Weekend GamePlan: Picks for Ohio Derby, Ben's Cat, Spectacular Bid

North Randall, Ohio, home of the $500,000 Ohio Derby, sits at the center of the North American racing world Saturday. I knew little about the place before a Thursday lesson.

North Randall exists, essentially, because of Thistledown. Seven miles southeast of Cleveland, encompassing a grand total of .77 square miles, the municipality was incorporated in 1908, the same year North Randall Park came into existence as a trotting track. Thistledown opened in 1925. As of 2020, North Randall had a population of 954, most seemingly living east of the racecourse along Derbyshire Drive.

If any of those kind people read Daily Racing Form, perhaps they’ll find within its pages the winner of the 2026 Ohio Derby. That is the idea, at least.

Ohio Derby

Observing Kentucky Derby horses training the week before the big event, a beautiful-moving dark bay caught the eye doing no more than standard gallops. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, in fact, remarked, unbidden, on how well this colt trained.

Bill Mott doesn’t train Albus – his son Riley does. And Albus might prove the right horse at the right price in the Ohio Derby.

One should be looking for upside here, and Albus surely possesses more than Desert Gate, Chip Honcho, and Ocelli, the three shortest prices on a morning line taken with a grain of salt.

Desert Gate could wire the 1 1/8-mile Ohio Derby if other jockeys ride passively. But while Saturday’s contest won’t be mistaken for the Travers, it’s a major step up in class from the Texas Derby, where Desert Gate led without a challenge and romped accordingly. He did the same going one mile at Oaklawn and becomes a dangerous horse, even at this extended trip, if permitted to dictate tempo.

Chip Honcho makes the eighth start of his form cycle – which situates him far, far from upside. Rewatching the Preakness, I saw a horse who looked maxed out. Chip Honcho sat a good trip and went one-paced with no spark through the homestretch.

Ocelli has run eight times and remains a maiden because he cannot help making costly mistakes. I don’t see that changing Saturday.

Albus beat Ocelli while winning the Wood. Yes, he got a favorable setup, but Albus ran even better than the bare margin of victory, easily holding his foes at bay and galloping out far in front, despite still racing greenly in the homestretch. His Kentucky Derby? I’m tossing it and hoping Albus can show just enough positional pace to put his stamina into play. And if it all works out, he’ll be the toast of North Randall.

Ben’s Cat

Whenigettoheaven won the 2025 Ben’s Cat Stakes at odds of 4-1. He’ll go to post a shorter price Saturday, but a repeat performance looks likely, hopefully with just a touch of value attached.

For a sprint, this race has a decided lack of speedy horses. Who will lead? I nominate Whenigettoheaven. For whatever reason, the horse ran flat at Gulfstream in December, and back on his game in the King Leatherbury in April, Whenigettoheaven broke from post 13 in a race with a surplus of pace. They went fast, and Whenigettoheaven raced midpack.

Those races are outliers in the horse’s form over the last 14 months. Whenigettoheaven functions best as something between a presser and a stalker but also won after battling for the lead last year at Colonial. He’s found success in standard 5 1/2-furlong turf sprints, but I doubt it’s a coincidence his career-best Beyer came racing over this six-furlong distance a year ago at Laurel.

Spectacular Bid division of NYSS

The Finger Lakes flash, Nessuna Pagina, interests me at what figures a fair price.

Wide-margin wins, albeit against feather-soft competition, don’t do his performances justice. The horse has barely gotten out of second gear, and even while being lightly asked, he hit the line last out with real verve. Am I seeing a stride that looks like it might suit turf racing? I think I am, and the sire Honest Mischief has done well enough with turf sprinters.

Nessuna Pagina lands a rider noted for his work with front-runners, and while the horse doesn’t need to lead, he does need to break running from a wide draw to establish position before the turn.

One never knows with these horses coming from the provinces into the big city – sometimes their apparent talent stays back home, but sometimes it does travel.