New York-bred Sea Foam gets tougher test at Remington

Sea Foam will be stepping outside of the New Yorkbred ranks Sunday when he attempts to win his third straight stakes race in the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park.

“It’s much tougher, this race, but now is the right time to step him up,” trainer Christophe Clement said.

Sea Foam is coming off wins in the $158,000 New York Derby on July 21 at Finger Lakes and the $250,000 Albany on Aug. 24 at Saratoga. Earlier in his career, he won the $100,000 Notebook at Aqueduct. All three races were for New York-breds.

“He’s been a pleasant surprise,” Clement said. “The colt was bred by longtime owners Waterville Lake Stables, who usually keep their fillies and sell their colts. He’s won three stakes and seems to be improving all the time.”

Clement said Florent Geroux would have the mount in the Oklahoma Derby.

Sea Foam is a son of Medaglia d’Oro based at Belmont Park. He’s compiled a 4-for-9 record while racing mostly against New York-breds and has earned $373,570 to date. Clement said the horse was scheduled to fly out of Baltimore on Friday.

Sea Foam will be Clement’s first starter at Remington Park.

“There’s not that many 3-year-old restricted stakes on the dirt in the East right now,” he said of his reason for shipping to Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Derby anchors a program that will feature 10 stakes, including the Grade 3, $200,000 Remington Park Oaks. The card is the richest of the meet, and it will have a special post time of 3 p.m. Central.

Remington plans to have a late pick four with a minimum guaranteed pool of $100,000, track spokesman Dale Day said. He said the all-stakes sequence will be the final four races of the 12-race program Sunday.

Autumn Warrior to Gold Cup

Autumn Warrior, winner of the Prelude Stakes last month at Louisiana Downs, will likely make his next start in the $100,000 Gold Cup at Delta Downs, trainer Al Stall Jr. said Tuesday The one-mile race for 3-year-olds and up bred in Louisiana is Oct. 20.

The Gold Cup often springboards runners into the Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds.

Autumn Warrior is an up-and-coming sort among Louisiana-breds. He burst onto the scene in May, when he romped by 14 1/2 lengths in a maiden special weight at Louisiana Downs. Autumn Warrior proceeded to win the $50,000 Lafayette in his next start, rolling by 6 3/4 lengths on June 23 at Evangeline Downs. He then made the move to both open company and two turns for the $60,000 Prelude, overcoming trouble to get up by a neck Aug. 4.

Autumn Warrior finished eighth last time out in the Grade 3, $300,000 Super Derby on Sept. 2. He emerged from the race in good order and this fall will be based at Fair Grounds, Stall said. The gelding is a son of Orb who races for his breeder, Autumn Hill Farms.

Delta opens its meet in October.

Louisiana Downs training

Louisiana Downs, which was to close its meet Wednesday, will begin offering training center services – including published workouts – on Nov. 15, according to the track’s director of racing, David Heitzmann. The stall space will be available for Thoroughbreds for a per diem rate through March 19.

Heitzmann said the decision to open for training this winter and into the spring is to fill a void left by the recent closure of the Evangeline Downs Training Center near Lafayette, La.

“With the closing of the training center down south, we felt like the horsemen needed some additional stall space, and during the winter we usually have 400 to 600 stalls available during our Quarter Horse meet,” Heitzmann said Monday. “It’s being proactive.”

Heitzmann said there will be official clockers daily at Louisiana Downs, plus outriders, ambulance services, and 24-hour security. The cost is $10 per day per stall, and that would include dorm rooms and walking machine privileges.

The track opens a meet for Quarter Horses in January.

◗ Heritage Place in Oklahoma City has cataloged 117 horses to its annual mixed Thoroughbred sale on Oct. 7. The auction will start at 1 p.m. Central. Heritage Place will feature both breeding stock and horses of racing age.