A full field of twelve sophomore sprinters are signed on to contest the 11th running of the $300,000 Steel Valley Sprint, the main event of a stakes-laden card at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course on Monday with nearly $1 million in purse money up for grabs.
The Cherie DeVaux-trainee Retribution exits a fifth-place effort in the Gallant Bob Stakes (G2) at Parx, but owns one of the best victories of any horse in the field with his win in the Chick Lang Stakes on the Preakness undercard at Pimlico. DeVaux believes getting back to that race would make Retribution tough on Monday.
"Last time was a tough race against a very tough field," said DeVaux. "I thought he ran a very good race. He's a horse that puts in a good race, then will get a little green. He's still figuring it out. But if he runs his good race, he should be right there."
Jose Ortiz will have the call on the son of Vekoma, who will break from post three.
Guns Loaded goes out for recent Breeders' Cup Sprint-winning trainer Jose D'Angelo. The son of top stallion Gun Runner captured the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park in January as an early stop on the Kentucky Derby trail. After a pair of subpar efforts in stakes company that followed, he was given some time off before resurfacing at Churchill Downs this fall. In that return effort, Guns Loaded showed a new dimension, rallying from off the pace under Florent Geroux -- who has the return call in the Steel Valley Sprint -- to win impressively.
"We've always known he was very talented, a very honest horse who ran good races everywhere," said D'Angelo. "We gave him some time off, and he got very sharp coming back. He ran a huge race at Churchill. That was the first time he came from off the pace. Before the time off, he seemed to like to lug in. But he ran straight. I loved the way he traveled. We gave him time to recover from that big race, and we're looking forward to running him back."
Tough Catch for trainer Dallas Stewart has had a similar career arc to Guns Loaded -- early stakes success followed by time off and a comeback in a Kentucky allowance race. For Tough Catch, the stakes win came in the Sugar Bowl at Fair Grounds, and the allowance comeback came at Keeneland.
"He had little time off, came back at Keeneland and had a bit of a troubled trip," said Stewart. "But he worked really good here on Saturday, and he's a solid colt. We're looking forward to getting him up there."
Luis Saez, who has ridden Tough Catch in his last three outings, will once again have the mount from post nine.
Trainer Dale Romans will send out two runners in stakes winner Keep It Easy and Taylor's Version. Keep It Easy's stakes win came last November in the Ed Brown Stakes at Keeneland, and most recently finished second in the same allowance race that Tough Catch exits. While Taylor's Version hasn't notched a stakes victory, his performance two races ago in an allowance win at Churchill Downs makes him competitive, and he figures to be among the pacesetters early on.
The final stakes winner in the field is Rolando for trainer Fausto Gutierrez. The son of Vekoma boasts wins in both the Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream and the Petramalo Mile at Colonial Downs, and is coming off a fourth-place effort in the Perryville Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. He'll have the services of Tyler Gaffalione from post five.
Faster Gator for trainer Anthony Farrior has been knocking on the door of a stakes victory all year. He was the runner-up in the Bay Shore at Aqueduct in April behind eventual Ohio Derby (G3) victor Mo Plex and finished third in the Robert Hilton Memorial at Charles Town in August. He's coming off of a sharp local allowance score, and his conditioner feels like his best efforts are still in front of him.
"This is probably the best he's ever been," said Farrior. "I like the six furlongs. I think that fits him a little better than the seven-eighths. That's probably a little long for him. I think he's got a big heart. He tries. I have a lot of confidence in him. I think they gotta come beat us."
Jevian Toledo will be aboard yet another son of Vekoma in the field and they'll be breaking from the far outside post in the field of twelve.
Guadalupe Preciado sends out Fire Pit. The son of Cairo Prince has kept good company throughout his career, including a third-place effort in the aforementioned Gallant Bob.
"We think he will be okay," said Preciado. "He looks like he's matured a little bit and is coming around. He can sit just off the pace but he usually breaks sharp."
He'll need another good start breaking from the rail with Andy Hernandez aboard.
Saffie Joseph, Jr. will send out Souper Tuscan and have the services of jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. The Vino Rosso colt is now two-for-two since switching to dirt after four synthetic surface efforts to start his career.
"We bought into him thinking he could be a dirt horse," said Joseph. "He trained okay on dirt, but it took him a little while to put it all together. When we switched him to dirt in the afternoon, he really woke up. He's gotten a lot better."
Completing the field from the rail out are Hymn, El Muchacho Alegre, and Dr. Alex Is In.
Monday's card will feature a mandatory payout in the Buckeye Pick 6, an all-stakes sequence covering the final six races on the card as well as a $75,000 guaranteed all-stakes Pick 4 that will begin in Race 7 and culminate with the Steel Valley Sprint.
Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, Monday, November 24, 2025, Race 10Entries: Steel Valley Sprint S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Fire Pit (KY) Julio A. Hernandez 117 Guadalupe Preciado 6/1 2 2Hymn (KY) Evin A. Roman 117 Ron Moquett 10/1 3 3Retribution (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 124 Cherie DeVaux 5/1 4 4El Muchacho Alegre (FL) Angel I. Diaz 117 Ivan Calderon 30/1 5 5Rolando (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 124 Fausto Gutierrez 12/1 6 6Taylor's Version (KY) Vincent Cheminaud 119 Dale L. Romans 10/1 7 7Dr. Alex Is In (IN) Alberto Burgos 117 Michelle L. Elliott 30/1 8 8Souper Tuscan (ON) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 117 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 9/2 9 9Tough Catch (KY) Luis Saez 117 Dallas Stewart 8/1 10 10Keep It Easy (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 117 Dale L. Romans 10/1 11 11Guns Loaded (KY) Florent Geroux 124 Jose Francisco D'Angelo 3/1 12 12Faster Gator (KY) Jevian Toledo 117 Anthony Farrior 12/1
