For Immediate Release – Β Oklahoma City, OK – August 16, 2024 Β –Someone once said youth is wasted on the young; they obviouslyΒ never met trainer Jayde Gelner.
Gelner has started horses 831 times in his young career, winning 137 races, running second another 144 and third 111 times for a bankroll of $5,151,761.
One of the stars in his barn is multiple stakes winner Run Slewpy Run, owned by MikeΒ Jones of Bristow, Okla. This 6-year-old Oklahoma-bred mare by Denβs Legacy, out of the Evansville Slew mare Imadancingslew, has won five stakes races at Remington Park with a record of 20 starts, eight wins, five seconds and two thirds for earnings of $396,401. Her stakes wins here include the Bob Barry Memorial Stakes three years in a row and the Oklahoma Classics Distaff Turf twice (2021 and 2023). She has run second here in the 2022 Oklahoma Classics Distaff Turf, the 2021 Useeit Stakes and the 2021 Oklahoma Stallion Fillies Stakes.
Some might be concerned that Run Slewpy Run has not run since she last raced at Remington Park on Oct. 20, 2023, but Gelner said to have no fear.
βThatβs just her typical form of layoff,β he said. βMr. Jones takes extremely good care of his horses and he likes to run her against Okie-breds.β
Her past performances back that up. In her 20 lifetime starts, 18 of those were here. She only ventured away from Oklahoma City and ran third in an allowance-optional claimingrace at Canterbury in Minnesota on July 10, 2022, and fifth in allowance company at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, on July 24, 2021.
Gelner, in the company of such trainers as 83-year-old Davis on the backside, pondered what the future might look like for him. Would he still be conditioning horses at Davisβ age or getting them ready like the 88-year-old D. Wayne Lukas does?
βI really havenβt thought that far ahead,β he said.
Gelner was born in Lake Charles, La., and raised in Vinton, has been around horses since he was a toddler. His dad, Scott Gelner, also trains horses and still is in the business.Asked where he makes his home now, Jayde gave the typical horseman answer.
βWherever the next track is,β he said.
Gelner also has a couple of burgeoning younger stars in the 30 stalls he has in the Remington Park barn area β Louisiana-bred 2-year-olds, Secret Faith, a filly, and her half-brother Strong Promise. They are both out of the same dam (mother), St. Jean.
βSecret Faith is undefeated at three-for-three and just won a stakes in Louisiana by 14 lengths,β Gelner said.
Secret Faith, a juvenile daughter of Aurelius Maximus, out of that Macho Uno mare, was the heavy 1-5 betting favorite in the $70,000 D.S. Shine Young Futurity at Evangeline Downs. She drew away easily to leave her competition in the dust on Aug. 2 in a race for 2-year-old Louisiana-bred fillies at 5-1/2 furlongs. She is owned by Norman Stables.
Secret Faith also won the $150,000 Texas Association Futurity at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, by three-quarters of a length on July 13 at 5-1/2 furlongs for 2-year-old filly graduates of the TTA Sale. She has earned $152,400 as a baby and was purchased by Gelner for the Norman Stables for $75,000 at the TTA Yearling Sale in 2023. The first stakes race in Remington Parkβs condition book for 2-year-old fillies is the $50,000 E.L. Gaylord on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 6-1/2 furlongs.
βWhat I really like about her is sheβs already 16-plus hands tall and still growing as a 2-year-old,β said Gelner.
Secret Faithβs half-brother, Strong Promise, has the same mama, but was sired by Broken Vow. He canβt boast of an unblemished record, but he won the first four starts of his career, including the TTA Futurity (colts and geldings division) on July 1, 2023 at Lone Star, the Louisiana Cup Juvenile Stakes on Aug. 5, 2023 at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., and the Louisiana Legacy Stakes on Oct. 13 at Delta Downs in Vinton, La. His record coming into the race meet is 10-4-2-0, $253,600. He was purchased for Norman Stables in the TTA 2-year-old-in-training Sale last year for $125,000. There is a 2-year-old stakes race in the Remington Park condition book for Sunday, Sept. 29 β the $75,000 Kip Deville at six furlongs.
As far as any juveniles in Gelnerβs barn that could be the caliber to run in the Springboard Mile, the cornerstone 2-year-old race here that includes Kentucky Derby points toward the 2025 standings, he wasnβt ready to jump into that deep end.
βWay too early for that,β he said. βWhat would I consider a successful meet? Oh, 100 percent winnersβ¦No, Iβm just kidding. Just win as many as I can.β
WORKOUTS (Thursday, August 15, 2024)
Sky Rocker was the bullet worker at five furlongs, getting the distance in 1:00.01 handily, over a fast track, for trainer Mindy Willis and owner Star Bright Thoroughbreds. The 4-year-old Texas-bred filly won in allowance company at Remington Park over the turf at about one mile on Oct. 7. She is by Sky Kingdom from the Special Rate mare Special Rockstar.
The half-mile bullet went to Stanβs Golden Path, covering four furlongs in :47.67 handily, for trainer Gwendolyn Cross and owner Domingo Chacalatana. This 5-year-old mare is 3-for-24 lifetime with her last win coming at Lone Star on May 28, 2022 in allowance company, going five furlongs on the grass. She is a Texas-bred by Goldencents from the El Corredor mare Forest Path.
Other workouts of note saw a couple of stakes winners on the course this morning β Nice Neighbor and Rowdy Rascal.
Nice Neighbor, a 4-year-old filly trained by Bret Calhoun and the winner of last yearβs Useeit Stakes here, went a half mile in :49.62, handily.
Rowdy Rascal, a three-time stakes winner at Remington Park, trained by Boyd βJobeβ Caster, was the only one to work at seven furlongs and he went in a strong 1:27.85 handily.
Rowdy Rascal was a winner of the 2022 Jim Thorpe Stakes, the 2021 Don McNeill Stakes and the 2021 Oklahoma Classics Juvenile Stakes, all at Remington Park.
A total of 84 Thoroughbreds worked Thursday morning, under partly-sunny skies with temperatures in the high-70s.
First post time opening night, Friday, is 6:30 p.m. CDT.
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Remington Park has provided more than $357 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 presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. The 2024 Thoroughbred Season will begin on August 16. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
