Ten track records fall in two days at Mahoning Valley

A combination of cold temperatures and a fast, frozen track helped produce 10 track records during the first two days of the 2015 season at Mahoning Valley Race Course near Youngstown, Ohio.

Through the first 21 days of its inaugural meet in November and December, Mahoning Valley's dirt track played extremely slow, with only one horse, stakes winner Star Harbour, running six furlongs faster than 1:13. Star Harbour recorded a time of 1:12.89 winning the Mahoning Valley Sprint on Nov. 29.

But on Monday, when the high temperature at the track was 20 degrees, five track records fell and five more records were set on Tuesday, when racing was conducted despite snow showers and a high of 12 degrees.

The new records include five furlongs in 57.92 seconds by Broker Brett, winner of conditioned $7,500 claimer; 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.52 by the $3,500 claimer Another Kitten; and six furlongs in 1:11.59 by Hehaz Given in an optional $16,000 claimer.

The fast final times, when adjusted to how quickly the surface was playing, did not produce any remarkable Beyer Speed Figures. The 7-year-old Another Kitten, for example, ran nearly four seconds faster than he did winning a similar $3,500 claiming sprint on Dec. 17 in 1:09.44. Yet the Beyer that Another Kitten was awarded, 52, was just one point higher than in his win last month.

Wednesday’s program was canceled due to extremely cold weather.