Esplanande delivers powerhouse performance in Diana on Best of Ohio card

Reigning Ohio horse of the year Espanalnde served notice that she is ready to be a force again this summer, delivering a powerhouse performance for a 12 1/2-length victory in the $100,000 Diana Stakes on Friday evening at Thistledown.

The Diana was the finale of Friday's card, which featured five $100,000 stakes for Ohio-breds grouped together as a showcase under the "Best of Ohio" moniker. The stakes were all run on a sloppy track after heavy rain fell in the area.

Esplanande ($2.80), sent away as the heavy favorite under Santiago Gonzalez, was in position to use her early speed breaking from the rail in the field of 11, and had established a 1 1/2-length lead through a sharp opening quarter in 21.87 seconds. She continued to widen her advantage around the turn and led by four at the top of the lane, through the half in 45.25, and was never threatened from there. The only 3-year-old in the field of fillies and mares, she stopped the clock in 1:10.58 for the six furlongs.

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Drillit, who was last at the break, steadily made up ground to be second by three-quarters of a length over Valley of Mo'ara.

Esplanande, by Daredevil, was bred by trainer Tim Hamm’s Blazing Meadows Farm and WinStar Farm, and races for those entities in partnership with Michael Lewis. After winning her first three starts in her native Ohio last year, including the Hoover Stakes and the Cleveland Kindergarten against statebred males, she shipped to Saratoga and finished second in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes to eventual Eclipse Award champion Vequist. The filly returned off a layoff of more than six months to finish second in both the Southern Park Stakes and the Howard B. Noonan Stakes to open this season. She got back in the win column in an April allowance race at Thistledown, leading throughout and widening down the stretch to win by 13 1/4 lengths.

With Esplanande facing older females in the Diana, the path was clear for her Hamm-trained and co-owned stablemate Alexandria to headline the Norm Barron Queen City Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on the card. Alexandria, with Gonzalez in the irons as well, drew clear to win by 10 3/4 lengths to give her connections a double on the card.

Alexandria ($2.80) won three stakes last year, including the John Galbreath Memorial for fillies on last fall's season-ending Best of Ohio showcase, which typically determines many statebred champions; her stablemate's Grade 1 placing tipped the scales, however. Alexandria herself had finished third in the Grade 3 Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Finishing second in the Queen City Oaks was Shez Shacked Up, who had also been second in the Galbreath Memorial.

Elsewhere on the card:

* Altissimo got revenge on Chief Randel by holding him at bay through the lane for a 1 1/4-length victory in the Babst/Palacios Memorial Stakes for older sprinters. Altissimo ($12.20), who had Ronald Allen Jr. in the irons for trainer Richard Zielinski, had been Ohio's horse of the year in both 2018 and 2019, winning the Best of Ohio Sprint both seasons. However, he finished ninth in his defense of that victory last year, with Chief Randel winning to snatch outstanding sprinter honors from him.

* Buckeye Magic broke poorly and was last of 10 3-year-olds early in the Green Carpet Stakes, which was rained off the turf. The Tom Drury Jr. trainee made a strong rally late under John McKee for a 1 1/2-length victory. Buckeye Magic ($4.60) was last year's Ohio-bred champion 2-year-old male after winning the Juvenile on the Best of Ohio program.

* Wicked Warrior ($5.80), with Ricardo Feliciano in the irons for his father Benny Feliciano, rolled by 10 1/4 lengths in the Sydney Gendelman Stakes, which was also taken off the turf, and was run in heavy rain that impacted visibility. Two-time Best of Ohio Marathon winner Forewarned was second by a head over statebred champion Mobil Solution. Two-time statebred horse of the year Mo Dont No never threatened while finishing sixth.