Chip Honcho catches Ocelli in final strides to take Ohio Derby

In a battle of classic-placed colts, Chip Honcho ran down Ocelli and cleared in the final strides for a length victory in Saturday's Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown. 

Chip Honcho ($7.60), who is trained by Steve Asmussen for Leland Ackerly Racing, James Sherwood, Jode Shupe, and John Cilla, came to the North Randall track, outside of Cleveland, off a third-place finish in last month's Preakness Stakes. Ocelli, still a maiden after nine starts, was third in the Kentucky Derby and fourth in the Preakness. 

Chip Honcho is typically a forwardly placed runner who is happiest when free-running. Saturday, after initially tugging on jockey Jose Ortiz, he was content to settle in fourth. Fellow Triple Crown alum Robusta, who had broken directly to his inside in post 2, was intent on the lead, pressed by favored Desert Gate on his outside through an opening quarter-mile of 22.72 seconds and the half in 47.30 on the track rated fast. 

Desert Gate, stepping back into graded stakes company off front-running scores by a combined 16 lengths in the Hot Springs and Texas Derby, engaged and came even with Robusta midway around the far turn. He easily put Robusta away, but found a new threat in Ocelli on his outside. 

Ocelli, who rallied to briefly strike the lead in the stretch of the Kentucky Derby before losing by just a length, had been eighth after the opening half of the Ohio Derby, and looped the field on the far turn. He popped a head in front of Desert Gate easily and appeared poised to power through the stretch. But Ortiz shifted Chip Honcho to the outside and he responded strongly to collar Ocelli in time.

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"Tyler [Gaffalione, on Ocelli] made a good move around the three-eighths pole, and I had to wait," Ortiz said. "He got the jump on me. I had to go around him, and luckily I had the horse." 

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:51.18. 

Behind Ocelli - who picked up his third career graded stakes placing - it was 3 1/4 lengths to Trendsetter, with Desert Gate another 1 3/4 lengths back in fourth. They were followed by Chad Allan, Bull by the Horns, Albus, Robusta, and Jupiter. Last-out maiden winner Zihnal was the only scratch. 

Chip Honcho, by Connect, kept good company all winter at Fair Grounds, winning the Gun Runner, finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Lecomte, second in the Grade 2 Risen Star, and fifth in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. Golden Tempo won the Lecomte and was third in both the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby before going on to win the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. 

Ortiz, the regular rider for Golden Tempo, was thus familiar with Chip Honcho's body of work before picking up the mount for the Preakness Stakes. Saturday, they made a winning team. 

"He always runs good," Ortiz said. "He's a hard knocker. He always tries."

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