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The $500,000, Grade 3 Ohio Derby Saturday at Thistledown presents the winner $300,000 and brings collectively a discipline of eight 3-year-olds, with 5 of them both stakes winners or stakes-placed so far.
Main the sphere in accomplishments is Two Phil’s, who ran valiantly final month when main within the stretch within the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby Offered by Woodford Reserve earlier than settling for second. Lord Miles is prone to be nicely regarded by racing followers, having gained the Grade 2 Wooden Memorial Stakes Offered by Resorts World On line casino when final seen in April. Bishops Bay is one other sturdy contender as he enters the Ohio Derby after lacking by a head final month within the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes to eventual Grade 1 Belmont Stakes Offered by NYRA Bets winner Arcangelo. Hayes Strike has confirmed he belongs with the among the finest 3-year-olds, profitable the Non-public Phrases Stakes in March and the Texas Derby final month. Henry Q gained the Mine That Chicken Derby in New Mexico in February and adopted that up with third-place finishes within the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby and Peter Pan, so he’s one other who seems to suit with these. Agnello’s Dream, Final Cookie and Timesatappin all step up in school off allowance race efforts through which not one of the trio was victorious.
Win contenders:
Bishops Bay is my best choice to win this 12 months’s Ohio Derby, including to the recent hand coach Brad Cox has held this month in stakes races for 3-year-olds, having saddled Idiomatic to win the Shawnee Stakes three weeks in the past and equally saddling Salute the Stars to victory within the Pegasus Stakes final weekend. Bishops Bay has run 3 times so far and all three have been “A” efforts, first profitable in his debut in February and subsequent prevailing gamely by a neck when stretched out to 2 turns for the primary time in March. Returning on Might 13 within the Peter Pan Stakes, Bishops Bay pressed the pacesetter from the second the gate opened, then received the lead by a head earlier than participating with eventual winner Arcangelo in a head-and-head battle for the ultimate eighth of a mile. Though shedding on the finish, Bishops Bay ran markedly higher than in his earlier race, going from an 88 Equibase Pace Determine to 97. Arcangelo returned two weeks in the past and improved to a 100 determine within the 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes, and with Bishops Bay operating the identical 1 1/8-mile journey as he did within the Peter Pan it may be assumed he’ll enhance as soon as extra, significantly having put in a really sturdy five-furlong exercise in 59.40 one week in the past.
Hayes Strike has gained two of his final three races, each stakes for 3-year-olds. The primary of the 2 was on March 18 when he gained the Non-public Phrases Stakes, incomes a 91 determine within the course of. After a poor seventh-place effort within the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes in April, Hayes Strike improved to a 100 determine in his most up-to-date race on Might 29, placing in a visually spectacular rally from ninth with a quarter-mile to run, then to seventh with an eighth of a mile left within the race, after which persevering with on to win the Texas Derby by a nostril. Jockey Cristian Torres was driving Hayes Strike for the primary time in that race and rides again once more, so we will assume the identical effort – or a good higher one – may very well be forthcoming within the Ohio Derby.
Lord Miles posted the 59.25-1 upset to win the Wooden Memorial in April in his final race. He had earned a spot within the Kentucky Derby discipline together with his Wooden victory however didn’t run within the Derby and has been in regular coaching since. Though he had run poorly within the Holy Bull Stakes (sixth) in February and within the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (fifth) in March, Lord Miles confirmed a number of moxie within the Wooden when battling head-and-head with each Hit Present and Dreamlike for the final eighth of a mile. He earned a 100 Equibase Pace Determine within the win, and positively if he can repeat that effort following greater than two months off Lord Miles can be a contender to win this race.
As to Two Phil’s, I feel he’ll run nicely once more however not nicely sufficient to win, the reason is his tendency to lose floor within the remaining eighth of a mile. Beginning together with his 2023 debut within the Lecomte Stakes this previous January, Two Phil’s rallied from fifth within the early levels to get to second, inside a head of the chief with an eight of a mile to go, solely to be overwhelmed greater than two lengths on the finish. One month later within the Risen Star Stakes Offered by Lamarque Lincoln and Lamarque Crescent Metropolis Ford, Two Phil’s rallied from seventh to get inside inches of the chief within the stretch, however was handed and settled for third. After profitable the Jeff Ruby Steaks on the all-weather floor at Turfway Park in March, Two Phil’s indisputably ran the perfect race of his profession within the Kentucky Derby, incomes a 102 determine. Nonetheless after rallying from a stalking place to make the lead getting into the stretch, Two Phil’s as soon as once more did not have the wanted bodily or psychological power, and he was handed by Mage close to the wire and barely held off Angel of Empire for the runner-up spot. So though his Equibase Pace Figures have improved in his final three races, from 92 to 97 to 102, I really feel he could also be weak to a extra tenacious foe within the remaining yards and can find yourself second, and even third, on this 12 months’s Ohio Derby.
The remainder of the sphere, with their finest consultant Equibase Pace Figures, is Agnello’s Dream (87), Henry Q (97), Final Cookie (77) and Timesatappin (74).
Win Contenders in choice order:
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