Winners scarce in Miss Ohio Stakes

There are 15 Ohio-bred 2-year-old fillies entered in Saturday’s $75,000 Miss Ohio Stakes at ThistleDown. Only four have won a race.

The field for the 5 1/2-furlong race contains five first-time starters and two others making just their second start.

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Among those who have a victory, the two most intriguing are Flashy G, who ships up from Texas for trainer Bret Calhoun, and Purple Flowers, who improved dramatically when she faced Ohio-breds for the first time last month at Belterra Park in Cincinnati.

Flashy G won her career debut against open company at Lone Star, albeit with a low 37 Beyer Speed Figure, and then finished third in a restricted stakes. She will be the first horse Calhoun has run at ThistleDown in the last five years.

Purple Flowers, dropping in class after two failures against open company at Churchill Downs, relished the sloppy track she caught June 19 and romped by 5 3/4 lengths.

High-percentage trainer Joe Woodard sends out Buffalo Gal for her second start off a $40,000 claim at Churchill. She faded to fourth as the 2-5 favorite in her first attempt against Ohio-breds three weeks ago but may improve while making the second start of her form cycle.

Orientate to Luv adds Lasix and returns to the statebred ranks, where she was third in her career debut. She is trained by Tim Hamm.

Ohio Gold worked a bullet half-mile in 47.80 seconds two weeks ago in preparation for her career debut. Her trainer, Sandra Atkins, is 3 for 11 with 2-year-old first-time starters.

Ibelieveinmiracles got up by a neck to win her career debut earlier this month locally but regressed when she caught a sloppy track in the Hoover at Belterra.