Stars out for Best of Ohio, led by Altissimo, Mo Dont No

Several familiar names from the Buckeye State, including Ohio horse of the year honorees Altissimo and Mo Dont No, highlight robust field sizes for five $100,000 statebred stakes set for Saturday at Thistledown.

These stakes, all with the “Best of Ohio” moniker attached, are annual fixtures on the Thistledown schedule, and have been grouped onto this card, providing a major midsummer target on the circuit. Each race also corresponds with an event on the annual Best of Ohio fall showcase card, which rotates between the state’s Thoroughbred tracks. This year’s program is set for Oct. 31 at Mahoning Valley.

Headlining the field for the Best of Ohio Honey Jay Stakes at six furlongs is Altissimo, who won five stakes in 2018, including the Honey Jay and the Best of Ohio Sprint at Thistledown en route to statebred horse of the year honors. The gelding, who is trained by Richard Zielinski, made a fine case for repeat honors in 2019 – the awards presentations were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic – with four stakes wins, including a repeat score in the Sprint. He was also a creditable second,

beaten just three-quarters of a length, in the Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes at Laurel Park. This year, Altissimo made a belated start to his campaign due to the pandemic. Coming off a seven-month layoff, he has been second and third in a pair of allowance races. T.D. Houghton has the mount on Saturday.

Buckeye Bullet has won 10 of his 18 lifetime starts in somewhat unconventional fashion. He won the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Michael F. Rowland Memorial Handicap. He was then laid up for more than two years before winning this year’s edition of that race, followed by an allowance score.

Liberate has won five of six starts in his home state of Ohio, and has never been worse than second here. The winner of last year’s Best of Ohio Juvenile, he cuts back to a preferred sprint distance for the Honey Jay after finishing second in the Daniel Stearns Cleveland Gold Cup at 1 1/8 miles.

Dare Day and Diamond Dust were second and third, respectively, to Altissimo in last year’s Best of Ohio Sprint; Diamond Dust won the 2018 Juvenile.

Another statebred horse of the year is looking to get in the win column in the Best of Ohio Governor’s Buckeye Cup, as Mo Dont No goes his favored 1 1/4-mile distance with Jose Bracho in the irons for owner Ron Paolucci and trainer Jeff Radosevich. Mo Dont No, who is winless in two allowance starts this year, is approaching the million-dollar mark in his accomplished career, with earnings of $987,110. The gelding is a nine-time stakes winner, highlighted by victories in the Best of Ohio Endurance in 2016, 2017, and 2018; he was second in the race last year. Mo Dont No also won the 2016 Steel Valley Sprint against open company, and won the Governor’s Buckeye Cup in 2016 and 2017.

Forewarned, who has regularly competed against open company, defeated Mo Dont No in last year’s Endurance. He comes into this rematch off a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Westchester Stakes in June at Belmont Park.

Yet another state stalwart approaching millionaire status, Leona’s Reward looks to add to her résumé in the Best of Ohio Pay the Man Stakes for fillies and mares. The mare, bred and co-owned by trainer Tim Hamm, has won 13 stakes and placed in nine others, earning $960,306. The winner of last year’s Best of Ohio Distaff, she is also looking for her first victory of the season, and faces some familiar foes here. She comes in having finished second by 12 lengths to Drillit in the J. William Petro Memorial Handicap, and then third in the Vivacious Handicap behind Distinctive Flower. John McKee has the call on Saturday.

Drillit, winner of the 2018 John W. Galbreath Memorial for 2-year-old fillies on the Best of Ohio showcase card, is looking for her fifth stakes victory here, while Distinctive Flower also returns. Moonlit Mission, the 2019 Galbreath winner, is also back for more after finishing third in the Petro Memorial.

Rounding out the program are the Best of Ohio Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes and the Best of Ohio Miss Ohio Stakes for 2-year-olds.