Whiskey Ticket, Divining Rod square off in lucrative Ohio Derby

The Ohio Derby lost its Grade 3 status in 2014, but its $500,000 purse is certainly far better than the prize money connected with most listed stakes. The chance for a huge payday without having to face American Pharoah has lured nine 3-year-olds to suburban Cleveland, including six who ran in at least one leg of the Triple Crown series.

The 81st running of the Ohio Derby on Saturday at ThistleDown pits Whiskey Ticket, unbeaten in two starts for trainer Bob Baffert, against Divining Rod, who’s a neck shy of being a two-time Grade 3 winner this season. The 1 1/16-mile stakes goes as race 8 on a nine-race card with a post time of 5:15 p.m. Eastern.

With thunderstorms in the forecast, there is a distinct possibility that the race will be run on a wet track.

Whiskey Ticket did not make his career debut until March 19, when he got up by a head at odds of nearly 15-1 in a maiden race at Santa Anita. He jumped right into graded stakes company and came from fourth to get up by a nose in the Grade 3 Illinois Derby on April 18. A son of Ghostzapper, Whiskey Ticket has had six five-furlong workouts at Churchill Downs since May 5 to prepare for the Ohio Derby.

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Following his most recent breeze from the gate in 1:01.60 last Saturday, jockey Victor Espinoza said, “He looks very good, and he’s ready for the next step.”

Divining Rod led most of the way in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs before falling short by a neck at 28-1. Two starts later, he won the Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland by three lengths. He was second to American Pharoah at the stretch call of the Preakness before fading to third under his first-time rider, Javier Castellano.“Javier rode him to win the race, going after American Pharoah on the turn,” trainer Arnaud Delacour said. “He may have paid the price at the end. I think it is realistic that if he had been more patient, that we could have finished second. He was a little tired following the race. It is possible he has a little distance limitation. I am very comfortable going back to a mile and a sixteenth in the Ohio Derby.”

Among the others, Far Right makes his first start since racing far back while finishing 15th in the Kentucky Derby. A deep closer, he won the Smarty Jones Stakes and Grade 3 Southwest at Oaklawn before finishing a distant second to American Pharoah in the Arkansas Derby.

War Story and Tencendur, 16th and 17th in the Kentucky Derby, get equipment changes for their first starts since then. War Story, second or third in three straight graded races at Fair Grounds during the winter, puts blinkers back on after a one-race experiment without them. Tencendur, who owns the best career Beyer Speed Figure in the Ohio Derby field with his 100 for a runner-up performance in the Wood Memorial, will race without blinkers for the first time since February.

KEY CONTENDERS

Whiskey Ticket (Beyers: 95-91)

◗ He has had plenty of time to rejuvenate from his hard effort in the Illinois Derby. Some might view it as a negative sign that Baffert does not plan to travel to Cleveland for the race. If conditions are muddy or sloppy, Whiskey Ticket owns the best Tomlinson wet-track rating (443).

Divining Rod (Last 3 Beyers: 90-98-85)

◗ He has never been worse than third in six lifetime starts. He will be reunited with Julien Leparoux, who was aboard for the colt’s career-best effort in the Lexington.

Tencendur (Last 3 Beyers: 54-100-82)

◗ He has had two very sharp five-furlong workouts since May 30 at Belmont. He is dangerous if he can duplicate the form he displayed while finishing second to Frosted in the 1 1/8-mile Wood.

Far Right (Last 3 Beyers: 82-92-91)

◗ He needs a hot pace to set up his closing kick.

◗ He gets a rider switch from Mike Smith to Ricardo Santana Jr.

– additional reporting by Jim Dunleavy