Ohio Derby Lures Tawny Port, White Abarrio

Three familiar faces from the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) resurface for the first time since that 20-horse throwdown in the July 25 $500,000 Ohio Derby (G3) at Thistledown. 

Favoritism in this battle of the beaten Derby contenders falls upon Peachtree Stable's Tawny Port , who performed admirably in the Run for the Roses to finish seventh, only 4 3/4 lengths behind victorious Rich Strike . 

Prior to the Derby, the Brad Cox trainee silenced the naysayers' quips that he was merely a Polytrack wonder with a late-running score in the April 16 Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. The son of Pioneerof the Nile , a $430,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, had previously won his first starts at Turfway Park in addition to running second to Tiz the Bomb  in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) on the synthetic course. Sandwiched in between was a dull fifth-place effort on the dirt in the Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. 

Irad Ortiz Jr., fresh off his riding escapades at Royal Ascot, has the mount on Tawny Port for the first time in the Ohio Derby. 

If fellow Derby dropouts White Abarrio  and Classic Causeway  revert back to their front-running styles, Tawny Port should have plenty of pace to run at on Saturday. 

C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio, wide throughout without ever getting to within five lengths of his customary forward position early on, retreated to finish 16th in the Derby. Prior to the race, the Race Day  colt entered off two impressive back-to-back tallies at Gulfstream Park in the Holy Bull (G3) and Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1). 

Shipped back to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.'s Gulfstream homebase, White Abarrio returned to the work tab May 29 after a three week freshening post-Derby. 

"We're ready to bring him back," said Joseph after the colt breezed a maintenance-style half-mile in :50 2/5 last Sunday. "Obviously, the Derby wasn't the race we wanted, but we move forward. Hopefully, he bounces back to his best."

The final Derby contender, Kentucky West Racing and Clarke Cooper's Classic Causeway, lost all chance when breaking a step slowly from the gates. Like in the Florida Derby, the Giant's Causeway  colt was never a factor. A bonified front-runner, the connections of the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner are hoping a barn (Brian Lynch to Kenny McPeek) and rider change (Julien Leparoux to Brian Hernandez Jr.) will be the key to success after his last two poor performances. 

Ethereal Road  will forever be known as the horse that scratched on the last hour Derby eve and provided Rich Strike—number 21 on the AE list—a coveted slot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. 

The D. Wayne Lukas trainee, second in the Feb. 26 Rebel Stakes (G2) and fourth in the Lexington opted for the Sir Barton Stakes Sponsored by Brandon and Diannah Perry to Benefit The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on the Preakness undercard instead, which resulted in a facile 4 3/4-length victory for the son of Quality Road  . Owned by Julie Gilbert and Aaron Sones, the Sir Barton appeared to be just the sort of confidence builder Ethereal Road needed before diving into graded waters again. 

The improving colt should be another, like Tawny Port, who should take advantage of a quick pace up front should a duel ensue between White Abarrio, Classic Causeway, and the Mike Maker-trained New York shipper Pineapple Man .

Barese , a stakes winner against New York-breds also trained by Maker, and recent Matt Winn Stakes (G3) fourth Droppin G's  complete the field for the 1 1/8-mile Ohio Derby.

Entries: Ohio Derby (G3)

Thistledown, Saturday, June 25, 2022, Race 11

• Grade III
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $500,000
• 3 yo
• 5:35 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Barese (NY)	Kendrick Carmouche	126	Michael J. Maker	9/2
2	2Brigadier General (KY)	Reylu Gutierrez	126	Dallas Stewart	12/1
3	3Droppin G's (KY)	Malcolm Franklin	126	Jerry Antonuik	8/1
4	4Ethereal Road (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	126	D. Wayne Lukas	4/1
5	5White Abarrio (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	126	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	7/2
6	6Pineapple Man (NY)	T. D. Houghton	126	Michael J. Maker	10/1
7	7Tawny Port (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	126	Brad H. Cox	3/1
8	8Classic Causeway (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	126	Kenneth G. McPeek	6/1