Steel Valley Sprint Lures 12, Plus Prominent Jockeys

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Steel Valley Sprint Lures 12, Plus Prominent Jockeys
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Kenny Martin
Call Paul and Irad Ortiz Jr. win the Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park

A rich purse, coupled with many racing jurisdictions being dark on Mondays, have led to a noticeable group of out-of-town riders securing choice mounts in the $250,000 Steel Valley Sprint Stakes Nov. 25 at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Racecourse in Youngstown, Ohio.

Three jockeys ranked among the top 20 by earnings in 2019—Julien Leparoux, Florent Geroux, and Irad Ortiz Jr.—have rides in the 12-horse race for 3-year-old sprinters. Leparoux rides Bourbon Calling, a winner of two consecutive allowance-level races in Kentucky; Geroux is aboard Preamble, a colt with a 3-for-4 record; and Ortiz rides Call Paul, a two-time graded stakes winner.

Ortiz, who won four Breeders' Cup races this month at Santa Anita Park to capture the Bill Shoemaker Award as most outstanding jockey at the two-day event, tops all riders in North America with earnings of more than $32.2 million this year. Last year's Eclipse Award-winning rider looks to pad that total aboard the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

At six furlongs, the race plays to Call Paul's strength: speed. All six of his victories from 13 starts have come in races at seven furlongs or shorter, highlighted by the Saratoga Special Stakes Presented by Miller Lite (G2) at Saratoga Race Course last year at 2 and the Swale Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park this year at 3.

Trainer Jason Servis has spotted Call Paul in restricted company in three of his past five starts, including victories in the Danzig Stakes at Hollywood Gaming at Penn National Race Course and the New Castle Stakes at Delaware Park. He finished second as the 4-5 favorite in the Oct. 19 Maryland Million Sprint Handicap at Laurel Park when caught in the final furlong by older horse Taco Supream in a six-furlong race timed in a rapid 1:08.80.

Call Paul is the richest horse in the Steel Valley Sprint. The son of Friesan Fire  has made $566,670 for owners Michael Dubb, David Simon, and Bethlehem Stables.

He races with his age group Monday, though being a speed horse drawn inside in post 2 could prove detrimental. At least four other horses to his outside are confirmed frontrunners, but Call Paul did rate behind swift fractions to win the Swale from five lengths off the pace back in February.

Should hot splits unfold, the beneficiary would be Bourbon Lane Stable and Six Column Stables' Bourbon Calling, a deep closer. Since breaking his maiden in his eighth start in May, he has shown dramatic improvement, clearing three allowance conditions. Only an unplaced effort in the Amsterdam Stakes (G2) when sixth at Saratoga Race Course slowed his forward trajectory.

He prevailed over the six-furlong trip Oct. 20 at Keeneland when he edged fellow Steel Valley Sprint rival Get Hammered by a neck, covering the distance in 1:10.08.

WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Racing's Preamble, out of action since the spring, won his first three starts before a ninth as the favorite in the Chick Lang Stakes (G3) May 18 at Pimlico Race Course. He fired a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 Nov. 18 at Keeneland for trainer Rodolphe Brisset.

The top hope among Ohio-based horses is Dare Day, a speedster whose only poor race in five starts came when routing in the Ohio Derby (G3) this summer.

A secondary feature Monday is the $75,000 Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Distaff Stakes, which drew a modest group of 10 headed by Michael Foster's Vertrazzo, a last-out runner-up in the West Virginia Secretary of State Stakes at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort.

Geroux will ride for trainer William Cowans.


Entries: Steel Valley Sprint S.

Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, Monday, November 25, 2019, Race 7

  • STK
  • 6f
  • Dirt
  • $250,000
  • 3 yo
  • 3:33 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Bourbon Calling (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Julien R. Leparoux 121 Ian R. Wilkes 4/1
2 2Call Paul (PA) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 124 Jason Servis 5/2
3 3Big Drink of Water (FL) Erik Barbaran 117 Larry Rivelli 10/1
4 4Dare Day (OH) Luis Raul Rivera 117 Jeffrey A. Radosevich 15/1
5 5Manny Wah (KY) Channing Hill 119 Wayne M. Catalano 8/1
6 6Olympic Village (FL) Jose A. Bracho 117 Robert B. Hess, Jr. 15/1
7 7Ruling Empire (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Luis M. Quinones 117 Thomas E. Jones, Sr. 30/1
8 8Centrist (NY) Gerardo Corrales 117 Amber Cobb 30/1
9 9Get Hammered (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose Valdivia, Jr. 117 Larry Rivelli 8/1
10 10Bybee (KY) Luan Machado 117 Eduardo Caramori 20/1
11 11Dugout (NY) Jareth Loveberry 117 Larry Rivelli 6/1
12 12Preamble (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Florent Geroux 119 Rodolphe Brisset 5/1


Entries: Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Distaff S.

Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, Monday, November 25, 2019, Race 5

  • STK
  • 6f
  • Dirt
  • $75,000
  • 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
  • 2:36 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Thoughtless (FL) Jose A. Bracho 118 Robert B. Hess, Jr. 6/1
2 2Hidatsa Park (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Erik Barbaran 118 Ricardo Bailey 20/1
3 3Bootsy's Hadenough (KY) Irwin J. Rosendo 118 Kellyn Gorder 10/1
4 4Select Friday (FL)Keeneland Sales Graduate Rogelio Miranda 116 Ben Delong 15/1
5 5Now Play Nice (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Luis Antonio Gonzalez 120 Kevin Buttigieg 8/1
6 6Tough Irma (FL)Keeneland Sales Graduate Fernando De La Cruz 118 Cipriano Contreras 5/1
7 7Vertrazzo (KY) Florent Geroux 120 William D. Cowans 9/2
8 8Ever Wonder (IN)Keeneland Sales Graduate Christian P. Pilares 118 Robert M. Gorham 15/1
9 9Last True Love (KY) Gerardo Corrales 120 Flint W. Stites 4/1
10 10D J's Favorite (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 John C. Servis 7/2