Thistledown

Saturday's GIII Ohio Derby--the lone graded event carded annually in the Buckeye State--attracted three runners who made their last start on the first Saturday in May beneath the Twin Spires in neighboring Kentucky. The trio, sent off the first, second and fourth wagering choices in the $500,000 test, would go on to combine for a trifecta that returned a chalky 14-1, as Peachtree Stable's 13-10 favorite Tawny Port (Pioneerof the Nile), a respectable seventh in the Derby, gathered up 3-2 second-elect White Abarrio (Race Day)--16th at Churchill--in the waning stages...

John G. Dooley, a fixture in the announcer's box at numerous Midwest tracks, has been tabbed to replace Bill Downes as the voice of racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis Race Course, the former Indiana Grand Racecourse. Eric Halstrom, the vice president and general manger of the track, revealed the news in a tweet Friday afternoon. A native of Staten Island, New York, Dooley graduated from St. John's University on Long Island and served as an intern at the Meadowlands and at the New York Racing Association before accepting his first announcer's...

Dislodged wiring within the United Tote Company circuitry at Thistledown resulted in betting pools remaining open for nearly a minute into a one-mile race on Tuesday. Wagering had to be manually stopped once the error was discovered mid-race, and the race was eventually declared a "no contest" for pari-mutuel purposes. Based on pool totals shown on the Thistledown post-race video feed, this meant refunds of $82,191 in wagers for the sixth race Aug. 17. It is unclear how much of that money was bet "after the bell." A lack of...

Tim Hamm and Siena Farm's Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief), winner of last season's GI Frizette S. and GIII Schuylerville S., has been retired from racing and will be offered at the upcoming Fasig-Tipton November sale. The Siena-bred filly, who concluded her juvenile campaign with a runner-up finish behind Vequist (Nyquist) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland last fall, kicked off 2021 with a second in Churchill's GII Eight Belles S. Apr. 30 before finishing fourth in her most recent start in the GI Acorn S. June 5. The...

Amadevil (Dominus) backed up her 24 1/4-length victory in maiden company when winning her second career start Monday at Thistledown, running away from seriously overmatched rivals in an Ohio-bred allowance race. She paid $2.10 in what was maybe the biggest overlay of the year. Racing for owner-trainer David Wolochuk, the 3-year-old filly debuted June 21 at Thistledown, winning by nearly a sixteenth of a mile while earning a 94 Beyer figure. That number indicated that she has the ability to win graded stakes, but, having won nothing more than a...

David Wolochuk understands that there's only so much a horse can prove in a five-furlong maiden race for Ohio-breds run over a sloppy track. Then again, he's excited about a horse named Amadevil (Dominus). And who could blame him? "Now I see why they say no one has ever died when they have a good horse in the barn," he said. "She makes it real easy to get up in the morning." On a quiet Monday afternoon earlier this month at Thistledown, the horse owned by and trained by Wolochuk...

Well regarded before being knocked out of the GI Kentucky Derby after spiking a temperature on the eve of the big race, Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm's King Fury (Curlin) looks to bolster his sophomore resume in Saturday's GIII Ohio Derby at Thistledown. Last season's Street Sense S. victor came home seventh in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile before finishing fifth in the Nov. 28 GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill Downs. Let go at 18-1 for his seasonal reappearance in the Apr. 10 GIII Lexington S....

Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith, and Spendthrift Farm's Keepmeinmind (Laoban), who worked a half-mile in :46.92 (1/6) over a sloppy Belmont dirt training track Monday, will skip Saturday's GI Belmont S. and could make his next start over the turf in the July 10 GI Belmont Derby. "He worked great this morning, but thinking about it some more, I think he needs a little more time," trainer Robertino Diodoro said. "We were always 50-50 for the race, but I think as soon as we arrived at Belmont people got the...

After a delayed and somewhat abbreviated 2020 meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio's JACK Thistledown Racino will open Monday, Apr. 26, for a full 2021 season with a 10% boost in purses. The 100-day meet will feature cards on a Monday through Thursday schedule with special Saturday cards beginning on Derby day May 1. The highlight of the meet is the 87th edition of the GIII Ohio Derby, which is the only graded event in Ohio. It will be worth $500,000 this year and will be run June 26....

Dean Martini proved to be a shrewd claim for trainer Tom Amoss after upsetting the $500,000 GIII Ohio Derby Saturday at Thistledown, which offered 50 points towards the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby. Away alertly from his rail draw, the 14-1 shot contested the pace heading into the first turn and was a close-up third as the first quarter went in :22.80. Shuffled back a bit on the fence as the half went in :47.22, the bay reasserted on the backstretch, heading pacesetter Lebda (Raison d'Etat). Dean Martini continued strongly...

Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com takes on TDN's Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap Triple Crown prep races plus the big three races themselves. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets in the preps and $200 Win/Place bets in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Highest bankroll at the end wins. DeRosa - Belmont Stakes Result - Tiz the Law (+$325) proved too good for them. Bankroll: $3540. GIII Ohio Derby - Awesome field lined up and no brainer to fade Storm the Court as ML favorite based on...

Vancouver (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) was represented by his first North American winner at Thistledown Tuesday afternoon. Nicky Two Shoes, off at odds of 5-2 to debut a winner, chased early in third, hit the gas with a rail run on the far turn, took over as they hit the quarter pole, and after enjoying a clear lead from there, held on by a half-length over the unlucky favorite Latin Spice (Buffum), who was bumped hard by a rival and nearly went down in the stretch. The winner's dam had a...