Ohio Derby: Copper Tax goes for 3rd straight victory

Laurel Park-based 3-year-old Copper Tax, unraced since his come-from-behind victory in the April 20 Federico Tesio, is set to launch the second half of his sophomore campaign on the road in Saturday’s Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown.

Copper Tax is seeking his third straight win, fifth in a stakes and eighth overall for trainer Gary Capuano and owner Rose Petal Stable in the Ohio Derby which, like the Tesio, is contested at 1 1/8 miles. Post time is 6:30 p.m. EST.

His Tesio win earned Copper Tax an automatic berth in the 149th Preakness Stakes on May 18 at Pimlico, but the connections ultimately decided to pass on the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. He was entered for main track only in the one-mile James W. Murphy on the undercard but scratched when the race stayed on the turf.

“We’re excited by it. I think he has a real shot,” Rose Petal’s Chris Loso said. “We wanted to take some time away and make sure he was OK, make sure he was good to go. Although it was hard to give up on a stakes race (like the Preakness), we think putting him in the Ohio Derby will be a great next step for him.”

Copper Tax drew the fourth gate in a field of 10 and was made the 7-2 second choice on the morning line behind 9-5 favorite Catching Freedom, third by 2 1/4 lengths to Seize the Grey in the Preakness, just a neck behind runner-up and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan.

The Ohio Derby also includes horses such as Uncle Heavy and Mugatu, respectively sixth and eighth in the Preakness; Gould’s Gold, Mystik Dan’s workmate that was beaten a nose when second in the 1 1/16-mile Sir Barton on the Preakness undercard; and Batten Down, an 8 3/4-length maiden special weight winner over older horses going 1 1/4 miles April 30 at Churchill Downs for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

“Our game plan is to just try and keep with the pace,” Loso said. “The thing that he does best is at the end of the race, he’s always got that gas left in him. So, the prudent thing is to stick away from the inside, monitor the pace and when the time comes in the stretch to make his move.”

J.G. Torrealba will ride Copper Tax for the third straight race following a late-running neck victory in the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms March 23 at Laurel and a three-quarter-length triumph in the Tesio when he had to overcome losing a shoe and suffering some minor cuts to his ankles after stumbling at the start. Copper Tax’s other stakes wins came last fall in the one-mile Rocky Run at Delaware Park and Laurel’s six-furlong James F. Lewis III.

Torrealba, 22, made his U.S. debut last spring at Thistledown, where he won his first race April 25, 2023 with Fast as Fast Can B. The Venezuela native, riding in his first full meet in Maryland, captured Laurel’s 2024 spring stand as a five-pound apprentice.

“We’re sticking with him,” Loso said of Torrealba. “You talk about it a lot in team sports. You always go with what works best as far as chemistry. They have a good rapport with each other. He knows the horse and how to use him effectively, and the horse trusts him. That’s really important.”

Copper Tax has posted six consecutive bullet works at Laurel since the Tesio for his comeback, most recently going six furlongs in 1:17 June 14. Two weeks earlier he went five furlongs in 1:00.20, fastest of 27 horses.

“I think we go in there feeling confident and we just hope he does well in the race,” Loso said. “He’s got the ability, it’s just a matter now of achieving the results. How he does here will have a lot to say about where we go down the road.”