Eightthehardway scores repeat in Ruff/Kirchberg Memorial Handicap

Defending winner Eightthehardway got back on track as he splashed home for a repeat victory in the $75,000 Ruff/Kirchberg Memorial Handicap for Ohio-accredited older horses Saturday at Mahoning Valley, as the track kicked off a big few days of racing.

Eightthehardway ($3.80), a 5-year-old Parents' Reward gelding trained by Richard Vickers for Paul Groves, has now won three stakes and placed in five others. However, he had been on an eight-race losing skid since winning last year's Ruff/Kirchberg Memorial. He came in off a sixth-place finish in the Best of Ohio Endurance and a fourth-place finish in an allowance race.

Eightthehardway was fourth and three lengths back, racing toward the inside under T.D. Houghton, as 2015 Ruff/Kirchberg Memorial winner Geppetto took the field through a credible 48.55 second half on the sloppy track. Houghton angled Eightthehardway out for running room around the far turn and the gelding powered into contention. He wore down a stubborn but fading Geppetto in upper stretch and pulled clear in the final stages to win by 4 1/4 lengths.

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:54.28

Daggers Duel rallied to edge Geppetto by three-quarters of a length for second. This was the fourth consecutive appearance in the Ruff/Kirchberg for Geppetto, who has finished on the board in each of those renewals. He finished third in 2014, won the 2015 edition, and was second last year to Eightthehardway.

Earlier on the card, No Truer rolled to a six-length victory in the $75,000 Glacial Princess Stakes for Ohio-accredited 2-year-old fillies. The victory came one year after her full sister True Cinder won the same race for owner and trainer Michael Rone.

No Truer, who finished third in the Emerald Necklace Stakes in her career debut, and True Cinder, who is a four-time stakes winner, are both by Alcindor, out of the unraced Shakespeare mare Be True.

No Truer ($6.80) and Irwin Rosendo were never far off as they stalked the pace in second, and were just a head behind leader Linda N Michelle at the quarter pole. No Truer turned it on in the lane and extended her margin steadily to be much the best at the wire, finishing the six furlongs in 1:14.22.

Linda N Michelle was a clear second, 5 1/4 lengths ahead of of Silky Tassels.

Mahoning Valley will be dark on Sunday before hosting its biggest program of the meet on Monday, with a pair of open stakes in the $200,000 Steel Valley Sprint for 3-year-olds and the $75,000 Mahoning Distaff for fillies and mares sprinting.