Saturday afternoon marks the biggest day on the racing calendar at Thistledown Race Track. The 12-race card is headlined by the $500,000 Ohio Derby (G3). The 1 1/8-miles event over the main track is one of five stakes races slated for the back half of the afternoon with the main event scheduled to go to post at 6:20 PM local time.

In addition, to the many wagering opportunities offered on the Ohio Derby slate, 1/ST BET and Xpressbet customers will earn 10x rewards points on all wagers made on Saturday at Thistledown. Just register for the new promotion and you will automatically earn the bonus points. Here are a few of my plays in the stakes races, including my long shot play in the feature.


Race 8: George Lewis Memorial
The first of three stakes for Ohio-breds is this 1 1/16-mile event where the pace should be fast, as well as contentious. With a number of sprinters stretching back out to two turns, it is hard to imagine things not being a bit chaotic during the first half mile. This should set things up beautifully for #9 Villian. The son of National Flag has won 12 of 27 throughout his career, including 9 of 13 over this surface, and should get a perfect setup with the best rider on the continent into ride. Jockey Jose Ortiz has been aboard the Tim Hamm trainee twice with both resulting in wins, including this race a year ago. He will not be a big price, but makes for a potential single to kick off the All-Stakes Pick 5 sequence.

Play: #9 Villian (9-5 ML)
Picks: 9-8-7


Race 11: Lady Jacqueline
The biggest race of the summer for fillies and mares comes right before the Ohio Derby and drew a competitive field of nine. I like #2 Nerazurri most in this 9-furlong affair. The daughter of Protonico had an outstanding winter at Oaklawn Park for trainer Mark Casse, including a pair of restricted stakes scores and a runner-up finish to stablemate Nitrogen in the Bayakoa (G3). Casse tried Grade 1 competition in both the Apple Blossom (G1) and La Troienne (G1), but the 4YO filly was in over her head, so the veteran conditioner opts to get a bit more realistic in this spot. I like that she was given a legitimate freshening after taking on the best of her division, especially since she raced in the La Troienne off of relatively short rest. Expect to see Nerazurri get back to her best with Flavien Prat set to take the call for the first time.

Play: #2 Nerazurri (7-2 ML)
Picks: 2-3-1


Race 12: Ohio Derby (G3)
This year’s featured event in the state of Ohio drew a solid field led by a pair of colts from big barns. This includes the first Bob Baffert trainee set to compete in the Ohio Derby since Whiskey Ticket in 2015.

#1 Desert Gate brings one of the strongest resumes into North Randall, as well as Preakness third-place finisher #3 Chip Honcho for North America’s all-time leading trainer. Both Desert Gate and the Steve Asmussen trainee loom large in this prospective group of 10 and are not tosses for me, but I like 30-1 shot #6 Zihnal enough to build a few wagers around the lightly-raced gelding. The Augustin Stable runner has not encountered anything close to the level of competition he will in the Saturday feature, but has been entered ambitiously and scratched already by trainer Jonathan Thomas. Some barns are more than willing to get aggressive with their flesh early in stakes races, especially given the current landscape, but this barn does not strike me as one that spots their horses in over their heads too often. Being entered in a stake on Preakness Day before being scratched turn my head and despite a poor turf run in late May, Thomas presses on with this son of Quality Road who raced just ten days ago at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The win came despite being three-wide, it was more than 11 lengths back to third, and now he is entered in a Grade 3 event. He very well could be overmatched against this level of competition, but the price will be right to take a swing. I will bet on him to win and tie him up with Desert Gate, Chip Honcho, and #4 Trendsetter.

Play: #6 Zihnal (30-1 ML)
Picks: 6-3-8