Racing


First-Crop Sire Big Lew's Itsjustamatteroftime Was All About Fastest Time Of 13 Training Races
Itsjustamatteroftime put up the fastest time of the day in 13 training races at Remington Park at 250 yards, stopping the timer in 13.510 seconds with a tailwind of 17 mph.

© Dustin Orona Photography
First-Crop Sire Big Lew's Itsjustamatteroftime Was All About Fastest Time Of 13 Training Races

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—FEBRUARY 24, 2021—The speeds were nominally faster in the 13 training races Wednesday than they were in Tuesday’s 13 but that will happen when you go from a 15 mph headwind to a 20 mph tailwind the next day.

On Wednesday, it was Itsjustamatteroftime that was all about time, the fastest time of the day at 250 yards in the schooling races, :13.510 seconds, earning a 79 speed index.

Trainer Mike Robbins sent out 2-year-old Quarter Horse gelding Itsjustamatteroftime for owner Reliance Ranches of Guthrie, Okla., and the son of first-crop sire Big Lew, out of the Feature Mr Jess mare Spoiled Jess, was best to the wire in the 10th race.

In fact, the second-place horse, Tempting Stoli’s 77 speed index was faster than any other winner on Wednesday. That Tempting Dash filly out of Trey Wood’s barn hit the wire in :13.579 seconds, a neck back of the winner.

Big Lew won 8-of-24 starts lifetime for earnings of $638,878, including a victory in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby on the West Coast. He was anmed the AQHA Racing Champion 2-year-Old Colt and 3-Year-Old Colt in 2015 and 2016.

On the bottom side of Itsjustamatteroftime’s pedigree, his maternal grandsire, Feature Mr Jess is a seven-time American Quarter Horse Association Racing Champion Sire with earners that have banked about $25 million. Some of his progeny were champions on the track as well, such as Heartswideopen, who won the 2007 Grade 1 $2 million All American Futurity. So, Robbins appears to have a swift gelding that has a blue-blooded pedigree for sure.

Multiple graded stakes winning jockey Esgar Ramirez was in the irons for Robbins on this winner. Ramirez has won the sport’s biggest race twice, the Grade 1 $2 million All American Futurity, in 2016 with Imperial Eagle and 2010 with Mr Piloto.

The weather conditions during Itsjustamatteroftime’s training race were 62 degrees with a 17 mph tailwind.

The other winners (Quarter Horses unless otherwise noted) in Wednesday’s training races with their times and speed indexes in chronological order of the race they won were: Farrah Levi (13.738 seconds, 70 speed index); AJS Tres of Paint (13.681, 73); Over the Shock (Paint, 13.860, 65); Ventura Haiwei (13.850, 66); Remember Me Seis (13.910, 63); Revenant Moon (13.650, 74); BP Fancydownsouth (13.600, 76); Smith Works (Paint, 14.020, 59); Tempting Uno Mas (13.666, 73); Jess Reloaded (13.772, 69); Waitin On Eight (13.741, 70), and Foolse Lodge (13.670, 73).

Four trainers had multiple wins in the training races Wednesday – Trey Wood, three; Clint Crawford, three; Troy Carter and Matt Whitekiller, two each.

Apollitical Jess led all sires with four winners on the card. First-crop sire A Revenant got his first winner in Race 6. Other sires with winners were Bodacious Dash Corona Cartel, CRM Livewire, Foose, Im A Fancy Pyc, Painted Turnpike, Tempting Dash, Tres Seis and Valiant Hero.

CLICK HERE to download a list of today's training race participants in order of time(s) run.

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Tracked by more than 164,000 fans on Facebook and more than 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $254 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park will host the 2020 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season from March 6 through May 30. For more information, reservations and group bookings please call (405) 424-1000, 866-456-9880 or visit remingtonpark.com.