Plenty of challengers for Ohio-bred champs in Gendelman Memorial

Ohio-bred champions Altissimo and Mo Dont No will continue their rivalry in the $75,000 Sydney Gendelman Memorial Handicap on Saturday at Belterra Park – but they haven’t scared anyone away. A field of 12 will line up for the 1 1/16-mile turf race for Ohio-bred 3-year-olds and up, including the filly Spinning Top, who made her most recent start against graded stakes company a year ago at Belmont Park.

Spinning Top captured the Tomboy Stakes over this course and distance in May 2018. She then finished last of nine in the Grade 3 Wonder Again Stakes during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. The Imagine Racing homebred, who is by the War Front stallion Data Link, now has drawn the inside post as she returns off that year layoff. Cory Orm has the mount for trainer Troy Green.

Mo Dont No, trained by Jeff Radosevich, was Ohio’s horse of the year in both 2016 and 2017, winning the Best of Ohio Endurance Stakes on the state showcase program both years. He repeated by 12 lengths in that race last fall, but was dethroned as the state’s champion by Altissimo. Mo Dont No snapped a six-race losing streak when he got on turf in his most recent outing, winning a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on this course by 4 3/4 lengths on May 17. Scott Spieth, aboard for that win, retains the mount Saturday.

Altissimo won five stakes last year for trainer Richard Zielinski, including an off-the-turf renewal of the Gendelman Memorial. His other stakes victories, including the Best of Ohio Sprint, came at shorter distances. This will be the turf debut for the gelding, who began this season by winning the Edward Babst/Albert Palacios Memorial Handicap over Mo Dont No. Regular rider Christian Pilares will be in the irons.