Trojan Tale emerged from between horses in a three-horse blanket finish for a head victory in the $100,000 Best of Ohio Sprint Stakes, one of the strongest events on the fall statebred showcase card Saturday at Mahoning Valley. The Best of Ohio has evolved into a series of showcases, with one at each of the state’s three Thoroughbred tracks. This final program, which featured five stakes worth a combined $500,000, often brings many of the state’s standouts and divisional leaders together and can go a long way in determining statebred championships. The Best of Ohio Sprint drew a salty field of 13 that included three-time winner Altissimo, a millionaire who has also earned three Ohio-bred horse of the year titles; millionaire and two-time horse of the year Mo Dont No, a multi-winner of the Best of Ohio Endurance; and another statebred champion in Diamond Dust, the state's outstanding 2-year-old male of 2018 after winning the Best of Ohio Juvenile. Meanwhile, Trojan Tale, a homebred for William Butler, came into this race having won four of seven starts this year for trainer Mike Maker - including stakes victories sprinting on the dirt in the Daryl E. Parker Memorial, and routing on the turf in the Best of Ohio Green Carpet. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Diamond Dust broke from the inside post and scooted to a clear lead through an honest opening quarter-mile in 23.05 seconds. Shifting away from the rail, he quickly began taking heavy pressure both inside, from Altissimo, who had quickly worked his way there from post 10, and outside, from Trojan Tale, who broke from the outside in the field of 13 under Ferrin Peterson. Trojan Tale actually put a head in front briefly around the far turn, but Diamond Dust continued to battle on, getting his own head lead back. Altissimo was just another head back on the inside in third but about to fade, with Startdfromdabottom, on the far outside, beginning to turn up his pressure, as the top seven in the race were separated by just more than two lengths at that point. Trojan Tale continued to battle with Diamond Dust and stuck his neck in front in the shadow of the wire, with Diamond Dust, still inside, holding second by a head over Startdfromdabottom's surge on the outside. It was another heartbreaking loss in this event for Diamond Dust, who was third in the Sprint in both 2019 and 2021. The final time for the six furlongs on the dirt rated good was 1:13.33. Tivis, the only mare in the field, rallied from 10th after the opening quarter to finish just three-quarters of a length behind Startdfromdabottom in fourth, with Mr Loooch and Danefield a close fifth and sixth, respectively. They were followed, in order, by authentic Cowtown,  Country Club Bobby, Chief Buckeye, Altissimo, Mo Dont No, Raise the Purses, and Unbridled Cause. One race later, in another strong field, Fair and Square tracked the pace in third, surged past defending winner I Wanna Win on the far turn, then cruised to a 7 1/4-length win in the $100,000 Best of Ohio Endurance. Fair and Square ($7.80), who was kept to task in the lane by jockey Rocco Bowen, finished the 1 1/4-mile route in 2:06.65. Tantrum was a distant second, followed by Raven Moon in third. Fair and Square, who has now won seven of 11 career starts, with four stakes wins, was Ohio's champion 2-year-old male of 2022. He races as a homebred for the prominent partnership of trainer Tim Hamm's Blazing Meadows Farm and the Kentucky-based WinStar Farm. Elkhorn Oaks homebred Candlelight Hours ($2.40) stated her case for another statebred championship by coasting to victory in the $100,000 Best of Ohio Distaff. Candlelight Hours, under Luis Rivera, kindly stalked the pace as R Three Angels took the field through moderate opening splits, getting the first half in 48.10. Candlelight Hours took over into the stretch and easily widened to a 3 1/2-length victory. She finished the 1 1/8 miles in 1:55.81. R Three Angels was a clear second by 6 3/4 lengths over Market Success in a sprawled-out field. Market Success and R Three Angels were second and third, in that order, in the 2022 Distaff. Candlelight Hours, trained by James Jackson, won the 2021 Best of Ohio John W. Galbreath for 2-year-old fillies on this fall showcase program to secure that divisional statebred title. She has now won five career stakes, including, earlier this year, the J. William Petro Memorial and the Best of Ohio Pay the Man Stakes, both at Thistledown. In the $100,000 Best of Ohio Juvenile, in which none of the entrants had gone the 1 1/16 miles before, unbeaten Who Dey ($2.80) successfully stretched out for the win after a prolonged battle with fellow stakes winner Shadowy. Who Dey, who has now won all three starts, including the Cleveland Kindergarten, was on the outside of early leader Shadowy as the two hit the six furlongs in a moderate 1:14.36. The two both displayed greenness in the stretch, with both very late changing leads, Who Dey shifting out and appearing to gawk at the grandstand as he did so, and Shadowy swapping back to his inside lead late. The larger of the two colts, Who Dey found his focus and leveled out his stride to prevail by three-quarters at the wire, with Shadowy a game second. It was more than seven lengths back to Dial Direct in third. The final time was 1:47.83 Who Dey is a Maccabee Farm homebred trained by Thomas Drury Jr. While Who Dey was favored, McKee pulled off a major upset to sweep the program's 2-year-old races, as Here's the Spider ($73.40) took the sister race, the $100,000 John W. Galbreath Memorial. The filly, trained by Ed Fernandez, won her debut at Belterra, but then was fifth in an allowance, rendering her a longshot in a field led by City Scene and Practicallyelusive, who had traded stakes decisions earlier in the season. City Scene had her head in front of Practicallyelusive, with Here's the Spider another half-length back after making a steady advance, coming into the stretch. The longshot wore the two down to win by 1 1/4 lengths, with City Scene holding second by a neck. The time was 1:49.78 as all the fillies went two turns for the first time. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.