The Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby June 21 at Thistledown drew a field of 10, including four 3-year-olds who won or placed in stakes races this year. Clever Again is one of two from that quartet which have won a stakes race as he was victorious in the Hot Springs Stakes in March before a ninth-place finish in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes last month. Mo Plex is the other 2025 stakes winner, having won the Bay Shore Stakes in his most recent start in April, although that race was run at the shorter distance of seven furlongs. Chunk of Gold, who finished ninth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve last month, previously finished second in both the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes and Grade 2 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby. McAfee enters the Ohio Derby following a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes in May. Master Controller returned from a 6 ½-month layoff to earn the first win of his career last month and is running in stakes race for the first time. Among the rest, Capo Luco won an allowance race at Thistledown June 11, with Extradition finishing third in that race. Curvino has won once in 12 career starts and finished sixth in his lone previous start in a stakes race. Bohemian Style was claimed for $12,500 in his most recent start and appears overmatched. Brereton’s Baytown was eighth in the Peter Pan and also appears overmatched. 

Win contenders:

Clever Again began his career in the spring of 2024, narrowly missing victory in that race by a head. For whatever reason, he was away until this past February, but despite the long layoff and not having the benefit of a sprint prep, Clever Again easily dominated a field of 10 to win a route race at 1 1/16 miles. Leading from start to finish in that race, Clever Again earned a 100   Equibase Speed Figure, which was pretty strong for newly turned 3-year-olds at that time of year. Next came the Hot Springs Stakes March 30 at Oaklawn Park, a race in which Clever Again led from start to finish once more and earned a career-best 108 Equibase Speed Figure, which is also the highest earned by any horse in this field. In the Preakness Stakes five weeks ago, Clever Again took the lead at the start from an outside post but expended a bit too much energy in doing so, as well as being pressured by other horses through a faster than average opening quarter- and half mile, which resulted in a ninth-place finish.

In the Ohio Derby, starting from post-position six and with none of the five horses inside having shown any desire to lead in the early stages, Clever Again can easily get to the front and to the rail under Jose Ortiz and control the tempo from the start to win, the same way Batten Down did in winning this race last year. It must be noted that Master Controller and Mo Plex both earned wins in their most recent races after leading from the start, but given they have positions outside Clever Again in the gate, I will assume they will take second or third positions early once they see that Clever Again has the early lead. If that assumption is incorrect, then the two contenders below, McAfee and Chunk of Gold, can pass the tiring pacesetters to win.

Peter Pan Stakes runner-up McAfee. (Coady Media)

McAfee won his career debut Nov. 1, 2024, at six furlongs then finished second, beaten by a head, in a one-mile race around one turn at Churchill Downs. As with many aspiring 2-year-olds, McAfee was given some time off and returned in March of this year, finishing fifth in the Gotham Stakes, also a one-turn race. Stretched out to two turns for the first time in the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino in April, McAfee didn’t do much running, ending up fifth of 10. Blinkers were added for the Peter Pan Stakes last month and they made a world of difference as McAfee raced closer to the pace in third, got to within a head of the leader with an eighth of a mile to go, then settled for second, three-quarters of a length behind winner Hill Road. With that effort, McAfee improved to a career-best 98 speed figure. It is reasonable to assume McAfee can run even better in this race off the experience of that effort at the same distance, particularly as his dam (mother) produced 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, who won four stakes races at this distance last year.

Chunk of Gold is the only one of the 10 Ohio Derby entrants to have run in the Kentucky Derby, having rallied to sixth with a quarter of a mile to run then fading to ninth in the stretch. Prior to that, Chunk of Gold proved capable at this level with second-place finishes in the Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby, earning a career-best 96 speed figure in the latter. Getting a good inside post for this race, Chunk of Gold can save ground and benefit if Clever Again fails to secure an easy early lead or just gets tired in the late stages.

The rest of the field (with best representative Equibase Speed Figure): Bohemian Style (81), Brereton’s Baytown (71), Capo Luco (98), Curvino (90), Extradition (87), Master Controller (98), and Mo Plex (101).

Win contenders in preference order:

Clever Again

McAfee

Chunk of Gold