Coal Battle tries to finish rare double in Oklahoma Derby

Coal Battle, winner of the 2024 Springboard Mile at Remington Park and a two-time stakes winner as a 3-year-old, returns to Oklahoma City next Sunday for the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby.

The only graded race at Remington Park, the Oklahoma Derby drew a field of eight for the 1 1/8-mile test around two turns of the main track.

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Owned by Robert Norman’s Norman Stables of Thomasville, Ala., and trained by Lonnie Briley, Coal Battle will try to become just the third horse to win both the Springboard Mile and Oklahoma Derby at Remington. Going Ballistic was the first to accomplish this in 2006-07, and then Golden Yank did it in 2007-08.

Coal Battle has been tabbed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite breaking from post position 8. Jockey Corey Lanerie will be up for his third consecutive race with Coal Battle. The pair finished second, beaten by a half-length in the Indiana Derby (G3) at Horseshoe Indianapolis on July 5. They were third in the Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs on June 8, beaten by 1 1/4 lengths.

The $1.25 million Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn on Feb. 23 was the last victory for Coal Battle. That race was the last in a four-race winning streak which started in the Jean Lafitte at Delta Downs in Nov. 24 and included the Springboard Mile and then the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn in January.

Coal Battle is the top earner in the Oklahoma Derby field with $1,287,675. He posted a five-furlong breeze Saturday morning that was clocked at 59.8 seconds at Ellis Park before traveling to Remington Park.

Publisher still seeks his first career victory, but he is not a normal maiden. Owned by Gus King and the estate of Brereton Jones, he has finished in the top four in three graded stakes for trainer Steve Asmussen. The colt by American Pharoah finished fourth in the Rebel and was then second to Sandman in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn. He was 14th in the Kentucky Derby and then fourth in the Indiana Derby.

Publisher is the second-choice on the morning line at 7-2. Erik Asmussen will have the mount for the first time since riding the colt’s first five races. Publisher has made nine starts with no wins, two seconds and three thirds.

Bracket Buster is third in the morning-line odds at 4-1 for owner BBN Racing and trainer Vicki Oliver. Winner of the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park in June, Bracket Buster was fourth there in the Haskell (G1) before going to Saratoga to finish second by 10 lengths to division leader Sovereignty in the Travers (G1). Luis Sáez has the ride.

Canadian Derby (G3) winner Take Charge Tom will try to give trainer Robertino Diodoro a second Oklahoma Derby win following the same path. He won in 2013 with Broadway Empire, who also scored the Canadian Derby in Edmonton.

Take Charge Tom is 8-1 on the morning line. The gelding by Tom’s d’Etat has been getting acclimated to Oklahoma City for more than a week with a workout Sept. 13 covering four furlongs handily in 49.62 seconds. 

Take Charge Tom shares the top-winner status for Oklahoma Derby entrants with Colonel Yorke, each with six victories.

Colonel Yorke comes into the race off two straight wins at Remington including the restricted Oklahoma Stallion colts and geldings handicap Aug. 29. Owned by Richard Chandler of Dallas, Colonel Yorke is trained by Mindy Willis.

New York-bred Iron Dome competes for Asmussen and owners L&N Racing and Chester Broman. The colt by Into Mischief has won his last three races, all against New York-breds at Saratoga. He won the $200,000 Albany Stakes on Aug. 21. Jockey José Ortiz keeps his mount on Iron Dome, who is 9-2 in the program.

Oklahoma-bred Mister Omaha seeks improvement off his fourth-place run in the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City on Sept. 6. The winner of the Don McNeill Stakes at Remington Park in November is owned by Bryan Hawk and trained by Joe Offolter. Jockey Luis Quiñónez gets back on Mister Omaha, who will break from the rail post at 8-1 odds on the morning line.

The Oklahoma Derby will be the 8:48 p.m. EDT finale on a 10-race program at Remington Park. The first post is at 4 p.m.

Horse Racing Nation speed figures are shown in parentheses.