Publisher inherits favorite’s role Sunday in Oklahoma Derby
With Coal Battle being scratched, the maiden Publisher inherited the favorite’s role for Sunday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby, the only graded race of the season at Remington Park.
The 1 1/8-mile feature drew a field of eight 3-year-olds before Coal Battle was ruled out by trainer Lonnie Briley. The winner of last year’s Remington Springboard Mile finished second last month in the Indiana Derby (G3), and Briley did not believe the colt was ready to return to racing.
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Publisher still seeks his first career victory, but he is not a normal maiden. Owned by Gus King and the estate of Brereton Jones, Publisher has finished in the top four in three graded stakes for trainer Steve Asmussen. The colt by American Pharoah finished fourth in the Rebel (G2) and was then second in the Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn behind Sandman. He was 14th in the Kentucky Derby and then fourth in the Indiana Derby.
Publisher, who is 9: 0-2-3, originally was the second choice on the morning line at 7-2 odds. Erik Asmussen will have the mount for the first time since riding Publisher’s first five starts.
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.