Dougie D Oro, Morestride renew rivalry in Best of Ohio
?q=100)
Dougie D Oro won the 2022 Best of Ohio Babst/Palacios Memorial Stakes and Best of Ohio Honey Jay Stakes, but was thwarted in his bid for a season sweep when Morestride edged him by a neck in the Best of Ohio Sprint on the fall showcase program. The two veterans get a rematch in this year’s Babst/Palacios, part of Friday’s program at Belterra Park.
The Best of Ohio has evolved into a series of showcases throughout the year at all three of the state’s Thoroughbred tracks to promote the Ohio racing and breeding programs. The series kicks off Friday, with five statebred stakes worth $100,000 each at Belterra. Highlights include the rematch between Dougie D Oro, named the 2022 Ohio-bred champion male sprinter, and Morestride in the Babst/Palacios, as well as the season debut of Ohio horse of the year Amadevil in the sister race, the $100,000 Best of Ohio Diana. A similarly structured Best of Ohio card with five stakes is set for Aug. 12 at Thistledown, and the annual fall showcase program will be held Oct. 28 at Mahoning Valley.
Dougie D Oro, owned and trained by Jerry Sparks, had four wins and two seconds from nine starts last year, all with regular rider Ricardo Feliciano in the irons. Those wins included the Babst/Palacios in June and the Best of Ohio Honey Jay in August at Thistledown. The latter was a repeat victory in the race.
In the Best of Ohio Sprint in October at Mahoning, he held a narrow lead in the stretch, but Morestride and regular rider Luis Rivera wore him down in a long drive to prevail by a neck at the wire for owner-trainer Mike Rone. Dougie D Oro got the last laugh on the season, bouncing back for a front-running win in the Cardinal Handicap in November at Mahoning, widening through the stretch to win by 7 1/4 lengths. Multi-time Ohio horse of the year Altissimo was second, while Morestride checked in third.
Morestride opened this season with a May 2 allowance win at Thistledown. A little less than two weeks later, he faced Dougie D Oro in another allowance as Dougie D Oro made his own season debut. Dougie D Oro won by 3 3/4 lengths.
Country Club Bobby, named the champion Ohio-bred 3-year-old male of 2022, is the only other stakes winner in the field for the Babst/Palacios. An intriguing newcomer to the division could be Simon Says, who is drawn on the rail under Perry Ouzts. The front-runner won an allowance by 6 3/4 lengths on May 17 at Belterra and is likely to be leading Friday’s tilt early. Dougie D Oro and Morestride both prefer to be forwardly placed, but have the tactical ability to lay just off a sharp pace.
Amadevil is the defending winner of the Diana. She is the winner of 10 of 12 career starts, including five stakes, for trainer David Wolochuk. The barn sends out another formidable Diana entrant in Midnight in Ohio. She is making her stakes debut after winning her three starts by a combined 20 1/2 lengths.
Three-time stakes winner Tivis, trained by Robert Gorham, is the only Ohio-bred to best Amadevil, overhauling her to win the First Lady Stakes in November 2021 at Mahoning Valley. Amadevil’s only other defeat came when she was last of four in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Handicap last July at Saratoga, a race in which she bled and was vanned off.
Later on the card, Forewarned looks to achieve millionaire status, with earnings of $999,258 entering the $100,000 Best of Ohio Sydney Gendelman for older horses on the turf. Forewarned is a three-time winner of the fall Best of Ohio Endurance – he was second in the 2022 edition – and also is a Grade 3-placed multiple open stakes winner for trainer Uriah St. Lewis. The 8-year-old’s only prior start on turf came in 2018, when he was second in the Green Carpet Stakes at Belterra. A lack of experience on the surface is a commonality for many in this field of 12; only two entrants have previously won on turf, and both are longshots.
A similar scenario is in play for 3-year-olds on the turf in Friday’s renewal of the $100,000 Best of Ohio Green Carpet, as only two of the 11 entrants have previously raced on turf. However, one of those is Hey Eugene, making his first start against his fellow Ohio-breds for Mike Maker. He was second in his debut at Oaklawn Park to Ryvit, who has gone on to become a Grade 3 winner, then was a maiden winner at Oaklawn. In his first start on turf, Hey Eugene was fourth behind multiple stakes winner Eye Witness in the Paradise Creek on May 20 at Belmont.
Another Ohio-bred who has competed outside her home state headlines the $100,000 Best of Ohio Norm Barron Queen City Oaks for 3-year-old fillies. Joe Sharp ships in Sweet Shild O Mine, who was well-beaten in her first two starts at Fair Grounds. Facing statebreds for the first time, she then dominated a maiden special weight by 20 lengths on May 4, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 81. All three of her starts have come at six furlongs; she goes 1 1/16 miles on dirt on Friday.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.