The Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby on Saturday, June 22 at Thistledown drew a subject of ten, together with 4 horses confirmed to be aggressive in prime firm.
Main the Ohio Derby subject in accomplishments is Catching Freedom, who gained the Grade 2 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby earlier this 12 months earlier than a fourth-place effort within the Kentucky Derby introduced by Woodford Reserve and a 3rd place end within the Preakness Stakes. Copper Tax gained each the Non-public Phrases Stakes and Federico Tesio Stakes in succession and figures to be a powerful contender. Uncle Heavy gained the Grade 3 Withers Stakes in February earlier than a fifth place end within the Grade 2 Wooden Memorial Stakes introduced by Resorts World On line casino after which, most lately, a sixth place end within the Preakness. Gould’s Gold is on an bettering sample as he completed third within the Bathhouse Row Stakes in April earlier than lacking by a nostril within the Sir Barton Stakes final month. Then there’s extremely regarded Batten Down, a full brother to a number of stakes winner Tacitus who gained by a formidable eight and three-quarter size margin on the finish of April when incomes his first profession win. Deposition gained an allowance race in his most up-to-date race, following an eighth-place effort within the Sir Barton. Frizzante, Mugatu and Who’s the King every have one profession win and could also be overmatched. Charleston enters the race as a maiden.
Win contenders:
Gould’s Gold is an bettering 3-year-old who seems able to make his mark within the division. Educated by Ken McPeek, conditioner of this 12 months’s Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan, and sharing some commonality of possession, Gould’s Gold gained in his 3-year-old debut on the finish of March in a dash and earned a 93 Equibase Velocity Determine. Stretching out to the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Ohio Derby one month later, the colt rallied for third within the Bathhouse Row Stakes earlier than a significantly better effort on Might 18 within the Sir Barton Stakes. In that race, Gould’s Gold raced in second till the sector straightened away for the stretch, took the lead and opened up by a size, then was overwhelmed in a head-bobbing end by a nostril. That effort earned a career-best 103 determine which is greater than every other horse’s determine within the subject apart from the 107 determine Catching Freedom earned when fourth within the Kentucky Derby. It’s greater than the 98 determine Catching Freedom earned when third within the Preakness. Contemplating Gould’s Gold will get the 2 publish within the gate and there are few, if any, different horses within the subject who seems to love operating on or close to the entrance, Kentucky Derby successful jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. ought to have this colt on a simple lead from the beginning. As Gould’s Gold improved his determine 10 factors from effort in April to the one he put forth final month, with logical enchancment he has a really robust likelihood to reach this 12 months’s Ohio Derby.
Catching Freedom finds a subject absent of the horses which completed in entrance of him in each the Derby and Preakness, particularly Seize the Gray, Mystik Dan, Sierra Leone and Eternally Younger. On that depend alone this very proficient colt has a giant shot to win the Ohio Derby. After a third-place end in February behind Sierra Leone within the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes, Catching Freedom then improved to a career-best 98 Determine when successful the Louisiana Derby, earlier than a 107 determine when rallying from 15th to fourth within the Kentucky Derby. Nevertheless, Catching Freedom appeared to regress within the Preakness, solely managing third with a 97 determine. Nonetheless, he was solely a head behind runner-up Mystik Dan. Educated by Brad Cox, who gained the 2022 Ohio Derby with Tawny Port and who saddled the 2023 Ohio Derby runner-up (Bishop’s Bay), Catching Freedom will get the providers of jockey Luis Saez. The one concern I’ve is Catching Freedom has a late operating fashion that normally finds him within the again half of the sector for the primary three-quarters of a race and if the tempo is to not his liking he could find yourself with only a minor award – the identical as within the Derby and Preakness.
Copper Tax has confirmed to be a really proficient runner, and one who matches at this degree. Having gained seven of 10 profession races, his two most up-to-date efforts had been his greatest but. Two races again in March, Copper Tax gained the Non-public Phrases Stakes gamely by a neck on the wire, incomes a 102 determine. 5 weeks later on the finish of April, Copper Tax rallied from sixth of 10 to win the Federico Tesio Stakes with a 100 determine. The Tesio was run on the distance of the Ohio Derby and for the reason that colt is now two months extra mature than final seen, a fair stronger effort could possibly be forthcoming and that wold be ok to be aggressive all the way down to the wire with the highest two contenders.
The remainder of the sector, with their greatest consultant Equibase Velocity Figures, is Batten Down (88), Charleston (82), Deposition (90), Frizzante (83), Mugatu (96), Uncle Heavy (95) and Who’s the King (83)
Win Contenders in desire order: