I didn’t know what to expect arriving upon the grounds of Thistledown on June 24th for the 2023 running of the G3 Ohio Derby. I had discovered the track was around 15 minutes from my girlfriend’s residence in Northeast Ohio and we both decided to check it out. I had never been to a thoroughbred race before, and this would be my first after many years of watching on television. We arrived halfway through the day’s undercard races, arriving at the conclusion of race 5, a win for Onasa, another Larry Rivelli trained colt. Rivelli led the charge, with all three of his horses winning on the day with Onasa in race 5, Fit To Fly in race 7, and ultimately Two Phil’s in the Ohio Derby.
One horse I was pulling for was Trojan Tale in Race 9. An Ohio born brown gelding owned by William J. Butler and piloted by Ferrin Peterson, he had three wins at Belterra on the turf and dirt, and I was hoping to see them score another at Thistledown. Their green and yellow silk colors were like the iconic Claiborne Farm silks, harkening back to Sham’s 1973 triple crown campaign. Their result would be stark to that campaign – falling short to WinStar Farm’s gelding Fair and Square sired by Super Saver, who exacted revenge for his loss to Trojan on June 2nd at Belterra.
Le De Vida, a 6-year-old mare sired by Gemologist pulled out the victory in the 250k Lady Jacqueline Stakes, which was an awesome race that set up the main event perfectly. I was betting that Interstatedaydream, a Brad H. Cox trained mare sired by Classic Empire would run home with the win but she also ended up in 2nd behind Vida.
Later, now a sunny afternoon on a freshly watered dirt circle in North Randall, Ohio, The Ohio Derby would get underway. The bugle sounded as the tall, proud competitors were led onto the moist sediment. Gating went as normal, and at the start Henry Q assumed the lead over Bishop’s Bay and Two Phil’s. The order stayed the same through the clubhouse turn and mid backstretch until the end of the backstretch when both Bishop’s Bay and Two Phil’s passed a faltering Henry Q in the final set of turns. When it would first look like a side-by-side race to the line, Two Phil’s snatched the lead away from Bishop’s Bay and proceeded to scorch down the frontstretch, the crowd around me erupting.
Two Phil’s would triumph in the 2023 Ohio Derby. While I could go on about how dominant his thundering 5 and ¾ length victory was, the three wide pass he made in the final set of turns, the 105-speed rating, and the wonderful time I had in my first thoroughbred race in person standing on the rail, but his triumph is bittersweet.
He ended up suffering a sesamoid fracture at the end of the race, and we have seen his final triumph in racing. While he will be ok, the three-year-old Hard Spun sired colt had gone on a roll as of late, with the Ohio Derby victory being the cherry on top of a win in the Jeff Ruby Stakes and a heart wrenching 2nd place run in the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, finishing just behind Mage. Now, that momentum has sadly come to a halt. Phil’s will be on the shelf for the rest of 2023, and he will retire to stud, a final stable to be determined.
I wish I could say how much of a fun time I had at Thistledown on that day and how I can’t wait to attend my next race, but I can’t help but feel terribly sad to see a rising star cut down in his prime. He originally wasn’t one of my favorites but seeing him recover from a subpar break to pull a fantastic pass and leave everyone in the dust, had me officially rooting for him to get the victory at Haskell. The world of thoroughbred racing can provide the highest of mountains, but the unfortunate and dark abyss of risking career ending injury and death always loom in the shadows. From everyone here at Horse Racing Today, we wish nothing but the best for Two Phil’s and his recovery.
I will never forget my view on the rail just meters away from the finish, He went out a dominant winner, leaving a wall of cheers echoing off the glass of the frontstretch boxes, a chestnut comet blazing further and further into the sharp Ohio sun undeterred, unfazed.
