Hebbronville faces familiar foes in the Steel Valley Sprint
The top three finishers from the $100,000 Perryville Stakes on the Breeders’ Cup undercard at Keeneland, separated by a mere half-length, are the headliners among eight 3-year-olds in the inaugural $200,000 Steel Valley Sprint on Monday at Mahoning Valley Race Course.
Hebbronville narrowly prevailed in the six-furlong Perryville on Oct. 31 over Bayerd and Lewys Vaporizer. All three will clash again in the six-furlong Steel Valley, the richest race that the track near Youngstown, Ohio, has hosted since opening late last year.
As the 124-pound highweight, Hebbronville will concede seven pounds to every opponent except Lewys Vaporizer, who will carry 119 pounds. In addition to winning the Perryville, Hebbronville got up by a neck in the Grade 3 Jersey Shore at Monmouth Park in late July.
The most intriguing runner in the lineup is Tanner’s Popsicle, who will make his stakes debut after recording four straight wins in allowance and starter-allowance races at four different tracks in Minnesota, Ohio, and Kentucky. His last-race Beyer Speed Figure of 99, earned 2 1/2 weeks ago at Churchill Downs, is the best in Monday’s field.
◗ The card also includes the $75,000 Mahoning Distaff, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares. The horse to beat is Heykittykittykitty, the runner-up in a pair of graded stakes and the winner of the restricted Oklahoma Classic Distaff Sprint five weeks ago.
The 10-horse field includes Donita’s Ruler, the winner of the $75,000 My Juliet in May; Needmore Flattery, the two-time Ohio-bred Horse of the Year and a four-time stakes winner this season; and Chella, who has reeled off eight straight victories, mostly in the starter-allowance ranks, since she was claimed for $10,000 on April 1.
STEEL VALLEY SPRINT (RACE 7)
KEY CONTENDERS
Hebbronville (Last 3 Beyers: 91-88-90)
◗ Based at Churchill Downs with trainer Lynn Whiting, he will be reunited with jockey Trevor McCarthy, who rode him to back-to-back wins in the Jersey Shore and a $100,000, no-conditions allowance at Parx Racing. There should be ample early pace to set up his late rally.
Bayerd (Last 3 Beyers: 90-92-90)
◗ He was narrowly beaten by Hebbronville in the six-figure allowance and the Perryville but finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of that rival two starts ago in the Grade 3 Gallant Bob at Parx. He’s winless in seven starts since taking the Springboard Mile in his final start at 2 last December.
Lewys Vaporizer (Last 3 Beyers: 89-98-77)
◗ He ships in from Chicago for trainer Larry Rivelli and goes to the front regardless of whether if he’s racing on dirt, turf, or Polytrack. He was the 8-5 favorite in the Perryville, his stakes debut.
Tanner’s Popsicle (Last 3 Beyers: 99-92-94)
◗ The Beyers say he can compete at this level, but he earned his big figures against far softer competition than what he will face in his stakes debut.
◗ He has five wins and two seconds in seven starts since he was claimed for $15,000 in March by trainer Tom Amoss on behalf of Maggi Moss.
MAHONING DISTAFF (RACE 6)
KEY CONTENDERS
Heykittykittykitty (Last 3 Beyers: 77-89-85)
◗ She has faced the best competition in this field, missing by three-quarters of a length in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America at Keeneland two starts ago and beaten 1 1/4 lengths in the Grade 3 Winning Colors at Churchill Downs in May. She has been in the exacta in 9 of 10 starts this year.
Donita’s Ruler (Last 3 Beyers: 78-84-42)
◗ She upset the My Juliet at 18-1 first time off a $25,000 claim. She has been freshened since romping in a $25,000 starter allowance at Keeneland in mid-October.
Belle Natalie (Last 3 Beyers: 79-72-68)
◗ She is winless in five starts this year, but she fits with the other top contenders based on her most recent performance in a third-level optional $80,000 claimer at Churchill.
Chella (Last 3 Beyers: 77-73-70)
◗ A winner in 9 of 10 starts this year, she gets a class test here while making a major jump from an easy win in a $5,000 starter allowance.
Needmore Flattery (Last 3 Beyers: 73-64-74)
◗ This 4-year-old filly makes a rare start outside her comfort zone in Ohio-bred stakes. She has finished no better than fourth in three previous tries in open-company stakes, although all of those races came early in her career.