Pleasant Prince wins the Ohio Derby

Plain Dealer

NORTH RANDALL

Pleasant Prince waited until speedster Mykindacandy ran out of gas in the Thistledown stretch, then beat Worldly by a nose at the wire to win the Grade III 76th annual $100,000 Ohio Derby on Saturday.

It was the first win in eight starts this season for Pleasant Prince, a veteran of the three-year-old stakes with a second in the Florida Derby and a third in the Derby Trial. Veteran jockey Alex Solis said he was proud of the chestnut three-year-old son of Indy King.

“Pleasant Prince kept fighting all of the way,” Solis said. “I had to get after him pretty hard at the end. I knew it would be close, but I knew my horse was running hard.”

The 6-5 favorite, Pleasant Prince paid $5.60, 3, 2.40, with Worldly second, $4.80, 3.60, and Capitol Appeal a surprise third, $7.20.

As expected, Mykindacandy went after the early lead, posting a mundane opening quarter-mile in 24 seconds, and a pedestrian half-mile in 48 seconds. Pleasant Prince was sixth at the half, but not very far behind in the field of 10. Turning for home, Capitol Appeal was still stalking the leader, but coming fast were Worldly and Pleasant Prince.

In a daring move, Solis managed to find just enough room between a fading Capitol Appeal and Worldly to muscle Pleasant Prince into the lead, clocking the 11/16-mile in 1:43.4.