Heartwood recovered from a minor stumble at the start and four-wide trip around the turn to post a big upset victory at odds of 68-1 in the $200,000 Steel Valley Sprint Stakes at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course Nov. 20.
In the six-furlong test, Heartwood and jockey Hector Rosario Jr. raced in fourth while grade 3 winner Wellabled took the nine-horse field through fractions of :22.69 and :45.46 for a half-mile. Grumpelstiltskin stalked in second with Shadow Tracer a close third while favored Lasting Legacy was fifth and Petrov was seventh.
Heartwood moved up to the outside of the leaders around the turn, and with a drive to wire, ran by Wellabled, Grumpelstiltskin, and Shadow Tracer in the stretch to score by three-quarters of a length. The final time was 1:11.62 over the track labeled fast.
Shadow Tracer held on for second, a half-length ahead of a rallying Cake Pop in third. Wellabled and Lasting Legacy round out the top five. Petrov, who was squeezed at the five-sixteenths pole, was last.
Heartwood returned $138.20, $46.20, and $20.60 across the board. Trainer James Chapman co-owns the Tapit colt along with Stuart Tsujimoto.
The 3-year-old entered off a 1 3/4-length allowance score Oct. 14 at JACK Thistledown Racino. With his win Monday, he improved his record to three wins and one second from 11 starts, with earnings of $187,615.
Bred by Blue Haven Farm, out of the multiple stakes winning Forestry mare Maple Forest, Heartwood was originally purchased for $500,000 as a weanling at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton November sale by Bridlewood Farm and Three Chimneys Farm. After five starts for those connections, he was entered into the 2017 Fasig-Tipton July horses of racing age sale, where he was bought by Chapman for $75,000.
One race earlier on the card, Godolphin Racing's Moiety rallied from the back of an 11-horse field to win by 1 1/4 lengths in the $75,000 Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Distaff Stakes.
In the six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, Moiety broke awkwardly and was more than 18 lengths off the leader Seeknthegiantpearl after the first quarter-mile in :22.56. Favored Crabcakes, a multiple stakes winner, raced in sixth early.
Under jockey Jose Valdivia Jr., Moiety began moving by her rivals one by one, but was still eighth after a half-mile in :45.67. The Bernardini filly went wide around the turn and powered past the remainder of the field in the deep stretch. The final time was 1:12.66. Longshot Tune Up was second and Crabcakes was third.
Bred by Darley, out the Ghadeer mare Be Happy, Moiety improved her record to four wins and five seconds from 10 starts, with earnings of $168,814.
