Call him the Air apparent.
Smooth Air looks like the winner in today’s 74th running of the Ohio Derby at Thistledown.
He didn’t look like a Hutcheson Stakes winner back on Jan. 8, but he won that race anyway by defeating seven rivals over a muddy track at Gulfstream Park.
In today’s $300,000 Grade II Ohio Derby, Smooth Air will compete against seven other horses on a track expected to be wet at the 5:27 p.m. post time.
Can lightning strike twice?
Smooth Air has done nothing but get better, an 11th-place Kentucky Derby finish notwithstanding.
He was considered over his head for the Grade II Hutcheson, carrying 9-1 odds, but made his move at the top of the stretch and won the
7-furlong race by one length.
He was no match for Big Brown in the Florida Derby, but the remainder of the field for that $1 million race was no match for Smooth Air.
While Big Brown led wire-to-wire to win by five lengths, Smooth Air finished 7½ lengths ahead of third-place Tomcito.
Smooth Air has, in racing jargon, outrun his pedigree.
He has better speed than anyone expected and the
11/8-mile track for the Ohio Derby should be far more accommodating than the Kentucky Derby and its extra 1/8-mile.
The Kentucky Derby was the only race in Smooth Air’s eight starts in which he ended out of the money. He was the first Kentucky Derby horse for trainer Bennie Stutts, 70, who had last seen a Kentucky Derby in 1959 from the hood of his trainer-father’s car.
Here’s how I see the race:
1. Smooth Air
2. Z Fortune
3. Medjool
Z Fortune is the only horse in the 74th Ohio Derby who might be able to beat Smooth Air. He’s the only other Kentucky Derby entry in today’s ninth race, finishing 10th after being stuck in traffic early.
Z Fortune was second to Gayego by ¾ of a length in the $1 million Arkansas Derby. Steve Asmussen trains the New York-bred.
Medjool looks like a solid third choice, having enjoyed a great workout on Monday on dirt for the first time this year. He’s a pupil of Michael Matz, trainer of 2006 Kentucky Derby champ Barbaro.
• Cat Singer is back. The 8-year-old gelding, who raced only once last season, made his 2008 debut Monday at River Downs. It was a successful start to his comeback as he won over 7½ furlongs on turf in 1:30.1. Cat Singer, the 2003 Ohio sophomore colt of the year, hadn’t won since the Best of Ohio Endurance at Thistledown in 2006.

Northfield notes

TrackNet, the account wagering consortium of which BetHarness.com and BetRunners.com are a part, has agreed to accept wagering on most New York tracks, including Aqueduct, Belmont Park, Buffalo Raceway, Finger Lakes Park, Monticello Raceway, Saratoga Park, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs.
Account holders can wager on the Belmont Stakes on June 7, where Big Brown will try to win the thoroughbred Triple Crown. BetHarness and BetRunners allow patrons to withdraw and deposit cash at Northfield Park. Go to www.betharness.com for details.
• Northfield Park is giving away a Pontiac Solstice on the summer solstice, June 21. The entry box for the drawing opens on Sunday and will be open to June 21. The car will be given away as part of the festivities on Cleveland Classic night. The winner must be present to take the vehicle home. Complete contest rules are posted at www.northfieldpark.com. Jay Auto Group co-sponsors the giveaway with Northfield Park.
• Won the West, the 2007 Cleveland Classic winner, was first in the $200,000 Dan Patch at Hoosier Park on Saturday in 1:50. Among those he beat was Bono Bests, this year’s Battle of Lake Erie champion.
Contact Steve Byrne at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. 

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