Flameaway to target Ohio Derby rather than Queen's Plate

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Ontario-bred 3-year-old Flameaway, who finished 13th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 5, will not run in the $1 million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine on June 30, and will instead be pointed to the Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby on June 23 at Thistledown, trainer Mark Casse said.

“After much discussion with Mr. Oxley, at this point in time Flameaway is not going to pursue the Queen’s Plate,” Casse said, referring to owner John Oxley. “If all goes as planned, he’s going to go to the Ohio Derby, which then is too close to the Queen’s Plate.”

The Ohio Derby will be run over 1 1/8 miles on dirt, while the Queen’s Plate will be run over 1 1/4 miles on Tapeta.

Flameaway was up close to the quick pace in the Kentucky Derby, but faded in the stretch to finish 13th. Casse said he felt the rainy weather and sloppy track conditions made it difficult to interpret Flameaway’s performance.

“Unfortunately, he didn’t have a whole lot of luck,” he said. “The weather was just so bad it’s hard to make heads or tails of anything from that day.”

Flameaway had qualified for the Kentucky Derby with a win in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, and runner-up finishes in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby and Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.