Heartwood ($138.20) surprises in Steel Valley

Trainer James Chapman purchased maiden winner Heartwood for $75,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July selected horses of racing age sale. The Tapit colt initially did little to pay him back, finishing 10th in the Grade 2 West Virginia Derby to start a string of four unplaced efforts, before finally winning an allowance-optional claiming race Oct. 14 at Thistledown.

On Monday, Heartwood rewarded his connections in a major way, upsetting the $200,000 Steel Valley Sprint, Mahoning Valley’s richest race. The second-longest shot on the board, he rewarded his backers to the tune of $138.20.

Heartwood, who runs for Chapman in partnership with Stuart Tsujimoto, was always forwardly placed under Hector Rosario Jr., racing in fourth and in the clear in the early stages of the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds. Grade 3 winner Wellabled, making his first start of the year and his first on dirt, swiftly recovered from a stumbling start to eagerly lead the field through opening splits of 22.69 seconds for the quarter and 45.46 for the half.

He was pursued by Grumpelstiltskin a length back and Shadow Tracer to his inside. As the field cut the corner, Heartwood angled four wide, keeping clear of any trouble as Grumpelstiltskin faded. Meanwhile, Shadow Tracer, a multiple stakes winner in his home state of Michigan, doggedly refused to fade on the rail.

Heartwood edged past the stubborn leaders in the final furlong to hit the wire three-quarters of a length clear of the stubborn Shadow Tracer, stopping the clock for six furlongs in 1:11.62.

Another half-length back, the multiple stakes-winning Ohio-bred Cake Pop edged Wellabled for third by three-quarters of a length.

Unbeaten Lasting Legacy, sent away as the favorite in his third career start and stakes debut, was tardy changing leads leaving the far turn, putting graded stakes-placed Petrov, the second choice, in tight quarters momentarily. Lasting Legacy finished fifth and Petrov was ninth.

One race earlier, Moiety had a terrible start but solid finish, rallying to win by 1 1/4 lengths in the $75K Mahoning Distaff.

Under Jose Valdivia, Moiety ($10) was slow away from post 10 of 11 and was eighth, more than seven lengths back, with a quarter-mile remaining. She uncorked a powerful rally late to win the six-furlong sprint in 1:12.66.

It was the first stakes victory for Godolphin's homebred daughter of Bernardini. She had finished second in the Dream Supreme Stakes at Churchill Downs, but was 11th last out when trying Grade 2 company in the Chilukki.

Maryland's darling Crabcakes, sent away as the favorite as she looked to continue a win streak, made a solid rally up the inside late, but locally based Tune Up was up between horses to edge her by a nose for second. That triggered a $233.40 exacta.