Needmore Flattery tries to rebound in Petro Memorial

One horse who hasn’t won going two turns since last August and another who hasn’t raced at all in 11 months could play prominent roles in Saturday’s $75,000 J. William Petro Memorial Handicap for Ohio-bred fillies and mares at ThistleDown.

Needmore Flattery, stretching out after back-to-back losses to begin her 2015 campaign, will seek to regain the form that saw her win six stakes and capture her second straight Ohio-bred horse of the year title in 2014. Her last victory going long came in the Rose DeBartolo Memorial on Aug. 31.

Deniro’s Saint, who upset last year’s Petro at 17-1, will be making her first start since winning the George Lewis Memorial last July. She shows three bullet workouts since mid-May in preparation for her 5-year-old debut.

The “now” horse in Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile race is Bold Cait, a 3-year-old filly who will challenge older horses after dominating the off-the-turf Tomboy over a muddy track at Belterra Park in mid-May.

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KEY CONTENDERS

Bold Cait (Last 3 Beyers: 65-72-65)

◗ She looked good crushing fellow 3-year-old fillies in her first try going two turns.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: The bad news is that trainer Eric Reed is just 1 for 22 with last-out winners making their second start in a dirt route and 2 for 17 with all dirt routers making their second attempt going long following a break of 31 to 60 days.

Deniro’s Saint (Last 3 Beyers: 65-68-36)

◗ She won back-to-back stakes going long last summer, then was given the rest of the year off.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: From a limited sampling, trainer Joshua Faulkner is 0 for 5 with dirt route runners back after a break of more than 180 days.

Needmore Flattery (Last 3 Beyers: 65-47-67)

◗ Perhaps more distance is what this filly needs for the third start of her form cycle. The last time that pattern applied, Needmore Flattery won the 2014 Tomboy at Belterra.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Overall, Tim Hamm is just 1 for 9 with horses going from sprints to routes in stakes.

Blazing Bling (Last 3 Beyers: 71-66-57)

◗ Part of a three-horse coupled entry with Needmore Flattery and Startin Something, this 5-year-old will be trying a route for the first time since October 2013. She did win the John W. Galbreath going 1 1/16 miles as a 2-year-old in 2012.

Pyrite Blues (Last 3 Beyers: 66-71-65)

◗ This accomplished sprinter switches distances after failing as the 3-5 favorite in the six-furlong Angenora three weeks ago. She did finish a neck in front of Needmore Flattery when second in last fall’s Ohio Distaff.