Ohio Horses of the Year Significant Bling, Needmore Flattery meet in Mackey Memorial

Trainer Tim Hamm once again seems to be holding all of the high cards when he sends out a trio of Ohio-bred fillies, including the two most recent Ohio Horses of the Year, in the $50,000 Michael G. Mackey Memorial at ThistleDown on Saturday.

Significant Bling would seem to be Hamm’s best bet for a victory in the six-furlong race for Ohio-registered fillies and mares. The 2012 Ohio Horse of the Year and champion 2-year-old filly looks to be back in her old form off a win in the allowance prep for the $100,000 Satin and Lace at Presque Isle Downs on May 18. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 84 in that race, her second outing this year. That is the second-highest career Beyer in the field, with only multiple Ohio champion Pay the Man achieving a higher number (92). Significant Bling won all four outings in her 2-year-old season, concluding it with a win in the Mountaineer Juvenile Fillies. She won only one start as a 3-year-old last season, the Royal North at Beulah Park. Significant Bling is cross-entered in the Satin and Lace on Sunday at Presque Isle.

Hamm also sends out 2013 Ohio Horse of the Year and champion 2-year-old filly Needmore Flattery. She has won 3 of 4 starts both locally and at the six-furlong distance. Blazing Bling, who has won 4 of 10 starts over the ThistleDown racing strip, rounds out the Hamm trio. Irwin Rosendo was named to ride all three at entry time.

Crafty Blue Kat will attempt to remain perfect this year after winning her first two starts of the season. Trained by Sandra Adkins, the 3-year-old filly won an entry-level statebred allowance race April 25 and then a conditioned allowance May 18 by 8 1/2 lengths. Both races were at ThistleDown.

Twelve fillies and mares, including Hamm’s three-horse entry, are scheduled to go to the post in the Mackey Memorial, which has a post time of 3:55 p.m. Eastern as race 7 on the nine-race card.