Gone might do pretty good. In the trials he got bumped pretty good. But he had a straight run, and he gave it all he had.”
Hooked N Gone broke third from the 7-post under jockey Cristian Esqueda and made up ground throughout the 330 yards. He started
to pull away at the top of
the stretch and his winning margin was 3/4-length in :16.830.
Despite getting bumped in his April 1
trial for the Remington Oklahoma Bred Futurity-RG1, Hooked N Gone only lost first place by a nose in what was his initial outing. Jerry Livingston trains the gelding for Laymon, who has run horses in her own name as well as in JK Running Horses, her stable name.
Laymon bred Hooked N Gone out of stakes-winner Pretty Girl
Kate, who has produced
10 winners in 11 starters, including stakes winners I Cant Help It and Hooked On A Win, plus stakes- placed Kates Carter and Kates Wagon. Hooked On
A Win, now 7, is still racing for Laymon, with Livingston training the gelding.
Jess Painted Hocks (Kiss My Hocks-Jess Painted Sign), trained by Trey Wood,
ridden by Ricky Ramirez, and owned by Whitmire Ranch, finished second. In her racing debut, Jess Painted Hocks ran second in her April 1 Futurity trial to PYC Avenue, who dead-heated for first in the Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Futurity final.
Bollenbach Farms’ homebred Race Queenie (Kiss My Hocks-Race Princess) ran third. Justine Klaiber rode the filly for trainer Eddie D. Willis. Race Queenie won one of two prior races.
Completing the field were Tyger King (Apollitical Jess-Cruzin The Wagon), Shez The Won (Tres Seis-Midnight Sunlight),
A Dream To Fill (Apollitical Jess-Answer The Dream), A Revenant First (A Revenant- Tripled Effort), and Razen Cane (Big Lew- One Famous Class). Defours and Kool N Foxy were scratched.
164 SPEEDHORSE May 2022
Remington Park
$100,000 • 330 yards :16.830 • si 90
Corona Cartel
PYC Paint Your Wagon
Dashin Follies
HOOKED N GONE, ‘20-g. Pretty Boy Perry
Pretty Girl Kate
Katiebug Driver
Dustin Orona Photography Dustin Orona Photography