Ohio Derby | Horse Racing Free Tips

King Fury Resurfaces In Ohio Derby, Facing Promise Keeper, Nine Others

Todd Pletcher-trained Promise Keeper, winner of the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park last out, faces of field of 10 other 3-year-olds including graded stakes winners King Fury and Keepmeinmind in Saturday's Grade 3 Ohio Derby at JACK Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio. The Ohio Derby, a 1 1/8-mile fixture first run in 1876, offers a $500,000 purse, with $300,000 going to the winner.

A Constitution colt out of a mare by Curlin, Promise Keeper was picking up his third career victory in five starts – all in 2021 – while winning the Peter Pan by 2 ¼ lengths over Nova Rags. Prior that initial stakes win, Promise Keeper romped to a 5 ½-length allowance victory at Keeneland on April 8 going 1 1/8 miles. He's been ridden in all of his starts by Luis Saez, who will be aboard and break from the No. 1 post on Saturday. Promise Keeper races for Woodford Thoroughbreds, Win Star Farm and Rock Ridge Racing.

Keepmeinmind recorded his only lifetime win in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs last year for trainer Robertino Diodoro after finishing second in the G1 Breeders' Futurity and third in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, both at Keeneland. This year the Laoban colt has failed to hit the top three in four stakes, including a seventh-place finish in the G1 Kentucky Derby and a fourth in the G1 Preakness in his last out on May 15.

Diodoro is adding blinkers to the colt's equipment for his ninth career start in the Ohio Derby. David Cohen has been aboard Keepmeinmind for all of his starts and is back aboard on Saturday. He races for Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith and Spendthrift Farm and will break from the No. 8 post

Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm's King Fury has finished behind Keepmeinmind in three races – the Breeders' Futurity, Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes – but the Curlin colt trained by Kenny McPeek put it all together in his 2021 debut, winning the G3 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on April 10 by 2 ¾ lengths and earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 96. King Fury was entered in the Kentucky Derby on May 1 but McPeek was forced to withdraw him when he came up with a fever.

King Fury returned to the work tab at Churchill Downs three weeks after the Derby, going a half-mile in :47.60 on May 22, and he's had a series of four works since then, including a quick five-furlong breeze in :58.60 on June 12.

“It took him a while to come around. He was pretty clogged up,” said McPeek. “I sent him to my farm for about 10 days. He had a chest full of congestion, but he's locked and loaded now. He's doing really well, but he's a horse that needs some pace in front of him.”

Corey Lanerie rides King Fury, who will break from the four post.

Godolphin homebred Proxy finished fourth behind King Fury in the Lexington but showed flashes of talent over the winter at Fair Grounds, finishing second in the G3 Lecomte (behind Midnight Bourbon) and G2 Risen Star (behind Mandaloun). He then ran fourth behind Hot Rod Charlie in the G2 Louisiana Derby. Trainer Michael Stidham tried blinkers in the Tapit colt's last two starts, but is removing them for the Ohio Derby. Joe Bravo will be aboard for the first time on Saturday and they will break from post nine.

Two horses who will be making their stakes debuts but have recorded impressive allowance victories are Masqueparade for trainer Al Stall and Ethical Judgment for Brendan Walsh.

Masqueparade, who earned his maiden diploma via disqualification at Fair Grounds on March 20, comes off an 11 ¾-length allowance victory at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day, May 1. Ridden by Miguel Mena, the Upstart colt pressed the pace and drew off impressively in the stretch, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 97. Mena rides back in the Ohio Derby, breaking from the 10 post.

Ethical Judgment also exits an allowance score at Churchill Downs, winning on May 9 by 3 ½ lengths in the slop in a race originally scheduled on turf. It was the Honor Code colt's second win from four starts, with two seconds. Martin Garcia will be aboard and break from the five post.

The complete field from the rail out: Promise Keeper, Luis Saez; Falcons Fury, Edgar Paucar; Hozier, Chris Landeros; King Fury, Corey Lanerie; Ethical Judgment, Martin Garcia; Hello Hot Rod, Francisco Arrieta; The Reds, Dylan Davis; Keepmeinmind, David Cohen; Proxy, Joe Bravo; Masqueparade, Miguel Mena; and Channel Fury, Luis Rivera.

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No Belmont Stakes For Keepmeinmind: Turf May Be In Colt’s Future

Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith, and Spendthrift Farm's Keepmeinmind, with exercise rider Walter Davila up, worked a half-mile in 46.92 seconds from the gate over a sloppy Belmont dirt training track Monday morning.

Initially under consideration for the Belmont Stakes, Diodoro said the Laoban colt will have his next work on turf with an eye towards a start in the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational at 10 furlongs on turf for sophomores. The first leg of NYRA's lucrative Turf Triple series is slated for July 10.

“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 impression we were leaning towards that race and it really wasn't the case.”

NYRA clockers caught Keepmeinmind, who was a step slow out of the gate, through an opening quarter-mile in 23.40 and out five furlongs in 59.98.

“He went pretty well this morning. He always trains really well. The track was a little wet,” said Davila.

Diodoro said the nine-furlong Grade 3 Ohio Derby on June 26 at JACK Thistledown is still a possibility, but he would like to see Keepmeinmind work on the Belmont grass and continue to hone his gate skills.

“The gate crew has been really good with us up at Belmont on working with him breaking from the gate, but he still broke a step slow this morning,” said Diodoro. “I don't know if he's ever going to change that, but the gate crew will get to know him better and we're not rushing him into next Saturday. We'll work him on the grass and go from there.”

The Kentucky-bred graduated in style with a rallying effort to win the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at fourth asking in November at Churchill Downs to close out his juvenile campaign.

Winless in four sophomore starts, including a fifth in the Grade 2 Blue Grass in April at Keeneland, the late-running bay finished seventh in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and closed to finish fourth last out in the Grade 1 Preakness after a troubled start.

Diodoro said Keepmeinmind's regular rider David Cohen suggested turf as a possibility for the colt.

“Cohen mentioned that this horse could be a grass horse and a couple of the gallop boys have said the same thing. I'm curious to see what happens,” Diodoro said. “He's a big 3-year-old and he's a big baby, still. I think with time he's only going to get better. We'll take a step back and let him develop.”

Diodoro will also be represented on the Belmont Stakes Day undercard by Flying P Stable's Lone Rock in the Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational presented by Northwell Health, a 12-furlong test for 4-year-olds and up on Big Sandy.

The 10-time winner from 32 career starts posted a half-mile breeze in 48.11 on Saturday over the sloppy Belmont main track.

“He's doing great. He worked great up there the other day and he's ready to go,” said Diodoro.

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Turf Will Have To Wait: Kimmel Pointing The Reds Toward Ohio Derby

While The Reds didn't quite knock one out of the park in Saturday's off-the-turf Grade 2, $200,000 Pennine Ridge at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., trainer John Kimmel hopes to give the son of second crop-sire Tonalist a graded stakes win and said he is considering the Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby on June 26 at JACK Thistledown in Ohio.

Owned by Flanagan Racing, The Reds arrived at the nine-furlong Pennine Ridge off a victory, via disqualification, in the Federico Tesio at Pimlico Race Course on April 24. Kimmel said he was hoping Saturday's test would be a prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational on July 10. But when inclement weather forced the race to the main track, he said that the chestnut colt's turf debut will likely have to wait.

“Had we gotten to test him out on the grass maybe we could have tried the Belmont Derby, but I'm not really sure now,” said Kimmel. “I think running a mile and an eighth on dirt for a half-million against some of the big class citizens might be a better option for him.”

The Reds was a maiden winner at fifth asking on January 31 over the main track at Aqueduct before finishing fifth in the Grade 3 Gotham at the Big A.

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JACK Thistledown Boosts Purses 10 Percent For Meet Beginning April 26

The excitement of live Thoroughbred racing returns to JACK Thistledown Racino Monday, April 26, opening a 100-day meet that extends through Oct. 14.

JACK Thistledown will card eight races Monday through Thursday with post time at 12:50 p.m. The season will also feature special Saturday race day cards, beginning with live racing on Saturday, May 1 ahead of the famed Kentucky Derby. In addition to the exciting racing action, this year's races will offer a 10 percent increase in the track's purses in hopes of attracting top class competition.

“We are excited to get back to our full slate of racing,” said Director of Racing Patrick Ellsworth. “We worked closely with the Ohio State Racing Commission and the Horsemen's group last season to establish safe protocols that allowed us to race a shortened season. I'm very proud of our trainers, jockeys, and barn area personnel, along with our team here at JACK Thistledown, for doing their part to keep the show going. Now it's time to look ahead to the 2021 season.”

The centerpiece of the meet is the 87th running of the Grade 3 $500,000 Ohio Derby on June 26. The Ohio Derby has the distinction of being the only graded stakes race in the State of Ohio. Coming off the success of last year's participation in the Road to the Kentucky Derby as well as seeing its largest filed since 1999, this year's derby day will feature a total of $1 million in purse money.

Ohio Derby Day will also feature the return of the Lady Jacqueline Stakes, an open race for fillies and mares that boasts a purse of $250,000 and expects to attract the top older fillies & mares in the Country.

“With the return of the Lady Jacqueline, the success of Last year's Ohio Derby and the increase in purses this year, we fully anticipate a banner year for racing at Jack Thistledown Racino,” said Hugh Alan Drexler, racing secretary for JACK Thistledown Racino.

Doors open to the racing floor and track apron at 11:30 a.m. Admission to the races and parking are free. Children are welcome if accompanied by an adult. The minimum age for wagering on horse races in Ohio is 18.

More information is available at jackentertainment.com/thistledown/racing.

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