$200,000 Steel Valley Sprint added to Mahoning Valley schedule

$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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