Back to Ohio headlines field of former champs in Scarlet and Gray

The turn of the calendar to October means a narrowing of the focus to the Best of Ohio fall showcase program on Oct. 28 at Mahoning Valley. The program of five $100,000 stakes, the last of three Best of Ohio cards this season, goes a long way toward determining statebred champions. With only a handful of stakes remaining in the Buckeye State prior to that, three former Ohio champions get a chance for a prep race in the $75,000 Greg Veit Scarlet and Gray Stakes for statebred fillies and mare sprinting on Thursday at Thistledown.

The field includes Back to Ohio, the champion statebred 2-year-old filly last year; Candlelight Hours, who earned that award in 2021; and Aunt Bee, last year’s champion Ohio-accredited female and Ohio-bred claimer of the year.

Morning-line favorite Back to Ohio, who prefers to be on or pressing the pace, is drawn on the rail in this field of seven for the prominent team of jockey Jareth Loveberry and trainer Larry Rivelli. The filly was a three-time stakes winner last year, including romping by 7 1/4 lengths in the John W. Galbreath Memorial on the fall Best of Ohio program to earn her divisional title. This year, she returned to the races in summer with a focus on fall stakes and was a two-length winner against older horses at this six-furlong distance in July at Thistledown. She then finished second in the Tomboy Stakes, a turf route.

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Candlelight Hours, trained by James Jackson, won the 2021 Galbreath to lock up her own title. The consistent multiple stakes winner has not been worse than third in more than two years. This year, she owns victories in the J. William Petro Memorial in May at Thistledown and the Best of Ohio Pay the Man Stakes in August. Most recently, she was second in a salty field in the Michael G. Mackey Memorial Angenora Stakes on Sept. 7 at Thistledown. She was beaten two lengths by Wine Me Up Baby, who has now won two straight races and is the second choice on the morning line for the Scarlet and Gray. Finishing third was fellow entrant Tivis, a three-time stakes winner.

Aunt Bee showed an affinity for Mahoning Valley last year, taking the Ohio Debutante there in November and the Bobbie Bricker Memorial Handicap in December. However, she is unplaced in five starts this year, with her two more recent outings coming for Raymond Ginter Jr. after a barn switch.

Kichi Kitsu has won 5 of 8 starts this year in a productive campaign, including the Dr. T.F. Classen Memorial.

Stakes winner R Three Angels, third in the 2022 Best of Ohio Distaff, completes the field.

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