Nine horses with local ties to Ocala/Marion County are expected to be apart of The Run for the Roses, known as the Kentucky Derby, and the Kentucky Oaks, scheduled for May 1 and 2 in Kentucky, according to a news release from Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company.
Five of the nine horses are entered in the derby, with a sixth on the outside looking in if one of the 20 horses – the maximum allowed entry – is withdrawn from the race.
The remaining three horses are in the field of 14 – maximum amount allowed – for the Oaks, according to the news item.
The derby is the first in the Triple Crown, with the Preakness and Belmont rounding out the series
OBS officials said the connection of the nine horses to Marion County/Ocala, labeled the Horse Capital of the World, is they’re graduates of its famous auctions held yearly at its location, 1701 SW 60th Ave. in Ocala.
The races
Both races are on the dirt, and they’re G1, or Grade 1 races, which is the highest level.
For the Derby – to run on May 2 at approximately 6:57 p.m. – the race is 1 1/4 miles, with a prize money of $5 million. The Oaks – running on May 1 at approximately 8:40 p.m. – is 1 1/8 mile for a purse of $1.5 million.
For the Derby, the horses are, Intrepido; So Happy; The Puma; Silent Tactic; Further Ado, with Corona de Oro listed as also eligible.
Silent Tactic’s trainer, Mark Casse was elected OBS board chairman in February. A dual Hall of Famer, Casse and his wife Tina take care of Casse Racing operations in Ocala, OBS officials said.
Post Position for the derby was held April 25 and Intrepido drew post No. 3; So Happy, post No. 8; The Puma, post No. 9; Silent Tactic, post No. 13; Further Ado, post No. 18.
Of the six, the release states Intrepido; So Happy; The Puma; Silent Tactic and Further Ado have won important stakes races that issues points needed to be considered for the race.
Oaks draw & the horses history
Four of the six horses, Intrepido; The Puma; Silent Tactic and Further Ado were OBS April 2025 purchases, according to the release. So Happy was an OBS March 2025 sale, and Corona de Oro was in the October 2024 Yearling OBS sale.
Reviewing the sale prices for the six horses, it shows buyers paid a total of $1.83 million.
In the Oaks, the horses starting in the field are Counting Stars, My Miss Mo and Dazzling Dame.
Counting Stars post was No. 4, My Miss Mo, post No. 6 and Dazzling Dame, post No. 7. Casse trains Counting Stars.
The total sale for the trio was $515,000, OBS officials said.
My Miss Mo and Dazzling Dame came from the 2025 March OBS Sale. Counting Stars was a part of the April OBS sale, officials said.
OBS winners
From past history, OBS officials said there have been three Derby winners from the sales.
The three were Lil E Tee in 1992, Silver Charm in 1997 and I’ll have Another in 2012.
OBS Sales have produced two Oaks winners. They’re Blink Luck in 2010 and Plum Pretty the following year.
Victory for OBS graduates are not limited to the Derby or the Oaks.
On April 18, White Abarrio, a 7-year-old horse who was sold in the 2020 Winter Mixed Sale OBS for $40,000, officials said, won the $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap by beating the Horse of the Year, Sovereignty, and Journalism.
A winner of such big races as the Pegasus and the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the horse has a career earnings of $8.44 million, according to OBS officials.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: 9 horses with Ocala ties among Kentucky Derby and Oaks entries
Reporting by Austin L. Miller, Ocala Star-Banner / Ocala Star-Banner
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
