Grand Isle tries to pick up where he left off in Howard B. Noonan Stakes
Grand Isle, coming off a significant stakes victory last fall at Mahoning Valley, looks to kick off this season on a winning note when he heads the $75,000 Howard B. Noonan Stakes for Ohio-bred 3-year-olds on Thursday at the Youngstown, Ohio track.
The Noonan is the final stakes race of Mahoning Valley’s current season, which opened in October. After closing day on April 15, the Ohio Thoroughbred circuit will move to Thistledown in North Randall and Belterra Park in Cincinnati. Those two tracks open their meets on April 24 and April 27, respectively.
Grand Isle, from the first crop of Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming, races for the prominent partnership of WinStar Farm and Ohio-based owner, breeder, and trainer Tim Hamm. The colt was second in both the Hoover Stakes at Belterra and the Cleveland Kindergarten at Thistledown, both sprints. He stretched out to 1 1/16 miles for the Best of Ohio Juvenile on the statebred fall showcase program Oct. 29 at Mahoning Valley, and rolled by 5 1/2 lengths, earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 66. He cuts back to six furlongs for the Noonan, and is the only stakes winner in the field.
Hamm and WinStar have also entered Need to Know Basis, who emerged from a one-mile maiden win at Thistledown to cross the line a closing second to his stablemate in the Juvenile, although he was disqualified to third for interference.
Media Darling and Cavaletto have both shown an affinity for this track and distance, and have a recency edge on the Hamm pair. Media Darling, trained by Cirilo Gorostieta, was a front-running 11-length allowance winner in February going six furlongs. The colt earned a Beyer of 73, surpassing Grand Isle’s Best of Ohio figure as the top number in this field.
Cavaletto was an 8 1/4-length maiden winner at six furlongs in February for Robert Gorham. He earned a Beyer of 59, the third-highest Beyer in the field.
Wetzel won two straight races at Mahoning Valley last fall. Bronze Kettle won on debut, then was second in a stakes restricted to OTBO sales graduates on March 2. The winner, Chanel Spirit, went on to finish seventh in the Southern Park Stakes on March 23.
Maiden winner K Kid was fourth in the Best of Ohio Juvenile. The maiden Man’s Choice completes the field of eight.
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