Owendale battles to narrow victory in Ohio Derby

With nearly half the calendar, including the 2019 Triple Crown, in the books, the 3-year-old male division lacks a clear leader. Classic-placed Owendale showed signs that he could be continuing to develop into a force for the second half of the season as he turned in another solid effort for the win in Saturday’s Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown.

Owendale ($3.40), who is trained by Brad Cox for Rupp Racing, made his graded stakes debut in February, finishing an inauspicious eighth in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes. Following a brief freshening, he has returned to be a consistent player. The Into Mischief colt won the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes in April at Keeneland. Five weeks later, he finished a creditable third in the Preakness Stakes, 1 1/4 lengths behind the victorious War of Will and nipped just a nose by Everfast for second. Cox, who had already learned the importance of patience with Owendale, resisted the temptation to press on to the Belmont Stakes three weeks later, instead opting to continue training the colt toward other summer targets.

“I don’t really know about the Risen Star except maybe we pressed on him a little,” Cox said prior to the Ohio Derby. “He had two really good races [at Fair Grounds] and then wheeled right back to the Risen Star. Looking back, he was a little light, his weight wasn’t quite where we’d want him to be, and I think we were chasing that Derby dream. It didn’t work out, so we brought him back to Churchill, hit the reset button and slowed down. I thought about the Blue Grass, but decided on the Lexington. That set him up well for a shot at the Preakness. We thought about the Belmont, but decided the mile and a half and the three weeks wouldn’t work for him.”

Favored Owendale was away unhurried under regular rider Florent Geroux, racing last of six early in the Ohio Derby as longshot Dare Day established command through a snappy opening quarter of 22.66 seconds on the track rated fast. He slowed it down a bit and extended his lead to 2 1/2 lengths through the half in 47.67 seconds. The pace remained moderate down the backstretch, with Dare Day getting six furlongs in 1:12.80, but the field began to reel the longshot leader in. The stakes-seasoned Math Wizard, who had finished fourth in both the Grade 3 Wood Memorial and the Oaklawn Invitational, made his bid to range up into second, poking a head in front of the stalking Bethlehem Road. Owendale was still fifth at that point, but Geroux rallied him through the pack, splitting foes near the quarter pole to move into contention.

Math Wizard and Edgard Zayas assumed the lead into the stretch, but Owendale came gamely along his inside to come to even terms. The two separated themselves from the rest of the field as they battled down the lane, with Owendale up by a half-length at the wire. The final time for the nine furlongs was 1:50.88.

It was 9 1/4 lengths back to Grade 2 winner Long Range Toddy, sent away as the second choice in his first start since his troubled trip in the Kentucky Derby. It was another 13 3/4 lengths back to Bethlehem Road, who suffered his first defeat in four career starts, with longshots Dare Day and Going for Gold bringing up the rear in the strung-out field.