Thistledown Racing Season Opens April 30
Description:
"Return" is the theme of JACK Thistledown's 2018 race meet that opens Monday, April 30, as Thoroughbreds and horsemen come back for live racing and a celebrated racing series makes a stop in Cleveland.
Racing Secretary Patrick Ellsworth will card eight races each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday through Oct. 20. First post each day is 1:40 p.m. ET. The schedule features 20 stakes races for Ohio-breds, including the return of the Best of Ohio Series to the North Randall track Oct. 13. The five stakes that make up the series together offer $750,000 in purses, annually heading Ohio's richest day of racing as the series moves from track to track.
Highlighting the JACK Thistledown meet are the $500,000 Grade 3 Ohio Derby June 23 and the $200,000 Lady Jacqueline Stakes Aug. 18, the latter awarded listed status for 2018 in just its third year on the schedule.
As its 2017 contenders continued to race, the Ohio Derby confirmed the renaissance that began when it regained graded status last year. Runner-up Girvin won the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational in his next start and the winner, Irap, went on to win the Grade 3 Indiana Derby and place in the Travers and the Pennsylvania Derby, both Grade 1. The show horse, Untrapped, won the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby two starts later.
The Lady Jacqueline also has been flattered by last year's contenders. Winner Money'soncharlotte finished second in both the Grade 1 Beldame at Belmont Park and the Grade 2 Chilukki at Churchill Downs in her next two starts. Martini Glass, the 2017 runner-up, was second two starts later in the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster at Keeneland and won the two most recent races of her 5-year-old season, the Grade 3 Royal Delta at Gulfstream and the Grade 2 Azeri at Oaklawn.
Leading Trainers Return; Jockey Seeks Comeback
Cleveland native Gary Johnson, who returned to training last year after nine years away to help raise his granddaughter, began with a handful of horses last spring and will have nearly 60 in his stable this year. Trainer Jeff Radosevich, who has topped the standings for at least 10 Thistledown meets, returns with his powerhouse stable to defend his title.
Jockey Kevin Radke, absent from the saddle since 2008, will again mount a comeback after returning to the races briefly in 2016. Radke, a Cleveland native, began his career at Thistledown in 1998 before moving his tack to the West Coast, where he was the leading rider at both Emerald Downs and Golden Gate. A shattered wrist forced him out of the saddle in 2004 and two years would pass before he returned to riding. Further injury sidelined him again in 2008. After a few mounts in 2016, he returned to riding April 10 and hasn't missed the money in six starts so far, including two wins.
Doors to JACK Thistledown's racing floor open at 11:30 a.m. Wagering windows open at 12:30 p.m. Admission to the races and parking are free. Children are welcome if accompanied by an adult. The minimum age for wagering on horse races in Ohio is 18.
Race fans will enjoy special events throughout the season, beginning with the track's Kentucky Derby party Saturday, May 5. In addition to Thistledown's live races that day, fans can watch and wager on the full card from Churchill Downs, including the 144th Kentucky Derby. The day features brunch and dinner buffets, a Derby hat contest, face painting and balloon artists for the kids, live music and souvenir glasses brimming with the Derby's signature drink, the Mint Julep. The wagering floor and windows open at 10 a.m. on both Kentucky Oaks day, May 4, and Kentucky Derby day, with first post from Churchill Downs at 10:30 a.m. both days. Advance wagering on Friday's Oaks card and Saturday's Derby card is available beginning Thursday, May 3. More information about Kentucky Derby day events and buffet reservations are available by calling (216) 662-8600.
The Thistledown racing season is technically four consecutive meets, each named to honor a track important to the history of racing in Northeast Ohio: Summit, named for the county that was home to Ascot Park; Thistledown; Randall, honoring the track that sat across from Thistledown; and Cranwood, nodding to nearby Cranwood Park. Racing at the four racetracks consolidated at the present JACK Thistledown facility in the 1960s.