THISTLEDOWN'S BEST OF OHIO SERIES FAILS TO CLEAR UP HORSE OF YEAR PICTURE
Saturday's trio of Best of Ohio races at Thistledown -- none of them won by the betting favorite --- appears to have muddled the state's Horse of the Year picture, especially with just a handful of stakes remaining, all five of them at Beulah Park.
However, the connections of two of the leading candidates for post-season honors, Ivan Vasquez, trainer of 2008 Ohio Horse of the Year Catlaunch, and Miguel (Angel) Feliciano, the conditioner of 2008 Handicap Mare of the Year Pay The Man, said Tuesday that their charges will race again this year in stakes races at Beulah Park.
Both Catlaunch (Endurance) and Pay The Man (Distaff) failed to win as public wagering choices Saturday.
Todd Pletcher, the trainer of 2007 Ohio Horse of the Year King of the Roxy, who finished fourth as the betting favorite in the Sprint, was unavailable for comment. However, there are no sprints for older male horses (King of the Roxy is five) remaining on the 2009 Ohio Fund stakes calendar.
Catlaunch had the most puzzling of Best of Ohio days as he faded from a stalking position approaching the half-mile pole to finish 10th, beaten 20 3/4 lengths in the field of 11.
"He's fine," said Vasquez. "We had him scoped and there's nothing wrong with him. Maybe he didn't feel like running. He's done this before and come back to win. It just wasn't his day. I don't know what happened on Saturday."
Vasquez said he is pointing Catlaunch for the Nov. 14 Ruff/Kirchberg Memorial at Beulah. It's a 1 1/8 mile race that Catlaunch has won the last three years by a total of 14 3/4 lengths.
Pay The Man didn't go down without a stirring fight. Hooked at the top of the stretch, she battled eventual Distaff winner Slides Choice to the line, dropping a nose decision. It was her first lost to a filly or mare at Thistledown in 11 races. She had defeated 76 other females prior to Saturday.
"She'll be going to Florida with me (to Tampa Bay Downs) but we'll run her one more time this year in Ohio," said Feliciano, who is pointing Pay That Man to the Oct. 31 renewal of the Scarlet and Gray at Beulah, a track where she has failed to win in two tries in which she heavily-favored to prevail.
Pay The Man finished third in the 2007 Best of Ohio Distaff as the 2-5 favorite, then two weeks later, finished 12th in the aforementioned Scarlet and Gray as the 4-5 public choice.
"We'll try her there one more time," said Feliciano.
Pay The Man has earned $530,155 is a career of 34 races and 14 victories and is just $52,875 behind 1989 Ohio Horse of the Year Tougaloo as the state's all-time money-winning filly or mare.
The brightest face on Best of Ohio day may have belonged to Slides Choice, who spoiled Pay The Man's unbeaten run at Thistledown against the ladies.
Her triumph is her eighth in 12 career starts, six of them in stakes or handicaps. Slides Choice has earned $304,040 and is a lock to be voted the state's outstanding sophomore filly. Last year, she was champion juvenile filly.
Sprint winner Tri Uimet ended an Ohio stakes drought that dated back to July 1, 2006 when he won the Cleveland Gold Cup.
Endurance winner Sneak a Cold Treat, claimed for $12,500 at Tampa Bay Downs in April, confirmed his love for two things --- Thistledown and two-turn racing. His two length score gives the four-year-old gelded son of Snuck In three victories in three route races at the North Randall oval.
The two races for freshman -- the Galbreath for fillies and the Juvenile, were formful as betting choice That's a Heckofacat won the race for boys and second betting choice Queen Imidala scored in the Galbreath.
For complete race recaps on the Best of Ohio races, as well as the Ohio Derby, go to www.thistledown.com.
OHIO DERBY UPDATE --- Trainer Shug McGaughey reports that Gone Astray, a handy winner of the 75th Ohio Derby, was back in his stall at Belmont Park in time for breakfast Sunday morning.
"He came out of the race fine," said McGaughey. "I was very pleased with his effort. He relaxed and ran when the jockey asked him. If everything remains good, I'll run him back in the Discovery (Grade III at Aqueduct) on Nov. 21."
Gone Astray's $2.80 win price is the lowest in Ohio Derby history, matching the payoff record established by Boot to Boot in 1926. Gone Astray is just the second favorite in the last 11 renewals of the Ohio Derby to win.
MEANWHILE, AT HOOSIER --- The Indianapolis-area track hosted Saturday's $500,000 Indiana Derby (Grade II) which ended up with four horses that were also entered in the Ohio Derby. None of them won, but they claimed second through fourth place with runner-up Giant Oak beaten just a half-length by Misremembered, who broke the track record for 1 1/16 miles with a 1:40 4/5 clocking. Karama was third, with Weslinn fourth. Fundy, the other Ohio Derby defector, finished sixth.
LEADERBOARD --- Ernesto Oro continues to hold a substantial lead in the Thistledown jockeys' derby. Through 58 days of the 76-day Randall-Cranwood Meeting, Oro has 74 winners. David Cardoso is second with 59 . . . Jamie Ness has opened a bit of daylight in the trainers' derby. He has 36 winners to Gerald Bennett's 29 winners . . . Winning Stables, Inc.'s Native Match is the meeting's winningest horse with four scores in five starts. The five-year-old gelding is from the Bennett barn.
FEED BAG --- With the season's end in sight, horsemen are reminded that training hours are now from 7 to 10:30 a.m. There will not be a renovation break. The schedule will continue through closing day, Oct. 31. There is no training on Sundays . . . Palladio, winner of the 2005 Ohio Derby, continues in good health at the races. He finished third in Sunday's Grade III $150,000 Durham Cup at Woodbine.