Ohio Derby 2026: Thistledown's Big Day, Plus the Weekend's Best US Racing
The Triple Crown is done, the dust has settled at Belmont, and now the sophomore division scatters across the summer map. First stop: North Randall, Ohio. The Ohio Derby is the only graded stakes race run in the Buckeye State all year, and on Saturday, June 20 it pulls in a field stacked with Preakness and Kentucky Derby alumni. Desert Gate, Chip Honcho, Ocelli, Albus. These are not allowance also-rans. This is a genuine $500,000 Grade 3 with classic form lines running right through it.
We‘ve gone through the whole weekend and into the next one. Below you get the Ohio Derby card at Thistledown, the rest of Saturday's stakes action from Churchill Downs to Belmont at the Big A, a look ahead to the loaded June 27 Stephen Foster card, and the start of both harness racing Triple Crowns at Yonkers. Every figure here is checked against Equibase, Daily Racing Form, Horse Racing Nation, Oddschecker and the Racing Dudes Betting Bible. Let's get into it.
Ohio Derby 2026: The Headline Race at Thistledown
The Ohio Derby (G3) goes as the nightcap on a 12-race program at Thistledown, with a scheduled post time of 6:20 p.m. ET. It is worth $500,000, run at 1⅛ miles on dirt, and restricted to three-year-olds. It is the feature race and the only graded stakes in Ohio, which is exactly why it keeps drawing horses dropping off the Triple Crown trail looking for a softer spot and a six-figure payday.
This year's renewal landed a field of 10, and four of them ran in the May 16 Preakness at Laurel Park. Chip Honcho, Ocelli, Bull By The Horns and Robusta finished third, fourth, sixth and ninth respectively in the middle jewel. Ocelli and Robusta also lined up in the Kentucky Derby, running third and 14th, while Albus checked in 15th at Churchill before being freshened for this. Five runners skipped the Triple Crown entirely, headed by the one everybody is talking about.
The Field and Morning-Line Odds
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad Allan | Alex Chavez | Robert Young | 6/1 |
| 2 | Robusta | Emisael Jaramillo | – | 20/1 |
| 3 | Chip Honcho | – | Steve Asmussen | 3/1 |
| 4 | Trendsetter | Kazushi Kimura | Ben Colebrook | 5/1 |
| 5 | Ocelli | Tyler Gaffalione | – | 9/2 |
| 6 | Zihnal | – | – | 30/1 |
| 7 | Bull By The Horns | – | – | 12/1 |
| 8 | Desert Gate | Flavien Prat | Bob Baffert | 5/2 |
| 9 | Jupiter | Angel Diaz | Nestor Rivera | 30/1 |
| 10 | Albus | – | Riley Mott | 10/1 |
Desert Gate is the 5/2 morning-line favorite and the most logical place to start. Since Bob Baffert added blinkers earlier this season, the son of Omaha Beach has reeled off back-to-back wins and looks like the most progressive horse in here. Flavien Prat rides. He can make the lead but does not need it, and that tactical flexibility matters in a race with this much early speed signed on.
Chip Honcho is the 3/1 second choice and the class horse on Preakness form. Steve Asmussen has a strong record bringing horses forward second off a layoff, and the Connect colt was runner-up in the Louisiana Derby at this trip, so nine furlongs is no question. Ocelli at 9/2 was a closing fourth in a speed-favoring Preakness and gets back to 1⅛ miles with Tyler Gaffalione up. The Kentucky Derby third deserves another look at this distance.
Albus is the wild card at 10/1. He won the Wood Memorial (G2) in the spring before bouncing in the Derby chaos, and a smaller field plus a freshening could see him back to that best. Trendsetter at 5/1 wants a hot pace to set up his late kick, and Chad Allan at 6/1 draws the rail and has been improving with every two-turn start. He makes his graded debut, but the trajectory says he belongs.
Ohio Derby Betting Angles
The pace looks honest to contested. Several of these want to be forwardly placed, which is good news for the closers. Our read: Desert Gate is the deserved favorite and the safest single, but the value sits underneath him. Ocelli and Trendsetter are the two we want in the exotics if the early fractions get quick, and Chip Honcho is the one who can beat the favorite outright if he moves forward off the Preakness.
Local angle worth knowing before you bet: horses making their last start at an Ohio track have a rough record in the big-money events here. Over the past decade that profile is winless from 33 attempts in these kinds of stakes at Thistledown, with just one second and one third to show for it. Class relief is one thing, but the form lines from the Triple Crown tracks carry real weight in this spot.
Saturday June 20: The Rest of the US Stakes Action
Thistledown is the three-year-old story, but the rest of the Saturday card across the country is deep. Here is what else is worth your time.
Chicago Stakes (G2), Churchill Downs
The featured race on Churchill's Downs After Dark program is the 36th running of the $300,000 Chicago Stakes (G2), a seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares four and up. It goes as race 9 at around 10:11 p.m. ET, part of the track's America250 celebration. The field of eight is led by two Grade 1 winners.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evanescence | Luis Saez | Eddie Kenneally | 20/1 |
| 2 | Eclatant | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Brad Cox | 6/5 |
| 3 | Lotsandlotsofcandy | Rafael Bejarano | Paul McGee | 5/1 |
| 4 | Zeitlos | Brian Hernandez Jr. | Steve Asmussen | 10/1 |
| 5 | Usha | Flavien Prat | Bob Baffert | 3/1 |
| 6 | Beauty Reigns | Junior Alvarado | Bill Mott | 12/1 |
| 7 | Queen's Martini | Joel Rosario | Ron Moquett | 20/1 |
| 8 | Foie Gras | Ricardo Santana Jr. | Mike Maker | 6/1 |
Eclatant is the 6/5 morning-line favorite for Brad Cox and Irad Ortiz Jr. The Stonestreet homebred daughter of Into Mischief beat Grand Job by a nose in the Madison Stakes (G1) at Keeneland last out, and that race has worked out well. Usha is the 3/1 second choice for Baffert and Prat, coming off a gutsy Winning Colors Stakes (G3) win over Zeitlos and Foie Gras, both of whom are back to try her again. This is a genuine Grade 1-caliber sprint and the best supporting race in the country on Saturday. The top three nominated finishers pick up Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint credits through the Dirt Dozen Bonus Series.
Belmont at the Big A and Laurel Park
NYRA's Belmont at the Big A meet runs Friday through Sunday and features the New York Stallion Stakes – Spectacular Bid Division, a $150,000 event over six furlongs on turf for three-year-olds. Down at Laurel Park, two $100,000 stakes anchor the card: the Ben's Cat Stakes and the Jameela Stakes. Solid mid-tier stakes racing with playable fields.
Where Else to Play This Week
Plenty of meets are live. Thistledown headlines Saturday. Churchill Downs runs Friday through Sunday. Gulfstream Park, Belmont at the Big A and Laurel Park all run Friday to Sunday. Parx Racing picks up Sunday through Tuesday, Horseshoe Indianapolis runs Monday through Thursday, and Prairie Meadows fills the midweek Tuesday to Thursday. Whatever day you want to bet, there is a card.
Looking Ahead: Stephen Foster Day, June 27
If you want the single best Thoroughbred card in the country, wait one more week. Saturday, June 27 is Stephen Foster Day at Churchill Downs, and the spectacular 12-race program features seven stakes worth a combined $4.1 million.
The headliner is the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1), and Churchill doubled the purse to $2,000,000 this year, branding it the “Summer Showdown.” It is a 1⅛-mile test for older horses and a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Classic Division qualifier, so the winner punches a ticket to the Breeders' Cup Classic. Connections of Horse of the Year Sovereignty, Dubai World Cup winner Magnitude and Pegasus winner Skippylongstocking have all signaled interest. It could be an early championship preview.
The support card is loaded: the Fleur de Lis (G2) at $500,000, the Wise Dan (G2) at $500,000, the Bango (G3) at $275,000 (the race formerly run as the Kelly's Landing), the American Derby (Listed) at $250,000, the Tepin at $275,000, the Bashford Manor, and the Anchorage, now a Listed stakes at $275,000. Mark the date.
Harness Racing: Both Triple Crowns Begin June 26
Next Friday, June 26, the harness world's two biggest series both fire the starting gun at MGM Yonkers Raceway. The MGM Yonkers Trot opens the Trotting Triple Crown for three-year-old trotters, and the MGM Grand Messenger Stakes opens the Pacing Triple Crown for three-year-old pacers. Both finals run at 1¼ miles, with the post position draw on Monday, June 22.
| Series | Leg | Race | Date | Track | Purse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trotting | 1st | MGM Yonkers Trot | Fri, Jun 26, 2026 | Yonkers Raceway, NY | $300,000 |
| Trotting | 2nd | Hambletonian Stakes | Sat, Aug 8, 2026 | Meadowlands, NJ | ~$1,000,000 |
| Trotting | 3rd | Kentucky Futurity | Sat, Oct 10, 2026 | The Red Mile, KY | ~$500,000 |
| Pacing | 1st | MGM Grand Messenger Stakes | Fri, Jun 26, 2026 | Yonkers Raceway, NY | $200,000 |
| Pacing | 2nd | Cane Pace | Sat, Aug 8, 2026 | Meadowlands, NJ | ~$300,000 |
| Pacing | 3rd | Little Brown Jug | Thu, Sep 24, 2026 | Delaware County Fairgrounds, OH | ~$700,000 |
One thing to flag if you have seen earlier previews: no eliminations were needed this year. The 10 entered for the Yonkers Trot and the seven for the Messenger advance straight to the June 26 finals. The Yonkers Trot final carries a $300,000 purse and the Messenger final is worth $200,000. The companion fillies' races, the Park MGM Pace and the New York New York Mile, run on the same card.
Trotting Triple Crown (3-Year-Old Trotters)
1st Leg: Friday, June 26, 2026 – MGM Yonkers Trot, Yonkers Raceway, NY – $300,000
2nd Leg: Saturday, August 8, 2026 – Hambletonian Stakes, Meadowlands, NJ – approx. $1,000,000
3rd Leg: Saturday, October 10, 2026 – Kentucky Futurity, The Red Mile, Lexington, KY – approx. $500,000
Pacing Triple Crown (3-Year-Old Pacers)
1st Leg: Friday, June 26, 2026 – MGM Grand Messenger Stakes, Yonkers Raceway, NY – $200,000
2nd Leg: Saturday, August 8, 2026 – Cane Pace, Meadowlands, NJ – approx. $300,000
3rd Leg: Thursday, September 24, 2026 – Little Brown Jug, Delaware County Fairgrounds, Delaware, OH – approx. $700,000
Winning all three legs of either series is one of the hardest feats in racing. If you want a long-shot futures angle, the Yonkers finals on June 26 are where the season-long story starts.
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Bet Ohio Derby Day With MyWinners
The Ohio Derby goes Saturday, June 20 at Thistledown, and we will be on it from first race to the 6:20 nightcap. Get your bets down online, on the app, or at any of our CT venues.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
