Two Ohio-bred turf stakes on tap at Belterra

Belterra Park has carded co-features on the turf Friday that nearly bookend the card, with the $75,000 Tomboy Stakes, for Ohio-bred 3-year-old fillies on the turf, the opener, and the $75,000 Buckeye Native, for Ohio-accredited 3-year-olds and up on the grass, the seventh of eight races.

The program is now set to begin at 11:15 a.m. – with first post moved up more than an hour in an attempt to run the card before the worst of the heat sets in for the day. As a heat wave continues to blanket the region, a number of tracks have adjusted their post times or even canceled their cards out of caution. As of Wednesday morning, Belterra was still scheduled to run Friday.

The horses in the Buckeye Native may be more experienced and accomplished at this stage of their careers, but the Tomboy may be the more interesting handicapping puzzle. In a field of nine entrants – which includes a three-pronged coupled entry sharing some common ownership from trainer Robert Gorham – only two have previously run on turf, and only two have previously run at this 1 1/16-mile distance.

Gorham’s Miz Keeta checks both boxes. The filly is coming off a victory in the Cincinnatian Stakes at this trip June 28, when she sat a perfect stalking trip, then kicked clear by 2 3/4 lengths. However, considering that she had made her prior two starts in claiming company, she is a lukewarm 4-1 on the morning line. She leads the entry that also includes Work’n On a Buzz, who was second in the Queen City Oaks at 1 1/16 miles on dirt, and Nublada, who has not won since earlier this year.

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Here’s the Spider won the Queen City Oaks, her second career stakes score at 1 1/16 miles on dirt. She made her turf debut for Ed Fernandez last time out, finishing third against older horses in an allowance race, also at 1 1/16 miles.

The morning-line favorite at 9-5 is Practicallyelusive, on the basis of a recent win streak and having the best speed figures in the field. She will, however, have to answer the distance and surface question. A stakes winner sprinting on dirt in Ohio last year, she did finish third against open company in the Presque Isle Downs Debutante at six furlongs on Tapeta, and then was a pace-pressing third in the Best of Ohio John Galbreath Memorial at 1 1/16 miles on dirt.

This year, Practicallyelusive has won three straight races against older Ohio-breds at six furlongs on dirt for David Wolochuk. Most recently, that streak includes a 9 3/4-length score with a Beyer Speed Figure of 75 – her third career number greater than 70, and easily the best in this field. Here’s the Spider ran a 67 finishing fourth in an allowance at Churchill Downs.

A full field of 14 for the Buckeye Native later in the day is led by Kelleher, May Mayhem, and Villian, who swept the trifecta in the Horizon Stakes on July 19 on the Belterra course at this 1 1/16-mile distance. That was the only loss in the last four starts for Villian, trained by Tim Hamm.

Dr. Zarnett, First Song, Excitement, and Big Truck, all regulars on the Ohio stakes circuit, were first through fourth in the 2023 edition of the Buckeye Native.

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