Fastergator secured his fifth career victory in just nine races, achieving his first stakes win on Monday at the $300,000 Steele Valley Sprint Stakes held at Mahoning Valley Race Course in Youngstown, Ohio. Ridden by Jevian Toledo and trained by Anthony Farrier, the colt Vekoma made an impressive start, breaking from the outside post in a group of nine three-year-olds. He took the lead just past the three-eighths pole and steadily extended his advantage to win by 1 3/4 lengths, completing six furlongs in 1:10.46 in a fast-paced race. Tuff Catch, ridden by Luis Saez, finished second, while Super Toscan with Irad Ortiz Jr. came in third. The favorite, Guns Loaded, guided by Florent Geroux, finished seventh despite coming in with two wins and one loss.
Fastergator, who was the second betting choice, paid $6.80 to win. Bred in Kentucky by Romer Farm LLC and BRS, he was bought for $50,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale from a Paramount Sales consignment. He races for owners Richard Burnsworth and Dunn Brothers Racing. Having competed at six different tracks, Fastergator’s prior best was a second-place finish at the Bayshore Stakes at Aqueduct in April, narrowly losing by a head to the future G3 Ohio Derby winner Mo Plex.
Also featured was the $200,000 Sheryl Stakes, White Memorial Stakes, a race for three-year-old fillies held at Ohio Racetrack. The Collinsworths’ homebred mare Stiletto, trained by Brett Calhoun, strategically stayed a few lengths behind the early speed battle before surging ahead to win convincingly by four lengths under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. Velvet Devil finished second, and Taliesin took third. The Texas-bred Stiletto completed six furlongs in 1:10.68 and returned $3 to win.
Stiletto previously dominated her debut by 16 3/4 lengths at Lone Star Park in June 2024 and won the Debutante Stakes at Ellis Park two months later. After a tenth-place finish in the G3 Pocahontas Stakes last September, she was sidelined until May and then earned a spot at Lone Star Park, which is limited to Texas-bred horses. She followed up with three consecutive second-place finishes at Ellis Park and Churchill Downs before triumphing by three and a half lengths at Keeneland on October 11 with Ortiz riding.
Fan Take: These exciting performances by Fastergator and Stiletto underscore the rising talent emerging in the sport, signaling a promising future for horse racing. Their wins highlight the depth of competition and the thrill of stakes races, which continue to captivate fans and bolster the sport’s popularity.
