Speed King Gets Route Test in 12-Horse Springboard Mile

Remington Park will conclude its 2024 season with an exclamation mark Dec. 13 when it stages the $300,000 Remington Springboard Mile as the closing 12th race on the Friday evening program, the meet's final race.

A two-turn test for 2-year-olds, the Springboard Mile drew a capacity field of 12 with 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points on the line, distributed on a 10-5-3-2-1 to the race's top five finishers.

Horses from numerous regions of the country are represented, with Coal Battle  and Jolly Samurai  having recently won stakes in Louisiana and Oklahoma, respectively, and speedy maiden winners Speed King  and Dr Ruben M  headed to Remington Park after respective triumphs in Kentucky and California.

Four of the dozen have won a two-turn race beyond seven furlongs, among them The Del Mar Group's Dr Ruben M, who led throughout in a mile maiden race at Santa Anita Park Oct. 14 for two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Doug O'Neill.  

But Dr Ruben M, a son of Vino Rosso  , may be hard-pressed to secure the early lead once again as Triton Thoroughbreds' Speed King stretches out from six furlongs after a wire-to-wire victory at Churchill Downs Nov. 1. The Ron Moquett trainee, whose debut triumph came despite him not changing leads in the stretch, is also drawn in post 3, compared to post 9 for Dr Ruben M.

Speed King is by a grade 1-winning sprinter in Volatile   out of the Corinthian mare Athenian Beauty , who scored her three wins in turf routes.