Kempton headlines the Grade 2 Heritage Place Derby on Saturday at Remington Park.

© Dustin Orona Photography

by Louanne Wainscott, StallioneSearch.com

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—MAY 10, 2025—Thirty-four horses will participate in the Grade 2 Heritage Place Derby trials on Saturday night at Remington Park. Four trials will be held to determine the top ten fastest competitors advancing to the $244,000 finals on May 31, 2025.

The second trial of the evening appears to be the fastest qualifying trial. Defending his title is Kempton, the winner of last year's 2024 [G1] Heritage Place Futurity and the [G2] Evangeline Downs Futurity. He has made seven lifetime starts and has never finished outside of the top three, earning a total of $639,903.

Kempton is a three-year-old colt sired by Kiss My Hocks, owned by Ozaca Ranch, LLC, and trained by James J. Gonzalez III, and will be ridden by James A. Flores from post number two.

Kempton has been preparing since early March in anticipation of this race, where he will compete against Cowboy Blue Z and Heaven's Uncle. Cowboy Blue Z has begun his 2025 campaign with two wins: his trial and the Oklahoma Derby Finals [G3], which was held in March.

The colt is sired by Flying Cowboy 123 and is owned by West Texas Partners. He is conditioned by Mike Joiner, with Francisco Calderon riding from post number four.

Heaven's Uncle has started a strong campaign for 2025 with two victories. The gelding, sired by the leading stallion Uncle D, made a successful debut at Remington Park, winning his non-2 condition race against a field of allowance horses.

He then stepped up to face stakes competition, achieving another victory with a strong performance in the Bob Moore Stakes [G2]. Guillermo Valdivia is the conditioner for Heaven's Uncle, who will be ridden by Bryan Candanosa from post number three.

Race five will feature competitor Kiss My Maruska, the 2025 Dash For Cash Futurity winner [G2]. Heavy Hitters Racing Stables purchased Kiss My Maruska for $88,000 at the TQHA Yearling Sale.

The colt is sired by Kiss My Hocks and is under the care of trainer Bobby Muniz Pena. Nestor Duran will be in the saddle from post six on Saturday night.

The ten fastest qualifiers will compete in the 400-yard final on May 31st for a prize of $244,000.

All Remington Park races can be seen at Q-Racing Video.com.

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