Spring is fast approaching and soon horse racing season will be in full bloom. Cleveland area thoroughbred track Thistledown released its 2012 stakes schedule which will include $903,000 in purses and will be highlighted by the 78th edition of the Ohio Derby on July 7th.

If you missed the 2011 edition of the Buckeye State's biggest race you missed up and coming 3 year old Caleb's Posse who nearly earned 3 Year Old Horse of the Year Honors after capturing 2 Grade I races, including a Breeders Cup triumph, after winning in North Randall.

"Last year’s edition of the Ohio Derby will be a tough act to follow," Racing Secretary Bill Couch said in a press release today. "I'll be scanning the country for horses the caliber of Caleb's Posse, those whose owners are looking for late-summer graded events with an eye on the Breeders' Cup. I'll be looking for horses that, like 'Posse early last year, are diamonds in the rough—young promising horses on the improve. Recruiting such horses to continue the tradition of the Ohio Derby is what keeps me going."

Live Racing will return just in time for Kentucky Derby weekend on May 4th with opening day featuring a $50,000 stakes race.

Catlaunch will join the millionaires’ club if he defeats his eight rivals in the $50,000 George Lewis Memorial Stakes at Thistledown this Saturday. The 10-year-old fan favorite has banked $981,844 in 86 career starts for owner/breeder Scioto Farm, including 37 wins, and the winner’s share of the $50,000 Lewis Memorial would put him over the top.

The odds appear heavily in Catlaunch’s favor. Regular rider Luis Gonzalez will be aboard again for trainer Ivan Vazquez, and Gonzalez has already won seven Ohio stakes this year, including Catlaunch’s last three races. He drew the inside post, which suits his love of the lead and gives him the shortest way around. Fifteen of his wins have come at Thistledown, and he has five wins and three seconds in 10 starts at the Lewis’s 1 1/8-mile distance. The only concession he will make Saturday is a four-pound weight differential; he will carry 120 while the rest of the field carries 116.

Thistledown racetrack will be getting a shot in the arm in the near future as the state has agreed to allow slot machines at the struggling facility. The deal to allow slots at the thoroughbred track comes after Rock Gaming LLC, and its casino partner, Caesars Entertainment Inc., agreed to pay the state an extra $110 Million in fees from the Cleveland casino project that had been halted after the state was looking for extra funds.

Work was restarted on the casino project downtown after a month of downtown as Dan Gilbert and Ohio Governor John Kasich announced the news about the deal.

A ten horse field will be competing today in the 77th running of the Ohio Derby, which promises to be an exciting race.

The current favorite for the race is Wilkinson, who won the G3 LeComte Stakes at Fairgrounds in January. He drew the 8th post for the Ohio Derby, with his current odds at 4/1. His last race was an allowance race at Churchill Downs on May 11th, which he won. Wilkinson is trained by Neil Howard of Kentucky.

Caleb's Posse is another serious contender to win the G3, $100,000 race. His morning line odds were 3-1. Jockey Eddie Razo will be aboard Caleb's Posse when he breaks from post 1.

Lemon Drop Kid, a colt briefly considered for the Belmont Stakes, is also in the race, along with Le Mans, one of two Ohio Derby runners entered off a maiden victory, with the other being Global Power. El Grayling and Goodtimehadbyall, both from Kentucky, will be entered in the race, along with four local runners including Valient Tenobob, Picaroo, Marco's fling and Irish Lion.

The Ohio Derby is Thistledown's only open stakes race on the park's schedule this year. All other races this season will be for Ohio-registered or accredited horses.

The Ohio Derby is the eighth race on the card today and is scheduled for 5:50pm. The first race of the day began at 2:30pm.

Thistledown is the place to watch and wager on the Preakness Stakes. Live racing begins at 2:30pm, plus fun all day long:

Tropikana from WENZ -- Z HipHop Cleveland 107.9 -- will be at Thistledown from 3 to 5 pm for a Preakness pre-party.

Join Player Rewards and register to win a trip to the 2012 Kentucky Derby in Louisville, courtesy of Horseshoe Casino & Hotel Southern Indiana! Plus, enter the Preakness Picks Contest for a chance to win cash.

Enjoy our Preakness day buffet in Silks, noon to 6pm, $35. Reservations required; call 216-662-8600.

Take home Preakness souvenirs! Tees, caps and glasses available.

Free admission, free parking.

Nehro, the horse who finished second in the 2011 Kentucky Derby behind Animal Kingdom, will not run in the Preakness. Nehro's owner, Ahmed Zayat made the decision early Tuesday and says that he does not want to risk running the horse in Saturday's second leg of the Triple Crown.

Nehro has endured a busy schedule this spring, but Zayat says he "couldn't look any better." However, he added:

"I'm just concerned about him having four hard races in eight weeks."

Prior to running in the Derby, Nehro ran in the Louisiana Derby (2nd) on March 26 and the Arkansas Derby (2nd) on April 16.

Zayat says that he currently plans to enter Nehro in the Belmont Stakes on June 11.

Animal Kingdom won the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby under the twinspires of Churchill Downs. Here is the video of the race along with the payouts of race.

16 Animal Kingdom $43.80 $19.60 $13.00
19 Nehro . $8.80 $6.40
13 Mucho Man Man . . $7.00

$2.00 Exacta 16-19 $329.80
$0.50 Trifecta 16-19-13 $988.10
$1.00 Superfecta 16-19-13-14 $24063.00
Super High Five Carryover $220429.95
$1.00 Double 7/16 $196.50
$0.50 Pick-3 1/7/16 3 of 3 $1184.55
$0.50 Pick-4 8/1/7/16 4 of 4 $6146.10
$0.50 Pick-5 1/8/1/7/16 5 of 5 $213895.34
$2.00 Pick-6 2/1/8/1/7/16 5 of 6 $12251.80
Pick-6 Carryover $514582.84

Bob (Railbird) Roberts picks Archarcharch to win Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. The former Plain Dealer racing writer and ex-Thistledown publicity man will be there in a private box as usual.

1. Archarcharch post position #1 odds 10-1

The reason: “I pay attention to workouts on the Churchill Downs strip,” he said. “He had so much piss and vinegar in a workout they had to send him out the next day.

“He’s got enough speed that he can sit back and stalk the pace. I don’t like his post position. No horse has won from the #1 post position since 1985. But I’m not overly concerned. Jockey John Court is a Churchill Downs regular. He knows the track. This is trainer Jinks Fires’ first derby and he’s 70 years old.”

2. Dialed Inn post position #8 odds 4-1

Comment: “He’s also had good workouts. A Nick Zito horse. Won the Florida Derby, a good test.”

3. Midnight Interlude post position #15 odds 10-1

Comment: “A California horse. Won the Santa Anita Derby in only his fourth career start. He never raced as a two-year-old. He looks like a quick study.”

Roberts says, go ahead, take a flyer on a horse called Shackleford. “He could get loose.

Hunch Play: Twinspired. “Under the twin spires of Churchill Downs.Why not?”

Calvin Borel: “Won the last two derbies. Nobody’s ever won three in a row. He doesn’t have much of a horse this year.”

The Kentucky Derby is called the greatest two minutes in sports but racing fans will be busy all day at Thistledown in North Randall this Saturday.

Thistledown’s doors open at 10 a.m. Saturday and simulcast racing begins almost right away, with the first race from Churchill Downs coming at 10:30 a.m. The Derby is the 11th of 13 races from Churchill and goes off at 6:24 p.m. The eight live races at Thistledown begin at the special post time of 2:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

With 20 young horses in the field, none of which has ever raced against so many or so far, handicapping the Kentucky Derby is a puzzle. Racing analyst Rich Ruda, Thistledown racing secretary Bill Couch, and owner/trainer/breeder John Bourke will break it down at a handicapping seminar trackside at 1:30 p.m. Admission to the seminar is free.

Thistledown kicks off their 2011 season today at 1:50 when the first horses are loaded in the gate and make the trip around the North Randall oval.

It won't be business as usual for the track this year. New owner Harrah's has moved back the post time, embraced social media, and will try to attract new guests to the sport in a number of ways.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to offer quality horse racing at different times in an attempt to showcase the experience for a new audience,” said Thistledown general manager Lee Dillard. “We also will use concerts, events and giveaways to market to new customers. We have a great product to offer, and I want everyone to see it. We will be the place to start your weekends.”

On the three Saturdays that comprise the Triple Crown—May 7, May 21, and June 11—post time will be 2:30 p.m. The later start time will allow the folks at the Big T to have their live racing card flow right into the Triple Crown races. On Fridays from May 27 through September 2, first post will be 3:15 p.m. and the track will lure patrons by offering drink specials and live music. A notable subtraction from this year will be the Ohio 7 & 7 in which Thistledown shared cards with other Ohio Thoroughbred tracks.