Diamond Dust looks to keep momentum in Noonan

Diamond Dust picked off right where he left off with a win in his 3-year-old debut. He looks to keep rolling as he returns to stakes company in the $75,000 Howard B. Noonan Stakes for Ohio-bred 3-year-olds at Mahoning Valley. The race shares feature status on Saturday’s card with the $75,000 Austintown Filly Sprint, an open-company event.

Diamond Dust, a Paynter gelding who races as a homebred for trainer Tim Hamm’s Blazing Meadows Farm and WinStar Farm, won three times from five starts as a juvenile. After winning the Hoover Stakes in his second start, he finished second in the Cleveland Kindergarten and in an allowance race. He got back in the win column with a four-length wire-to-wire victory in the Juvenile Stakes on the Best of Ohio program in October to cap his season.

Diamond Dust made his successful 2019 debut in an allowance race on March 30 at Mahoning Valley, stalking the pace in second before taking over for a two-length win. Gerardo Corrales was in the irons on the gelding for the first time in that race. The duo has drawn the rail for Saturday’s race, which should allow Diamond Dust to use his speed.

The field for the Noonan also includes Magic Tale, who defeated Diamond Dust in the Kindergarten last year, and Ohio Player, who was second in that March 30 allowance. Sammy Da Bull was stakes placed last year, while Dolly Dear finished third in the Southern Park Stakes in March at Mahoning Valley.

The Austintown Filly Sprint, at six furlongs for 3-year-old fillies, includes a number of runners who come to Ohio off stakes experience on various circuits, led by Workaholic, who won the Cicada Stakes on March 23 at Aqueduct. Trained by Laura Wohlers, Workaholic already has made one trip to Mahoning Valley, finishing third in a March allowance race.

Midnight Fantasy, who ships in for trainer Joe Sharp, won a pair of sprint stakes against Louisiana-breds last December at Fair Grounds. She experimented with longer races earlier this year, but now cuts back to a sprint after finishing fourth in the Crescent City Oaks at a mile and 70 yards.

Into Trouble won last year’s Arlington-Washington Lassie and is stakes placed this year at Tampa. Crafty’s Dream and Thunderous Gem come in off stakes placings at Laurel Park and Turfway, respectively.