Statebred vs. Open Company

Statebred races are an important aspect of thoroughbred horse racing

Here is a look at two races from this past weekend’s Ohio Derby undercard at Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio, just outside of Cleveland. The card featured statebred races, which included five stakes, headlined by the GIII Ohio Derby (obviously open, as statebred races are ineligible for grading), four stakes for Ohio breds, and four allowance/claiming races for statebreds. Three allowance/claiming races for open company complete the card.

I’d thought I might handicap the Ohio Derby in these pages before the race, yet stupid-fake-world gremlins intervened such to divert my efforts. All for the better, though, this is a cool race. There are Triple Crown also rans and a smattering of colts that ran in some solid Derby preps to go along with the new shooters and aspirational entries. Best I couldn’t get these notes up. I liked Clever Again on top, second choice in the betting and I think that colt is still running. I also liked Chunk of Gold, the 2nd place finisher and betting favorite. Such truly uninspired handicapping where chalk burns cash was thankfully left unpublished.

Here I want to draw attention to two races: a statebred stake and a N3L allowance. Why look at races already run? These two highlight the benefit of statebred races for those eligible in states with less robust breeding. Statebred races are important in every jurisdiction, except for Kentucky, yet the divide is clear here. This…