Remington Park simulcast feed fails, 9 races are canceled

Trouble getting the simulcast feed sent from the track led to the cancellation of all but one race Saturday night at Remington Park.

The opener was run for purse money only after Remington was unable to televise a proper racing presentation and had no ability to export the signal to other venues. Technical issues with TV control room equipment forced the problem.

Click here for Remington Park entries and results.

Because the field for the first race already arrived in the saddling paddock and patiently waited for more than 30 minutes, the decision was made to allow that race to run for purse money only. All pari-mutuel wagering on the entire Remington Park card was refunded.

Four-year-old Saltwater Taffy won the only race, a five-furlong, $20,000 claimer for fillies and mares who were non-winners of three career races. The race was taken off the turf after a week of rain in Oklahoma City.

The scrubbing of races 2-10 came only days after the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma and the Jockeys’ Guild went public with their dispute over minimum pay for riders. Neither side went so far as to broach the possibility of a work stoppage, but Remington put out an overnight sheet for the coming week without any jockeys’ names on it. That Thursday card since has had riders assigned, and there has been no further public statement from either side.