Two Phil’s with a commanding win in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby. (Photo by Dale Dengerd)
Chilean-bred Le Da Vida takes the Lady Jacqueline
UPDATE: Two Phil’s possibly out for season with injury
Weekend Wrapup by Maribeth Kalinich
UPDATED 6 25 2023 9:32 PM
It was Ohio Derby Day at JACKThistledown Racino with 12 races on the card including four stakes on the Grade 3 $500,000 Ohio Derby undercard–the $75,000 Daniel Stearns Cleveland Gold Cup, the $75,000 George Lewis Memorial, the $250,000 Lady Jacqueline (L).
In the marquee event, it was Larry Rivelli’s Two Phil’s who stole the spotlight with a commanding 5-3/4 length victory over Bishops Bay for owner Patricia’s Hope LLC, Phillip Sagan and Madaket Stables LLC.
Off at a mile and an eighth, Henry Q under Kendrick Carmouche took the lead hustling the pace to a first quarter of 22.62 with Bishops Bay, Florent Geroux up, and Two Phil’s, pilot by Gerardo Corrales, fast on his heels.
Agnello’s Dream was three and a half lengths back off the leaders with Lord Miles, Last Cookie, Timesatappin just behind and Hayes Strike trailing.
Coming to a 47.42 half mile Agnello’s Dream slid by Two Phil’s into third briefly with Henry Q still in the lead, Bishops Bay stalking in second. All other positions remained unchanged.
Coming around the turn heading for the stretch Two Phils rallied three wide to take the lead and just was too good for the rest of the field completing the distance in 1:49.60.
The Ohio Derby record is held by Smarten at 1:47.40 on June 17, 1979.
Staying in second from the break Brad Cox trained Bishops Bay finished seven lengths ahead of Hayes Strike who had rallied from eighth under Cristian Torres for third place. Lord Miles with Edgard Zayas up move up for fourth place.
Pace setter Henry Q who had led until the quarter pole faded to fifth.
Timestapin, Agnello’s Dream and Last Cookie complete the order of finish.
Two Phil’s paid $3.20 for the win, 2.10 and 2.10. Bishops Bay paid $2.40 and $2.10 while Hayes Strike paid $3.00 for show.
Bred by co-owner Phillip Sagan in Kentucky, Two Phil’s is by Hard soul out of General Quarters mare Mia Torri.
Second in the Kentucky Derby (G1) in May, Two Phil’s has won the Shakopee juvenile at Canterbury Park earning Black Type. The chestnut colt earned his first graded stakes at Churchill Downs in October in the Game 3 Street Sense followed by a second in the Grade 3 Lecomte, third in the Risen Star, both at the Fair Grounds, and a win in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park.
With 10 career starts, five in 2023, the 3-year-old colt has five wins, two seconds and one third with career earnings of $1,388,000.
With Two Phil’s’ regular rider Jareth Loveberry suffering an injury, trainer Larry Rivelli had to make a jockey change to Gerardo Corrales the day before the race.
UPDATE: Sadly, Two Phil’s came out of the race with an injury that likely will require surgery, Marcus Hersh reported on Sunday in Daily Racing Form (DFR)
Trainer Larry Rivelli reported on Sunday morning that a problem was detected in the 3-year-old colt’s right front ankle. Vanned from Thistledown 325 miles to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., the Hard Spun colt will be evaluated by Dr. Larry Bramlage.
“It probably puts him out for the rest of the year,” Rivelli told DRF’s Hersh. “He doesn’t owe us anything. In my experience, they aren’t usually the same horse after something like this. We don’t know the extent of it all yet. The amount of time off he’ll need still is to be determined.”
Fair and Square Gate-to-Wire in Cleveland Gold Cup
Tim Hamm trainee Fair and Square took the first stakes on the day before the $75,000 Daniel Stearns Cleveland Gold Cup gate-to-wire, a race for 3-year-old Ohio-breds.
Under Jeffrey Sanchez, Fair and Square broke cleanly and was nicely rate as K Kid stalked in second with guided by Erik Barbaran and Paint the Town under Angel Diaz a head back.
Trojan Tale with Ferrin Peterson up broke four but move up with the leader at the 23.82 first quarter.
Need to Know Basis, Hey Eugene, Returnoninvestment and Red Comet were all close behind the leaders with heads, half and lengths separating the file at the 49.08 slow half mile.
With the leaders unchanged, Returnoninvestment guided by Yan Aviles rallied from seventh to third. Fair and Square drawing off 4-1/4 lengths from Trojan Tale for the win in a final time of 1:52.86.
Need to Know Basis, Hey Eugene, K Kid, Red Comet and Paint the Town complete the order of finish.
Fair and Square, a homebred for WinStar Farm LLC and Blazing Meadows Farm LLC, is by Super Saver out of Drosselmeyer mare Marathon.
Fair and Square paid $8.00 to win, 4.20 and 3.20. Trojan Tale paid $4.40 and 3.60 and Returnoninvestment returned a nice $7.40 for show.
The chestnut gelding is coming off a second-place finish June 2 in the Best of Ohio Green Carpet Stakes after a third in the Daryl E. Parker Memorial Tall Stack Stakes May 5, both at Belterra Park.
Prior to that, Fair and Square had won three in a row including breaking his maiden on his second start followed by two stakes wins in the Hoover at Belterra earning Black type and the Best of Ohio Cleveland Kindergarten at Thistledown.
With seven career starts, three this year, Fair and Square has four wins, one second and two thirds with career earnings of $204,540.
Romantic Cowboy Swoons in Lewis Memorial
Romantic Cowboy had a perfect trip to victory in the $75,000 George Lewis Memoral Stakes, another race for Ohio-breds, 3-years-old and up, on the card.
With a shaky break in sixth, Romantic Cowboy quickly moved into second under Luis Batista behind Shanghai Prince and Hector Rosario, Jr., adjusting from breaking fourth. Dr. Zarnett under Edgard Zayas who had jumped on the break settled into third.
Keeping pace with a mediocre pace of 23.62 and 48.80 at the half mile positions changed at Romantic Cowboy, trained by James McDonald, took over the lead at the 3/4-mile mark with Dr. Zarnett moved into second and Shanghai Prince slipped to third, Big Truck with Guillermo Rodriguez up pulling up to fourth ahead of Firsthand Justice with T. Houghton.
It would be Romantic Cowboy by 3-1/2 lengths over Dr. Zarnett followed by Big Truck and Firsthand Justice missing third by a neck. Shanghai Prince fell back to sixth.
Venture On finished fifth by a nose. Relish the Ride and Mobil Solution complete the order of finish. The final time was 1:46.64 for the 1-1/16 miles on dirt.
Romantic Cowboy paid a sweet $10.80 for the win with $6.80 and 3.40. Dr. Zarnett paid nicely at $10.20 and 4/60 with Big Truck giving a little at $2.40.
A bay by Cowtown Cat our of Louis Quatorze mare Lover, Romantic Cowboy is owned by trainer McDonald and Authentic Racing LLC.
The 7-year-old gelding has 23 career starts with five wins, two second and five third places earning $171,366.
Chilean-bred Le Da Vida bests favored Interstatedaydream in Lady Jacqueline Stakes
Ignacio Correas IV trained Chilean-bred Le Da Vida rallied to beat favored Interstatedaydream in the $250,000 Lady Jacqueline Stakes.
Hector Barrios and Maliced broke to the lead in the 1-1/8-mile contest with Red Hot Lass piloted by Erik Barbaran taking over at the 23.08 quarter by a head.
Sixtythreecaliber followed the pace in third with Gray Royalty, La Da Vida and Candy Island close behind. Misty Veil, Soul of an Angel and Market Success were all in tight contention.
Vincent Cheminaud and Le Da Vida made their move at the top of the stretch passing leaders Red Hot Lass, favorite 2022 Black-Eyed Susan winner Interstatedaydream and Sixtythreecaliber.
Drawing away the Chilean mare took top honors by 3-1/4 lengths with the aforementioned competitors finishing second through fourth, respectively.
Soul of an Angel, Market Success, Maliced, Candy Island and Gray Royalty complete the field. Final time was 1:50.02.
Candelight Hours and Secret Fix were both scratched by their trainers.
La Da Vida paid $7.20, 2.60 and 2.10 for the win. Interstatedaydream paid $2.40 and 2.10 with Sixtythreecaliber returning $2.20 for show.
Owned by Masavia Inc., Le Da Vida was bred by Haras Santa Olga and is by Gemologist out of Gstaad mare Viene Cantando (CHI).
With 21 career starts, the 6-year-old bay has eight wins with three seconds and five thirds collecting $407,734 in career earnings.
