For Immediate Release – Oklahoma City, OK, September 26, 2023 – Medalla Match won her second race in a row at this Remington Park meet by stepping up in class and taking down the $75,000 Ricks Memorial Stakes on Sunday.
Her career record at this Oklahoma City oval is now four-for-six. She loves Remington Park and the leading rider here, Stewart Elliott, knows it.
“The key with her is to get her to relax and she likes this track,” Elliott said. “She was alone on the lead. We really didn’t have anyworries. I saw we were by ourselves and I said, ‘this should work out good.’”
It did indeed as the 5-year-old daughter of Summer Front (War Front), out of the Bernardini mare Channel of Gold, skipped home a winner in gate-to-wire fashion on the turf course, covering 1-1/16 miles in 1:45.09 over the firm going. She set the fractions, making every pole a winning one. Medalla Match hit the first quarter-mile in :24.58, the half-mile in :49.76, and three-quarters of a mile in 1:14.52.
Medalla Match was sent off as the 6-5 wagering favorite and paid $4.40 to win, $3 to place and $2.40 to show. It was the first win in the stakes series for all of the connections except Elliott, who won this race for the second time in the past four years. He also won with Confessing in 2020 with Steve Asmussen as trainer.
Medalla Match won $45,000 for owners Twisted Chaps Racing Stables (John Morris) of Edmond, Okla., and improved her record to 19 starts, seven wins, three seconds and one third for $192,482. She was bred in Kentucky by Jane Wiggins.
Medalla Match was up for sale as a yearling in the Fasig Tipton Keeneland Sale in July 2019, but the $10,000 bid on her did not reach the reserve price her owners had put in. She later was sold to her current owners in a private transaction.
Medalla Match has certainly shown a liking for racing over the grass, winning 6-of-15 tries now for $180,943 greensward. Medalla Match has won at 7-1/2 furlongs on the grass; 1-mile, 70 yards on the grass at Canterbury Downs in Minnesota, and now 1-1/16 miles on the grass. The 7-1/2 furlongs and 1-1/16th miles on the lawn have both been at Remington Park this meet. Trainer Michael Biehler has been somewhat confused as to whether she wants to be a sprinter or a router.
“In the past, I thought she’d be a sprinter,” he said. “She seemed to like it, but Stewart did an awesome job of slowing her down onthe front end and the distance didn’t bother her.”
The final running order showed Annie’s Song (13-1) running second, followed by Wholelottamo (4-1) in third, 3-3/4 lengths farther back; Stellaczar (25-1) fourth; Free Data (5-1) fifth; Family Time (18-1) sixth; Templar Red (6-1) seventh, and Island Hideaway (6-1) eighth.
The Ricks Memorial is named in honor of the late Ran Ricks, Jr. who was the first owner with horses on the grounds at RemingtonPark. He was instrumental in helping pass pari-mutuel legislation in the early 1980s and a multiple leading owner during the first eight years in track history before passing in late 1996.
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Remington Park has provided more than $331 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park is home to the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby and the Grade 3 Remington Park Oaks on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. Remington Park presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Parking and admission are always free. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.