Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith is set to ride E J Won the Cup in the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park next Sunday. Eight 3-year-olds were drawn into the field for the race, which headlines a 10-race card on the only Sunday of the Remington Park season. The Oklahoma Derby is scheduled as the final race, with a post time of 8:48 p.m. EDT, while the day's program kicks off at 4:03 p.m.
Smith, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003, began his remarkable career at Remington Park during its inaugural season in 1988, where he finished second in the jockey standings with 68 wins. Among his early triumphs was a victory aboard Overage in two local stakes races. Since then, Smith has enjoyed a legendary national career, securing 229 Grade 1 wins and partnering with champions like Zenyatta, Justify, and Holy Bull.
Smith has been aboard E J Won the Cup—trained by Doug O’Neill—in six of the colt's last seven races, including victories in the Texas Derby at Lone Star Park on May 27 and the St. Louis Derby at FanDuel in Illinois on Aug. 24. The colt is the top earner in the Oklahoma Derby field with $540,580 in career earnings and holds 4-1 morning-line odds.
Most Wanted, trained by Brad Cox, is the 5-2 morning-line favourite. Most Wanted won the Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 11 and remains undefeated in three career starts. Florent Géroux, who won the 2019 Oklahoma Derby aboard Owendale, will be riding Most Wanted.
Society Man, trained by Danny Gargan, is the only graded stakes winner in the field, having won the $400,000 Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill Downs on June 9. Society Man, listed at 6-1, was third in the West Virginia Derby (G3) and previously finished second in the Wood Memorial (G2), earning a spot in the Kentucky Derby, where he finished 16th. Jockey Corey Lanerie will be aboard.
Flat Hanby leads the field in career victories with five consecutive wins, including the Oklahoma Stallion Handicap at Remington. Trained by Boyd Caster, Flat Hanby aims to become just the third Oklahoma-bred to win the Derby, joining Clever Trevor (1989) and Shotgun Kowboy (2015). Floyd Wethey Jr. has been named to ride Flat Hanby, who is a 15-1 longshot on the morning line.