At the annual extreme racing day on a recent Sunday at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, attendance was 23,703 and wagers totaled 6,500—,000 more than last year’s extreme racing day, and an increase of 0,000 over a regular quarter horse racing Sunday in 2015. “This is the best quarter horse meet in the country,” said Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association Executive Director Debbie Schauf, who, about seven years ago, came up with the concept of running zebras, camels and ostriches between quarter horse races.
Park announcer Dale Day said extreme racing day exposes people to the park and hopefully leads to future visits. “That day may bring people out for their one and only time each year. Our idea is that it will help us down the line in the future to bring more people out,” Day said. He added the racetrack staff tries to make extreme racing day different each year, especially because families attend annually.
Remington Park runs a 12-week season, defined as the meet. “Any given entry day, we’ll have as many as 320 entries for 110 opportunities to race,” Schauf said. She said this year’s average daily purse reached a new record at $300,000, up from $294,000 in 2015. Day said purses for thoroughbreds and quarter horses have grown since the park added a casino. Under state law, 25 percent of the casino profit goes to the state, 50 percent goes to the track and the remaining 25 percent is split between the thoroughbred and quarter horse purses.
Another incentive is that owners of Oklahoma-bred horses can win additional money if their horse places better than fifth place. Five of the top 10 stallions reside in Oklahoma, as well as some of the top mares, Schauf said. Oklahoma-bred quarter horse Jess Good Candy won the $3 million American Futurity race last year and now has won all four starts, bringing in $1.5 million.
“We have attracted all the best horses to come here and run, because of the purse money, and because of the Oklahoma-bred program,” Schauf said.
