$200,000 Steel Valley Sprint added to Mahoning Valley
schedule
A pair of new stakes have been added to the upcoming Hollywood Gaming at
Mahoning Valley meet that gets underway on October 30 and will become part of
the 23-race, $5.35 million Penn Gaming Racing Challenge. Both stakes will be run
on Monday, November 23.
The $200,000 Steel Valley Sprint, for three-year-olds going six furlongs will
be the marquee attraction and the richest race thus far at the Youngstown, Ohio,
track about to start its second meet. That race will be joined by the $75,000
Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Distaff, also run at six furlongs.
With its timing and purse, Mahoning Valley’s Vice President of Racing
Operations Mark Loewe believes the Steel Valley Sprint has the potential to
appeal to a cross section of horses.
“Whether it’s a later developing sprinter or even a horse coming back three
weeks after Breeders’ Cup weekend, it gives a horse one last chance to run
against their own age group in a six-figure race,” Loewe said.
The Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) will be conducted a short van ride away at
Keeneland on October 31. Keeneland will also offer the $100,000 Perryville
for three-year-olds going six furlongs 23 days prior to the Steel Valley Sprint
on Saturday of Breeders’ Cup weekend.
By running the races on Monday, Loewe also believes Mahoning will be able to
take advantage of a leaner simulcast market.
“Both Zia Park and Penn National have had success running on Wednesday of
Thanksgiving week and we wanted to follow suit and run our races when we aren’t
competing for attention on the national simulcast calendar. The available pie
might be smaller, but it’s a lot easier to get a bigger chunk of it on a
Monday,” Loewe said.
The Penn Gaming Racing Challenge will conclude over Thanksgiving week with
the final three events in the series. Following the races at Mahoning
Valley, Zia Park’s Land of Enchantment Day — headlined by the $300,000 Zia Park
Oaks — and Penn National’s Thanksgiving Eve Racing Festival, featuring the
$200,000 Fabulous Strike at six furlongs, will close out the series on November
25.
The winners of the two marquee races in the Penn Gaming Racing Challenge run
thus far — Moreno (Ghostxapper), who captured the Charles Town Classic (G2),
and Penn Mile (G3) victor Force the Pass (Speightstown) — both sit in the top 5
nationally in terms of purse earnings thus far in 2015.
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