Duel between Mo Dont No and Altissimo highlights Best of Ohio program

One certainty in recent years is the appearance of Mo Dont No on the annual Best of Ohio statebred showcase program. However, this year, Mo Dont No will not appear in his usual spot Saturday in the Best of Ohio Endurance, a race he has won three times. He will instead start in the Best of Ohio Sprint, with the highlight of the program the matchup between him and two-time reigning Sprint winner Altissimo. Each is a two-time Ohio-bred horse of the year.

The annual Best of Ohio card features five $100,000 stakes races at Mahoning Valley. In addition to the compelling matchup in the Sprint, the program also includes the Best of Ohio Endurance, headlined by defending winner Forewarned; a well-matched field including several multiple stakes winners in the Best of Ohio Distaff; and 2-year-olds looking for an early highlight in the Best of Ohio Juvenile and the John W. Galbreath Stakes for fillies.

Mo Dont No, who races for Ron Paolucci and trainer Anthony Quartarolo, won the 1 1/4-mile Endurance in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and was second last year behind Forewarned. He won the Governor’s Buckeye Cup at Thistledown in August – his 10th stakes win – and most recently was sixth in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic and eighth in the Grade 2 Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland.

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Although Mo Dont No is best known for his longer-distance wins, he has won 8 of 16 starts at this six-furlong distance, with the Phoenix the only time he hasn’t finished in the top three at the trip. His sprint performances include a win in the Steel Valley Sprint against open company.

Mo Dont No will have Jose Bracho in the irons Saturday,

Altissimo is owned by Ronald Zielinski and breeder Nancy Lavrich, and is trained by Richard Zielinski. The gelding was installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite to Mo Dont No at 3-1, and will have Terry Houghton in the irons.

Altissimo won five stakes in 2018, including the Best of Ohio Sprint. He repeated in that race last year while winning four stakes on the season. He was also second in the Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash last year. This season Altissimo hasn’t missed the board. Second in the Honey Jay Stakes in August, he is coming off an allowance win at Belterra.

The Sprint field includes one more previous Best of Ohio winner in Diamond Dust, who won the 2018 Juvenile. A four-time stakes, Diamond Dust finished third in last year’s Sprint.

Graded stakes-placed Forewarned comes to his defense of the Endurance winless this year, having finished third in the Buckeye Cup, seventh in the Charles Town Classic and, most recently, fifth in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special.

Wicked Warrior, who was third in the Best of Ohio Juvenile last season, comes into the Endurance off three consecutive allowance wins by a combined 26 1/2 lengths, earning Beyer Speed Figures of 90 in his two most recent starts. He has never missed the board in his career, but has yet to run farther than 1 1/16 miles.

The favorites for the Distaff are 2019 John Galbreath winner Moonlit Mission, a three-time stakes winner, and Star Mabee, who has won five of seven outings this year. The field also includes multiple stakes winner Drillit, who won the 2018 Galbreath, and multiple stakes winners Circus Rings and Totally Obsessed.

The heaviest favorite in the 2-year-old races will likely be Alexandria in the Galbreath. The filly won the Tah Dah Stakes and then the Miss Ohio Stakes before shipping to Churchill Downs to finish third, beaten 5 3/4 lengths, in the Grade 3 Pocahontas Stakes. The top two in that race, Girl Daddy and Crazy Beautiful, are bound for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Happy as You Go and Weekend Buzz finished one-two in the Loyalty Stakes in September at Belterra Park. Happy as You Go takes on Alexandria in the Galbreath, while Weekend Buzz runs in the Juvenile.

Uptown is the 9-5 favorite in the Juvenile off a 10 1/4-length romp over three rivals in an allowance at Belterra. Brig won a maiden race for statebreds by 3 3/4 lengths at Thistledown on Oct. 5. Uptown and Brig ran second and third in the Cleveland Kindergarten at Thistledown in August.