Dougie D Oro going for a Best of Ohio sweep in Sprint

Dougie D Oro has won two Best of Ohio stakes this season, besting Altissimo, a three-time Ohio-bred horse of the year, in both. The two will have a showdown in Saturday’s season-capping Best of Ohio Sprint at Mahoning Valley on a program that has five $100,000 stakes for statebreds that will go a long way toward determining 2022 champions.

The Best of Ohio has evolved into a series of three rich programs held at Ohio’s three Thoroughbred tracks throughout the season. This fall showcase program at Mahoning Valley includes five stakes for various divisions. The races have drawn an average of 10.4 entrants and top a 10-race card that has a first post of 12:15 p.m. Eastern. The card also includes an allowance, two starter-allowance events, and two maiden special weights.

Dougie D Oro and Altissimo clash in the Best of Ohio Sprint, a race in which Dougie D Oro will attempt to complete a sweep of the program’s races for sprinters, while 9-year-old Altissimo will attempt to wrench back a crown that has been his.

Dougie D Oro, a 6-year-old gelding owned and trained by Jerry Sparks, has blossomed this year, first giving notice he would be a major force with a win over a salty field in the Best of Ohio Babst/Palacios Memorial Stakes in June at Belterra Park. Altissimo was pinched back at the start and finished last of seven.

After staying sharp with a win and a second in a pair of allowance races between stakes engagements, Dougie D Oro scored a front-running, two-length repeat win in the Best of Ohio Honey Jay Stakes in August at Thistledown. Altissimo finished second-best.

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Most recently, Dougie D Oro finished fifth in an Oct. 4 allowance at Thistledown in which Altissimo was third.

Millionaire Altissimo has just one win this year for trainer Richard Zielinski, that coming in a September allowance before his most recent third. He is most definitely the most accomplished runner in this field.

His 12 career stakes victories include the 2018, 2019, and 2021 editions of the Best of Ohio Sprint on the fall showcase program, securing him honors as Ohio-bred horse of the year three times. His eight career stakes placings include a fine effort against open company – a close second in the Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park in 2019.

The Sprint includes another Best of Ohio winner. Diamond Dust won the 2018 Juvenile and finished third in both the 2019 and 2021 editions of the Sprint.

The $100,000 Best of Ohio Endurance also includes a millionaire multi-time race winner and statebred horse of the year in Mo Dont No. The 9-year-old veteran won the Endurance in 2016 before cutting back for a win against open company in the Steel Valley Sprint.

Mo Dont No has regularly made forays into open company while racking up 10 career stakes wins. He won the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Endurance, was second in the 2019 Endurance, was second in the 2020 Sprint, and finished eighth in last year’s Endurance. He is winless this year for trainer Gary Johnson, but is a specialist at this 1 1/4-mile distance, with six wins and two seconds from nine starts.

Graded stakes-placed Forewarned won the Endurance in 2020 and 2021 for Uriah St. Lewis. He is approaching millionaire status, with $917,283 in earnings coming into the Best of Ohio.

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Endurance entrant Tantrum won last year’s Best of Ohio Juvenile.

The defending winner of the $100,000 Best of Ohio Distaff is Ballroom Blitz, who is winless in nine starts since, with only one third in an allowance.

Cali Dream is starting in the Distaff for the fifth time, with her best finish a fifth in 2017. Market Success has run in this event three times.

Rounding out the showcase races are the $100,000 Best of Ohio Juvenile and its sister race, the $100,000 John W. Galbreath Memorial.

Sammy and Shorty finished third in the Best of Ohio Cleveland Kindergarten before coming back to win the Loyalty Stakes. He again faces Excitement, second in the Loyalty, and Grand Isle, second in the Kindergarten.

Lady Lottie bested fellow Galbreath Memorial entrant Back to Ohio by a neck in the Tah Dah Stakes but was disqualified. Back to Ohio extended her unbeaten record by winning the Best of Ohio Miss Ohio Stakes in August over Lady Lottie and Sparkling Jewel, who is back Saturday. Back to Ohio has since won the Presque Isle Debutante and is now 4 for 4.

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