Pleasant Prince noses out Worldly in Ohio Derby

Pleasant Prince out-nodded Worldly in a frantic finish Saturday, taking the 76th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown by a nose.

Nearing the sixteenth pole, Capitol Appeal and Mykindacandy were still clinging desperately to the lead after dueling from the start of the 1 1/16-mile race. But both Pleasant Prince, between horses with Alex Solis aboard, and Worldly, farthest outside with Luis Gonzalez up, were full of run, and they surged to the front as a team. On the wire, Pleasant Prince had maybe three or four inches on Worldly.

Owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trained by Wesley Ward, Pleasant Prince was coming off an 11th-place finish in the May 15 Preakness. In his top prior effort, the Florida-bred colt was beaten a nose in a similarly thrilling finish in the Florida Derby in March.

Pleasant Prince returned $5.60 as the favorite in a field of 10 3-year-olds. He finished in 1:43.90 over a fast track.

Worldly, the 9-2 fourth choice, finished three-quarters of a length before Capitol Appeal, with Mykindacandy another 1 1/4 lengths back in fourth.

Ken Ramsey was on hand with family members, and five of them led Pleasant Prince into the winner's circle for what is traditionally the biggest Thoroughbred race in the state of Ohio. Ramsey and two teenage grandsons were at Canterbury Park the previous Saturday, where the stable swept the two richest races in the Claiming Crown series.