The first of three Best of Ohio statebred showcase cards shows up on the calendar Friday at Belterra Park, and the Buckeye State’s champions have come out.
The 2024 Ohio-bred horse of the year Generous Lover and 2023 horse of the year Fair and Square are among those entered in the five $100,000 stakes on the card for Ohio-registered runners, along with reigning 2024 champions Empire’s Fire, Fortissimo, Silver Kiss, and Villain. Three Best of Ohio cards take place across the state’s three Thoroughbred tracks across the year – in June at Belterra Park, in August at Thistledown, and a fall showcase in October at Mahoning Valley. Belterra is the only one of the tracks to card its showcase races on both dirt and turf.
Generous Lover comes back to the state of her birth off another foray into open company as she headlines the Best of Ohio Diana Stakes for Carl Moore Management and trainer Joe Sharp. The mare won three stakes last year, including the Best of Ohio Distaff in the fall. Although she was best beyond a mile on both dirt and turf, she was also stakes-placed sprinting, and cuts back to a sprint for the Diana. In her 2025 debut, Generous Lover was second in an allowance/optional-claiming race on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs behind graded stakes winner Lemon Muffin.
The companion race to the Diana is the Best of Ohio Babst/Palacios Memorial for older sprinters. Empire’s Fire won six of eight starts last year, including the Best of Ohio Sprint at Mahoning Valley, for Jeff Radosevich to earn divisional honors. However, in his first start this season, he was fourth in an allowance behind Henry Mac, Scrimper, and Hip Hip Hooray, all of whom he faces again Friday.
Silver Kiss, trained by David Wolochuk, comes to the Best of Ohio Norm Barron Queen City Oaks for sophomore fillies unbeaten in five starts, by no less than 5 3/4 lengths. Her three stakes wins last year included the Best of Ohio John Galbreath Stakes in the fall at this 1 1/16-mile distance, rolling by 11 lengths to lock up her outstanding 2-year-old filly title. She was a runaway allowance winner against older fillies to open this season.
Three-year-olds also have a stakes opportunity on turf on Friday’s card in the Best of Ohio Green Carpet Stakes. No one in this field has won yet on turf with limited opportunities in the state for them to this point. Boots Malone, outstanding Ohio-bred juvenile Fortissimo, and Superwolf made up the trifecta in the Tall Stack sprinting on dirt last time out.
Rounding out the card is the Best of Ohio Sydney Gendelman for older runners on the turf. With no two-turn dirt option on this card, champion dirt router Fair and Square tries the turf again for trainer and co-owner Tim Hamm. He was seventh in this race last year to Henry Mac. Spellcast, This Time, and Shadowy return to the June showcase card after finishing first, second, and third in the 2024 Green Carpet.
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