Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby On June 21st, Astledown drew ten fields, including four three-year-olds who won or won stakes races this year. Also smart It is one of two of the quartets that won the stakes race as they won the Hot Springs Stakes in March last month. mo plex The winner of the other 2025 stakes, which won the Bayshore Stakes in a recent start in April, but that race was run on a short distance of seven furlongs. A lump of goldHe finished 9th in the Kentucky Derby announced by Woodford Reserve last month, but previously placed second in both the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes and the Grade 2 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby. McAfee He entered the Ohio Derby after finishing the runner-up in the third-year Peter Pan Stake in May. Master Controller Returning from a 6½ month layoff, he won the first victory of his career last month, running in a stakes race for the first time. Among the rest, Headlco I won the Atar race on June 11th. Delivery He finished third in that race. curvino He won once with 12 career starts and finished sixth in his only previous start in the stakes race. Bohemian Style He was charged for $12,500 on his latest start and appears to be overmatched. Breton Baytown He was in eighth place in Peter Pan and looks like he’s another overmatch.
Winning candidate:
Also smart He began his career in the spring of 2024 and had no heads of winning that race. For some reason, he remained away until this February, but despite his long layoffs, he easily dominated the clever 10 fields, winning the route race at 1 1/16 miles, despite not benefiting from the preparations for the sprint. Leading from start to finish in that race, Clever again won the 100 Equibase Speed figure. Next came the Hot Springs Stakes on March 30th at Oak Lawn Park. In this race, a smart race again led from start to finish, earning the highest 108 horse speeds any horse on this field has won. At the Preakness stake five weeks ago, Clever took the lead again with an external post starting, but spent a bit more energy doing that.
In the Ohio Derby, starting with post position 6, none of the five horses inside show a desire to lead early, so the clever thing can easily reach the front and rails under Jose Ortiz, allowing you to control the tempo from start to victory, just like you won this race last year. That’s what you need to be careful about Master Controller and mo plex Both have won recent races after leading from the start, but considering that they have a smart out position again at the gate, I think they’ll take the second or third position early, if you think that smart has an early lead again. If that assumption is not correct, the two candidates below, McAfee and Gold of Gold, can win by handing over an exhausting pacesetter.
McAfee On November 1, 2024, he finished second after earning his career debut with six furlongs and was beaten to the head in a one-mile race of one turn at Churchill Downs. Like many aspiring two-year-olds, McAfee was given a break for a while and returned this March. McAfee didn’t run much because of the Wood Memorial Stakes presented by Resorts World Casino for the first time in April. In the end it was fifth in the 10th. McAfee was added last month for the Peter Pan Stakes, and McAfee approached the pace of the pace in third place, making him among the extended leaders, Hill Road. That effort has improved McAfee to a career-high 98-speed figure. It is reasonable to assume that McAfee can run even better in this race, especially as his dam (mother) produced the 2024 horse from Thorpedo Anna, who won four stakes races over this distance last year.
A lump of gold Of the 10 Ohio Derby participants, he was the only one to run in the Kentucky Derby, finishing sixth in the sixth mile, running and finishing ninth. Previously, gold chunks at this level proved to have finished second in the rising Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby, earning the highest 96-speed figure in the latter. Getting a good internal post for this race will save you the ground and profit if you are smart and can’t secure a quick lead again, or if you’re tired in the later stages.
The rest of the field (there are the best typical Equiver speed figures): Bohemian Style (81), Brereton’s Baytown (71), Capo Luco (98), Curvino (90), Delivery (87), Master Controller (98), and Mo Plex (101).
Earn candidates in order of priority:
Also smart
McAfee
A lump of gold
