Improbably, Who Dey and Fair and Square staged a thrilling near-replay of last year's $100,000 Best of Ohio Endurance, gamely dueling nearly throughout the race with Who Dey prevailing in a head bob at the wire on Saturday’s state showcase program at Mahoning Valley.
Who Dey ($2.80) won the Endurance by a neck over then-reigning Ohio-bred horse of the year Fair and Square in 2024. The Maccabee Farm homebred, trained by Tommy Drury, repeated in one of the centerpiece events of the Ohio-bred fall showcase program on Saturday at Mahoning Valley, with five stakes worth $100,000 each on the program.
In last year's Endurance, Who Dey was bumped at the break and moved into contention with a solid middle move before dueling with the older Fair and Square - the 2022 and 2023 Endurance winner - for the win. This year, both were away well. Fair and Square, a six-time stakes winner, led early under Rocco Bowen, but never got clear by more than a length, leading at the half-mile call in 49.17 seconds. Who Dey, racing in second under Willie Martinez, drew to near-even, and poked a head in front at the quarter pole, as the two began to draw clear of the rest of the field.
Fair and Square briefly reclaimed the lead, and the duo dueled through the stretch, with Who Dey getting his head down at the wire. It was the fourth career stakes win for the colt, who has also run admirably against open company, with a Grade 3 placing last year.
Who Dey hit the line in a track-record 2:04.27 for the 1 1/4 miles on the fast track. It was 10 3/4 lengths behind the top duo to Silence.
Earlier on the card, Superwolf ($4.60), the 2024 Best of Ohio Juvenile winner, continued to cement his reputation as a 3-year-old, defeating older horses with a wire-to-wire performance in the Best of Ohio Sprint, his third stakes victory of the year. With Erik Barbaran in the irons for trainer Robert Gorham, he won by 1 1/4 lengths over Boots Malone; Fortissimo was third, with defending winner Empire’s Fire in third.
This was the third stakes win of the year for Superwolf.
In another win for 3-year-olds over older horses, Praise N Glory ($56.40), the longest shot on the board, upset the Best of Ohio Distaff. Under Chelsey Keiser, the Ivan Vazquez trainee stalked the pace and edged ahead by a neck at the wire in a blanket finish. Minestress was second by three-quarters of a length over 2023 Distaff winner Candlelight Hours.
Praise N Glory has won four of 12 starts in a hickory campaign this year, but was well beaten in both her stakes outings.
Crown the Buckeye ($2.10) scored the second stakes win of his young career, drawing off by 4 1/2 lengths in the Best of Ohio Juvenile under Jareth Loveberry. The colt began his career by finishing second in the Hoover Stakes, then won the Best of Ohio Cleveland Kindergarten on the summer showcase.
In a wide-open field with no prior stakes winners, Ryka ($26.80) won the John W. Galbreath Stakes, essentially, the Juvenile Fillies, by 2 3/4 lengths. Angel Diaz was in the irons for David Wolochuk.
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