Without Who Dey, Fair and Square a heavy favorite in Best of Ohio Endurance
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Fair and Square endured a heartbreaking loss to the heavily favored Who Dey in each of the last two runnings of the Best of Ohio Endurance Stakes. With no Who Dey to deal with in Saturday’s renewal of the 1 1/4-mile event, he figures to be a short price off his recent sharp form at Thistledown.
The Endurance is among five $100,000 stakes for registered Ohio-breds on the fabulous Best of Ohio program at Mahoning Valley. Post time for the first of 10 races is 12:15 p.m. Eastern. The Endurance closes out the card at approximately 5 p.m.
A front-runner trained by Tim Hamm, Fair and Square dropped his first two starts of the year before taking the Aug. 8 Governor’s Buckeye Cup over 1-10 favorite Who Dey. Getting back on Lasix Oct. 7, he earned his second straight 92 Beyer Speed Figure while airing in an open 1 1/16-mile allowance.
Like all six of his rivals, Fair and Square goes off Lasix on Saturday. Rocco Bowen will ride him again, breaking from post 5 in a field with just one other runner with early foot, General Mathis.
The fast-improving General Mathis had his five-race winning streak snapped Oct. 7 when a stalking second to Fair and Square. The 9-year-old is drawn just inside Fair and Square and could try to soften up that imposing rival early before taking back and then making a bid.
John W. Galbreath
The Best of Ohio Pick 5 kicks off in the sixth with the John W. Galbreath for 2-year-old fillies. All six entrants are going long for the first time and Panda Listen should be favored in the 1 1/16-mile contest.
Based at Churchill with good sprint-to-route trainer Brendan Walsh, Panda Listen graduated second-time out by six lengths with a 74 Beyer in the six-furlong Miss Ohio Stakes at Thistledown Aug. 8. She got fried in a speed duel extending to seven furlongs most recently in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante.
Panda Listen is by classic winner and stamina sire Tiz the Law. Her dam produced three dirt route winners along with a route winner over Woodbine’s Tapeta. She’s obviously bred for the task at hand. Will she rate kindly for Fernando De La Cruz, or will she be a run-off?
Box Office Hit is also bred to handle the stretch out. The daughter of Santa Anita Handicap winner Idol was freshened after a distant third in the Miss Ohio by trainer Robert Gorham, who had a 9 percent strike rate with 2-year-olds going long for the first time over the past five years.
Juvenile
The seventh, the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile, is headed by the unbeaten Book Value and Breakheart Pass. Both are competing beyond six furlongs for the first time.
The Gorham-trained Book Value came from fourth to land his debut in June and then doubled up on an uncontested lead in the July 17 Hoover Stakes, earning a 65 Beyer for that 5 1/2-length triumph.
Bet down to 1-5 most recently in the Aug. 8 Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes, Book Value shrugged off an early challenge for the lead during a workmanlike score over Breakheart Pass. The gelding has since worked three times locally and could have the home-field advantage.
Book Value is by Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun, a freshman sire. His dam produced the speedy Livingmybestlife, a restricted stakes winner over a mile at Del Mar.
Trained by Robert Cline, Breakheart Pass graduated in a romp by 18 1/4 lengths when debuting July 20 and had a troubled trip after getting slammed at the break in the Cleveland Kindergarten. He won the Sept. 18 Loyalty Stakes at his Belterra base by 8 3/4 lengths with a 69 Beyer as the prohibitive favorite. The pace-stalker possesses a blend of speed and stamina in her pedigree.
Sprint
Horse-for-course Superwolf is the one to catch in the eighth, the six-furlong Sprint. Trained by Gorham, Superwolf is riding the wave of a seven-race winning streak dating back to September of last year.
Superwolf earned big Beyers of 91 and 89 in his two stakes victories at Mahoning last fall before getting the winter off. He got an 85 Beyer last out when taking the Aug. 8 Honey Jay Stakes comfortably over two of his current rivals.
The consistent Empire’s Fire has been chasing Superwolf during the past year and could round out the exacta. The 16-time winner is 5 for 9 at Mahoning.
◗ The 1 1/8-mile Distaff goes as the ninth and includes the popular eight-time stakes winner Candlelight Hours. Since winning the 1 1/8-mile Pay the Man Stakes in August, the 7-year-old finished third in a six-furlong stakes and a flat fourth in allowance company, both over a sloppy track.
The other protagonists in the wide-open Distaff are Silver Kiss, La Artista, Wonder World, and Cast Your Spell.
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