The OH Derby (Grade 3)- $500.000 Purse
TDN- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
June 22, 2019

The biggest race in the state of Ohio is set to be run on Saturday as the 8th running of the OH Derby takes place at TDN. It is a race that initially debuted here in 2008, but has not been run every year. The purse was increased to $500.000 in 2017, so that should make the race a fixture on our calendar now as long as it stays at that level. In 2018, the race was one by John Henry’s Steel Tunes. Unfortunately, it is still the last time that horse has won. He was eighth last week at the Foster Handicap. In this field, we see a few horses that have been regulars in Grade 3’s, and others that tried TC races. We even see Beaver Wars, who is no longer a maiden! (I feel sorry for the ones he raced against at WO). It’s a field of ten, so let’s run through the field at this time.

#1- Bo Knows (Joshua Stables, ridden by J Alvarado)- It’s time for this horse to step up and run a big race and not finish at the back of the field. The stakes are lower, but in three races this year, he has run against 34 horses (not counting him in each field size), and defeated six of them. This is not the PRK, but I would put it along the lines of the two preps he ran in before that this year, where he struggled. Let’s see what Joshua has planned, because he didn’t pay $150.000 for him to struggle.

#2- Asset Allocation (Mb Stables, ridden by M J Sanchez)- Up to being purchased by Mb Stables, Asset Allocation had not raced in tough fields. As he has done many times before, Mb Stables figured him out and last month he would win his graded debut, coming in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile. That was not a field that particularly wows me as I look at it, but it does show that this horse is on the up and up. He will like running a little longer in this race, too.

#3- Ete Crack (Gdp Inc, ridden by E J Wilson)- The trainer won this race two years ago with Hidden Slew Laff, and he would love it if Ete Crack could follow along those lines. He had had a solid career up to this point, but nothing jaw dropping. Three wins in eleven starts, and a couple tries at derby preps that came up empty. Second in his last start from the PRK undercard, the $100.000 Sir Barton.

#4- Unfold (Mb Stables, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Worked impressive at six furlongs a couple of days ago, and now looks to pick up the second win of his career. He tried a couple KYD preps, and performed well enough in the TAM Derby to get some hopes up, but struggled in the BG Stakes and Day Mile. Most recently he was second in the Commentator, but I think the book is still out on what this horse is capable of. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him win, or to finish last.

#5- Blowberg (Estero Farms, ridden by T Gaffalione)- For his last race, the trainer cut his distance back to six furlongs for the $200.000 Lang Stakes, and he went wire to wire for the victory. That coupled a pair of mediocre finishes in derby preps, so like Unfold, he is also hoping that last result can lead to momentum. He hasn’t really shown much going a mile or more yet in his career, but his works say he should be excelling at it.

#6- Where You At (Rampage Stable, ridden by J Rosario)- It has been a struggle this year for J Rosario, with just seven wins in 116 starts. Where You At should give him a good chance to pick up another win, as the colt looks for his third straight win. He was most recently seen in the $100.000 Sir Barton, defeating Ete Crack as he went on to win. Earlier in his career he tried some top races, but passed on derby preps. Fits in with this field well.

#7- Marx On The Moon (Court Jester Racing, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Two races ago, he won a competitive Grade 3 Bay Shore at BEL, and also won another seven furlong race two starts before that. In the meantime, the trainer has been trying to get him to run long, and in the Peter Pan at BEL last month, he stepped up to the task nicely, running second. That is always a very competitive race, and was won by the talented Brady Is A Lady. Jaramillo is back aboard, and now the task is to do it again. Marx On The Moon is well rested, and if he can run like he did in the Peter Pan again here, I believe this race is his.

#8- Beaver Wars (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by A A Gallardo)- A highly impressive maiden that had us all thinking that it could be possible for a maiden to win the KYD, especially with how he ran in the LA Derby, and knowing he’d love the distance. The KYD did not go well, and two weeks later up at WO, Beaver Wars broke his maiden. And boy, did he ever break it. I hope the others in that field are not emotionally traumatized by the beatdown put on him in his nine length win. That was at a mile and a half, a distance this horse will love. Is the OH Derby long enough for him? That’s my only question. He’s my second choice.

#9- Tongariro (John Henry, ridden by J Talamo)- The NJ-bred was acquired for $10.000 from Smokey Stover, and made his debut for John Henry in the Grade 3 Barrera, where he was defeated by another NJ-bred that was acquired for $10.000 from Smokey Stover, named Socotra Island. That race was a distance drop for him, as he previously was a regular fixture at nine furlongs. He’s won a couple decent races at SA at this distance, but like Asset Allocation, doesn’t have that win that overly impresses quite yet. This would be that race.

#10- King Niagra (John Henry, ridden by K J Desormeaux)- The trainer is faced with the added challenge here of drawing the two outer most posts, but that should not deter King Niagra from being one of the top contenders in this race. He did not win over KYD prep season, but had more consistent performances in them up until the FL Derby. Finishing out of the money there kept him from being able to run in the KYD. He was heavily raced for a while between March 9th and April 13th, so the rest he has since gotten should be very beneficial, and is something that can’t be overlooked when considering him in this field.

Prediction: 7-8-10-6

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES