54 Entered in Best of Ohio Series

With record purses of $750,000 for five stakes restricted to Ohio-breds, the Best of Ohio series attracted 54 entries for its Oct. 10 renewal at ThistleDown Racino.



"We're honored to host the Best of Ohio series once again and to provide its largest purse payout to date," said Patrick Ellsworth, racing secretary at ThistleDown. "The number and the quality of entries this year shows that Thoroughbred breeding in Ohio has made tremendous strides and continues to grow." 



Each of the five stakes will carry a $150,000 purse. Post time for the first race of the day is 12:55 p.m. EDT.

The races and conditions:

— Best of Ohio Distaff, 1 1/8 miles, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares

— Best of Ohio Endurance, 1 1/4 miles, 3-year-olds and up

— Best of Ohio Sprint, 6 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up

— Juvenile Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, 2-year-olds

— John W. Galbreath Memorial Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, 2-year-old fillies

Topping the Endurance field is eight-time stakes winner Jac's Fact, a hard-kocking campaigner who has five wins and five placings from 12 starts this year, following a 2014 season in which the Kentucky Dane colt won seven of 11 outings, with two placings.

Trained by Ivan Vazquez for owner/breeder Raymond Donald, the $448,926 earner comes into the Best of Ohio series off triumphs as the favorite in the Governor's Buckeye Cup Stakes and Catlaunch Stakes, both at ThistleDown.

Also returning from the Governor's Cup are runner-up Silver Tongued and Dubacious. The latter set the pace before succumbing to Jac's Fact late in the 1 1/4-mile stake.

The Distaff is led by Bruce Ryan and Blazing Meadows Farm homebred Needmore Flattery, a 4-year-old daughter of Flatter   who has 15 wins and five placings from 25 starts, with $568,370 in earnings. With 13 stakes victories to her credit, the filly is riding a four-race win streak, including three straight stakes, for trainer Tim Hamm.

Rivers Run Deep is seeking his second consecutive Sprint, as the 4-year-old son of Ready's Image   trained by Chris Hartman has been one of the most accomplished sprinters in the Buckeye Stakes over the last two seasons. Owned by James L. and Ywachetta H. Driver, Rivers Run Deep has compiled a 9-7-3 record in 22 starts and earned $499,450.