An Iowa-based trainer is taking her winning operation on the road. Kelli Martinez, who racked up 71 wins and more than $1.5 million in earnings at the recently concluded Prairie Meadows meet in Altoona, will compete this fall at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course in Ohio, according to Yahoo Sports.
Martinez told the outlet she is not going east to make up the numbers. She has her sights set on the top of the trainer standings at the Austintown, Ohio track, where live racing resumes Monday, Oct. 19.
From Prairie Meadows to the Buckeye State
Martinez closed out her Iowa season as one of the dominant conditioners at Prairie Meadows, the Altoona track that anchors Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing in the state. Rather than rest on that record, she and her owners decided a new market was the right next step.
“We had a great meet in Iowa, and it was time to venture East this fall,” Martinez said, according to Yahoo Sports. “My owners were ready for a challenge.”
Her arrival adds an Iowa storyline to a meet that already has plenty of star power. Mahoning Valley's opening week runs through a special Saturday card, and first post is set for 12:15 p.m. EST on all live race days. The meet continues through Thursday, April 8, 2027.
What the Mahoning Valley meet offers
The Ohio track's stakes schedule gets underway Saturday, Oct. 24 with the “Best of Ohio” program, a card featuring five Ohio-bred stakes races worth a combined $500,000 in purses. The richest day of the meet comes Monday, Nov. 23, headlined by the $300,000 Steel Valley Sprint for 3-year-olds at six furlongs.
“We expect some of the best 3-year-olds in the country for the Steel Valley Sprint,” Mahoning Valley racing secretary Ed Vomacka said, according to Yahoo Sports. “It's one of the last times straight 3-year-olds can run against each other for that kind of money and we look forward to putting on a great show for fans of our product.”
The Nov. 23 card also includes the $200,000 Cheryl C. White Memorial for 3-year-old fillies, named for the first African American female jockey, a Northeast Ohio native, and the Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Distaff, whose purse rises to $150,000 for 2026.
Returning champions and a local superstar
Martinez will face familiar names at the top of the standings. Trainer Jay Bernardini, the perennial leading conditioner at the track, and jockey Erik Barbaran are both back to defend their titles. The rider colony also welcomes back Gerardo Corrales, the 2019 leading rider and a Breeders' Cup-winning jockey, along with apprentice Humberto Haldar.
Bernardini brings back his stable star, the 5-year-old mare Silent Rule, who missed last season in the Valley after a setback. The daughter of Street Boss has never lost a race in Ohio and has been beaten only once in her career.
“She's back!” Bernardini said, according to Yahoo Sports.
Bernardini said Silent Rule could make her return on the Best of Ohio card, though he and his connections face a choice. The $100,000 Best of Ohio Sprint would put her against males, likely including Ohio-bred veteran Superwolf, while the $100,000 Best of Ohio Distaff comes at a mile and an eighth.
“It's not her best distance,” Bernardini said of the Distaff option, according to Yahoo Sports. “But the competition shouldn't be as stout.”
Why it matters for Iowa racing fans
Martinez's move is a win for the Iowa racing community. A trainer who built her record at Prairie Meadows and now competes on a bigger stage reflects the depth of horsemen racing in the state, and it gives Iowa bettors a reason to follow the Ohio circuit through the winter months.
Fans who want to track entries and results can find official past performance and race day data through