Betting on the 2025 Ohio Derby

A nice field of 10 sophomores will run 1 1/8 miles on the Thistledown main strip in Saturday's lucrative, $500,000 Ohio Derby (G3). The three morning-line choices in the event look formidable to me, and I will put much of my focus on that trio.

Ohio Derby Wagers

• $25 win #4 McAfee ($25)
• $1 superfecta 2,4,6 with 2,4,6 with 2,4,6,10 with 2,4,6,10 ($12)

#4 McAfee (3-1), a half-brother to the mighty Thorpedo Anna, comes off of a fine runner-up try in the Peter Pan S. (G3) last time out in his first run with blinkers on and gets the slight nod in this spot. Conditioned by Richard Dutrow, the son of Cloud Computing, flashed good potential from a pair of runs as a two-year-old and has faced graded foes in each of his three runs in 2025, with his latest being his most productive one. I feel that the equipment change has aided the colt, and his bullet half-mile drill at Churchill Downs on June 5 tells me that he is doing well in advance of this assignment. John Velazquez, coming in to retain the ride, is a major positive, too. 

Hot Springs S. romper #6 Clever Again (9-5) was well fancied in the Preakness S. (G1) and led to the turn for home at Pimlico, before ultimately getting in trouble in early stretch and fading late. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the talented son of American Pharoah has come back to post three solid morning drills in the interim, and the speedy colt will be the one to catch in this spot. The Kentucky-bred bay will be dangerous if allowed to clear the field early on with Jose Ortiz in the stirrups. 

#2 Chunk of Gold (7-2), second in both the Louisiana Derby (G2) and Risen Star S. (G2), checked in ninth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) most recently in a race that was a bit better than it appears to be on paper. Ethan West pupil got a nice breather following his run in Louisville and is well drawn near the rail to save ground throughout this heat. The gray colt possesses good tactical speed and will get the jump on the deeper closing types with regular pilot Jareth Loveberry in the stirrups. 

I’m not sure if #10 Mo Plex (6-1) will be at his peak going two turns for the first time while drawing widest of all in the group, but the Grade 3 winner has been working in rapid fashion on the Oklahoma at Saratoga as of late, and he will be a top-three contender if he races to his morning activity. Joseph Ramos will take the reins.