Altissimo sharp for Best of Ohio Sprint matchup with Mo Dont No

Between them, Altissimo and Mo Dont No have won five Ohio-bred horse of the year titles. But neither has scared anyone away, as their showdown in a bulky field of 13 for the $100,000 Best of Ohio Sprint shows on Saturday’s statebred showcase program at Mahoning Valley.

The Best of Ohio has evolved into a series of showcases, with one at each of the state’s three Thoroughbred tracks. This final program, in the fall, often brings many of the state’s standouts and divisional leaders together and can go a long way in determining statebred championships. The five stakes on this program, worth a combined $500,000, anchor a 10-race card that begins at noon.

Altissimo, trained by Richard Zielinski, and Mo Dont No, trained by Jeff Radosevich, are both 10-year-olds, millionaires, and stakes winners against open company. Altissimo, the Ohio-bred horse of the year in 2018, 2019, and 2021, may have the edge in this particular matchup, both in terms of distance preference and recent form.

Altissimo’s 12 career stakes victories include the 2018, 2019, and 2021 editions of the Best of Ohio Sprint; he was third in last year’s edition. The gelding has won 2 of 5 outings this year, both at the allowance level, although he was third in the Best of Ohio Honey Jay Stakes at Thistledown behind Ohio-bred champion Diamond Dust and Mr Loooch, both of whom he faces again Saturday. Altissimo is coming off an allowance win over Mr Loooch and Mo Dont No.

Mo Dont No has been known as more of a long-distance specialist, winning the best of Ohio Endurance in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and locking up Ohio-bred horse of the year titles in both 2016 and 2017. He finished second in the 2020 Best of Ohio Sprint and third in the 2022 Endurance. The 10-time stakes winner is winless in seven starts this year, with no outings at the stakes level. In his 76-start career, he is 9 for 32 at Saturday’s six-furlong distance. In addition to his 2020 Sprint placing, his best efforts around one turn include a win by disqualification in the 2016 Steel Valley Sprint at Mahoning Valley against open company.

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Tivis, the only female in the Best of Ohio Sprint, has not missed the board in more than a year. After a win against open company in the Mahoning Distaff to end 2022, she opened this season with a pair of allowance wins and has since placed in three stakes. Most recently, she was third in the Scarlet and Gray Stakes behind Ohio-bred champions Back to Ohio and Candlelight Hours.

Trojan Tale, the only 3-year-old in this field, has won 4 of 7 starts this year, including stakes scored sprinting on dirt in the Tall Stack and routing on turf in the Best of Ohio Green Carpet.

The $100,000 Best of Ohio Endurance at 10 furlongs has drawn the most recent winners of the race in Forewarned and I Wanna Win.

Millionaire Forewarned, who spends the bulk of his time competing out of state against open company, returns to the state of his birth, where he won the 2019, 2020, and 2021 editions of the Endurance. He was second by a neck to I Wanna Win last year. I Wanna Win has won back-to-back editions of the Best of Ohio Governor’s Buckeye Cup at this 10-furlong distance.

Wicked Warrior, second in the 2020 and 2021 editions of this race, comes in off two straight allowance wins at a mile.

The $100,000 Best of Ohio Distaff has drawn a field of just five. Candlelight Hours, the champion Ohio-bred 2-year-old filly of 2021, has not missed the board this year, including a victory in the Best of Ohio Pay the Man Stakes at Thistledown, her fourth career stakes victory.

Market Success and R Three Angels were second and third, respectively, in the 2022 Distaff.

The stakes are rounded out by the $100,000 Best of Ohio Juvenile and its sister race, the $100,000 Best of Ohio John W. Galbreath Stakes for fillies. Both races are at 1 1/16 miles, and none of the juveniles in either race, including those with limited stakes experience, have ever gone that far.

Who Dey comes into the Juvenile unbeaten in two starts, including the Cleveland Kindergarten. Shadowy, third that day, came back to win the Loyalty Stakes, with fellow Juvenile entrants Tough Cat and Villain second and third, respectively.

In the Galbreath, City Scene and Practicallyelusive have traded stakes decisions. City Scene won the Tah Dah Stakes, then was second in the Miss Ohio Stakes. Practicallyelusive won the Miss Ohio, then was third in the Presque Isle Debutante, an open-company sprint on synthetic.

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