ThistleDown: Governor's Buckeye lures well-matched group of 10
A field of 10 older Ohio-breds will contest the 66th running of the 1 1/4-mile Governor’s Buckeye Stakes on Sunday at ThistleDown.
It is a well-matched group, with defending champion Bold Captain listed at 8-1 on the track’s morning line.
Governor’s Buckeye, Race 7
KEY CONTENDERS
Silver Tongued (Last 3 Beyers: 67-56-58)
* Finished second in this race last year and appears to be in top form. Exits a second-place finish at Belterra Park in a one-mile stat bred allowance race. Trained by Jeff Greeenhill, Silver Tongued was Ohio 2-year-old colt of the year in 2012.
* Will be ridden by Albin Jimenez, that jockey/trainer combo has won at 26 percent the past two years
*Has 2 wins and a second in 5 races locally.
Fuzzy Dee Jay (Last 3 Beyers: 69-70-62)
*Has a three-race win streak for trainer Doug Cowans and is undefeated this year.
*Tomlinson rating of 185 for the distance suggests 10 furlongs may be beyond his scope
*Will be ridden by Rodney Prescott and that jockey/trainer combo is winning at a 43 percent clip the past two years
Stormin Larry (Last 3 Beyers: 71-67-69)
*Has finished first in four straight races by a combined margin of nearly 30 lengths but was disqualified in one of those. He sports a Tomlinson of 355 at this distance, suggesting 10 furlongs should be no problem. He is trained by Shane Meyers, who is winning at a 34 percent clip locally this year.