Tejano Twist rallies from the back to win Steel Valley Sprint

Tejano Twist rallied from last early to score the richest victory of his career in the $250,000 Steel Valley Sprint, one of five stakes on a busy Monday card at Mahoning Valley.

Tejano Twist ($9) was unhurried early by Chris Landeros and was last in the field of 11 3-year-olds as Golden Hornet led in a scramble through the opening quarter. Knocker Down, who was prompting that pace, made an early move on the far turn and scooted clear to lead by 1 1/2 lengths coming to the quarter pole, through the half in 44.90 seconds on the fast track.

At that point, Tejano Twist had moved up to ninth, but still had about 7 3/4 lengths to make up.

Landeros angled the gelding six wide, and he commenced a steady drive, beginning to pass fading foes. Knocker Down was still holding on to a length lead in deep stretch, but a late burst carried Tejano Twist by, and he edged out the win by a half-length, stopping the clock in 1:10.38.

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After Knocker Down, it was 1 1/4 lengths to favored Scaramouche in third, with Hoist the Gold another three-quarters of a length back in fourth. They were followed, in order, by Golden Hornet, Fast Jack, Friar Laurence, Roger McQueen, Sheltowee's Bali, Ky Hot Brown, and Volbeat.

This was the fifth win from 19 career starts for Tejano Twist, who pushed his earnings past to $550,304. The Practical Joke gelding hinted at ability last year for trainer Bret Calhoun, turning in runner-up efforts in stakes at Colonial Downs and Remington Park before winning the $200,000 Lively Shively Stakes at Churchill Downs. He concluded his 2-year-old campaign by finishing second by 6 1/2 lengths in the Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds to Epicenter, who emerged as one of this year's leading 3-year-olds. Eventual Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike was fifth in that race.

Tejano Twist finished second in an allowance to open his 3-year-old season, but then was off the board in a pair of stakes races in Kentucky. He was claimed for $80,000 out of a fourth-place finish in an allowance/optional-claiming race in June at Churchill Downs by current trainer Chris Hartman for owners Jackie Rojas and Joey Keith Davis. After finishing off the board in three additional stakes in Kentucky – on both dirt and turf – he finished third in a salty Churchill Downs allowance/optional-claiming race, got back in the winner's circle at a similar level, and then won Monday in his return to stakes company.

In the sister race to the Steel Valley Sprint, the $100,000 Youngstown Oaks for 3-year-old fillies, Disco Ebo ($10.20) pressed the pace throughout under Irad Ortiz, Jr., emerged with the lead in the stretch, and easily held sway by 1 1/2 lengths over favored My Kentucky Girl and Landeros for the win. She finished the six furlongs in 1:11.50 under Ortiz, who picked up a stakes double in his trip to Ohio.

This was the second career stakes victory for Pennsylvania-bred Disco Ebo, trained by Butch Reid for Cash Is King Stable and LC Racing. She took the Shamrock Rose Stakes last year at Penn National.

* Earlier, Ortiz and Tivis ($5.20) prevailed by a neck over Dancin At Midnight after a stretchlong duel in the $75,000 Mahoning Distaff. Although the race is an open event for fillies and mares, Tivis was racing in her home state of Ohio. The filly, who races as a homebred for Hilburn Racing and trainer Robert Gorham, won the First Lady and the Southern Park last year, and now adds a third career stakes victory.

* Dougie D Oro made his final bid to be Ohio's champion sprinter in one of two statebred stakes on the card, leading throughout and coasting to a 7 1/4-length victory under Ricardo Feliciano in the $75,000 Cardinal Handicap.

Dougie D Oro, who is owned and trained by Jerry Sparks, won this year's Best of Ohio Babst/Palacios Memorial Stakes and Best of Ohio Honey Jay Stakes, but was denied a series sweep when finishing second to Morestride in the Best of Ohio Sprint on the state's marquee fall showcase program last month at Mahoning Valley.

Millionaire Altissimo, a three-time Ohio-bred horse of the year and Best of Ohio Sprint winner, was second in the Cardinal, with Morestride third.

* Lionistic ($4.20) led throughout to win the $75,000 First Lady Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths over favored R Three Angels, who had been second in the Best of Ohio Distaff last month. Lionistic had Luis Rivera in the irons for Jeff Radosevich.

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