East Hall needed every inch of the ThistleDown stretch Saturday afternoon to win the $300,000 Ohio Derby. Trained by Bill Kaplan, East Hall was kept back off the early pace set by the favorites Almost Famous and Jessica’s Star in the 1 1/16-mile race. Inside the sixteenth pole, Jessica’s Star forged to the lead and began to draw off under jockey David Mello. East Hall closed with a rush late and was all out to get up in the final strides in a furious finish. Jessica’s Star finished second, and Almost Famous settled for third. The track was labeled as wet fast but was nearly sloppy as rain was falling before, during, and after the race. The running time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:44.20, and East Hall returned $20.00 to win. Deniro’s Saint came from off the pace to win the George Lewis Memorial on the Ohio Derby undercard. Trained by Joshua Faulkner, Deniro’s Saint was the lone filly in the field of Ohio-accredited older horses. Ridden by Luis Gonzalez, Deniro’s Saint rallied into the stretch and drew off to win by 2 1/4 lengths. Raise the Reward was second, a half-length in front of Key Low in third. The running time for the 1 1/8 miles over a wet fast track was 1:53.58, and Deniro’s Saint returned $5.20 to win.