Thistledown will kick off its 100-day live racing season, which includes some of the richest days on the Ohio circuit, on Monday.
Located in North Randall, Ohio, just outside Cleveland, Thistledown generally runs on a Monday through Thursday schedule at its meet, which runs through Oct. 1. There are a handful of special Saturday cards at the meet, including on days when the three Triple Crown races are held in May and June.
Kentucky Derby Day – Saturday, May 3 – coincides with the first of Thistledown's 16 stakes this season. That would be the $75,000 Michael F. Rowland Memorial for statebred sprinters ages 3 and up.
More than half the stakes occur on two major cards. On Saturday, June 21, Thistledown cards the single richest race in Ohio, the Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby. A rich early prize in the “second season” for 3-year-olds, the race regularly attracts alums of the Triple Crown races.
The Ohio Derby is supported by the $250,000 Lady Jacqueline for fillies and mares, as well as three $75,000 stakes for Ohio-bred runners on the undercard - the Daniel Stearns Cleveland Gold Cup, George Lewis Memorial, and Dr. T.F. Classen Memorial.
Thistledown’s other major day is Thursday, August 14, when it hosts its Best of Ohio showcase, one of three such days at each of the state’s three Thoroughbred tracks. Five Ohio-bred stakes worth $100,000 each will be contested for various divisions - the Governor's Buckeye Cup at a route, the Pay the Man for distaffers, the Honey Jay for sprinters, and the Cleveland Kindergarten and Miss Ohio for juveniles.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.