Romantic Cowboy moves to turf for Buckeye Native Stakes
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After canceling Thursday and Friday’s cards due to excessive heat blanketing the region, Belterra Park will be back in action Saturday with an eight-race card that begins at 12:05 p.m. The competition will be as hot as the weather when the track hosts a pair of turf stakes that have drawn full fields.
Romantic Cowboy comes into the $75,000 Buckeye Native for Ohio-accredited older horses off a win against a competitive field in the George Lewis Memorial on June 24 at Thistledown. Dr. Zarnett was second and Big Truck was third; Romantic Cowboy faces both again Saturday. However, the George Lewis was on dirt, and Romantic Cowboy has never raced on turf.
Big Truck is the morning-line favorite for the Buckeye Native due to a strong effort in his only turf start. The three-time stakes winner was second by a neck in last year’s Buckeye Native.
While the older campaigners in the Buckeye Native have limited turf experience, several in the $75,000 Tomboy for Ohio-bred 3-year-old fillies have already run well on the surface, setting up a competitive showdown. Factisimflashy is coming off a win on this course in the Cincinnatian Stakes on June 30, with Tomboy foes Canela Fina second and Better Half third.
Back to Ohio won three stakes races last year, including the Best of Ohio John W. Galbreath Memorial on the state’s fall showcase program. Although she has never run on turf, she has won two outings on the Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs. She won her first start of the season in July, and is likely to be better-primed for her second start off the layoff.
Buckeye Belle is making her stakes debut after winning her first two starts, both on the Belterra turf.
Loveberry back in action
Jareth Loveberry, who went to the sidelines after sustaining a partially torn pectoral muscle and fractures to his scapula when riding June 21 at Canterbury Park, returned to action this week and will be at Belterra Park on Saturday for four mounts, including both stakes.
Loveberry was scheduled to ride at Hawthorne and Presque Isle on Wednesday, and Hawthorne on Thursday. On Saturday, he has the call on Back to Ohio in the Tomboy and Dr. Zarnett in the Buckeye Native.
Back to Ohio is trained by Larry Rivelli, for whom Loveberry rode in his first Kentucky Derby this year, finishing a strong second on multiple graded stakes winner Two Phil’s.
◗ Big Truck is among four mounts Saturday for Perry Ouzts, on a roll after recently passing a major milestone. Ouzts, 69, rode Lanalikeschoochoos to a win on Aug. 15 at Belterra that made him North America’s fifth-leading rider all-time, surpassing David Gall – who retired in 1999 with 7,396 wins and died in 2021 at age 79 – on the wins list. Ouzts proceeded to ride three winners the following day, and picked up his most recent win on Aug. 18. With no racing at Belterra on Thursday or Friday, his career total stands at 7,401 wins.
◗ Belterra Park announced that Thursday’s heat-canceled card would be moved to Tuesday. First post for the eight-race card, which was not re-drawn, is 12:05 p.m.
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