Russell Road rallies late to nail Lucy’s Bob Boy and score his third West Virginia Breeders Classic win in 2014. Photo by Jeff Brammer.
From a Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races release
The $500,000 West Virginia Breeders’ Classic will highlight a nine-race program worth a total of $1,080,000 in stakes purses when Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races hosts West Virginia Breeders’ Classics XXIX on Saturday, October 10.
As has been the case since West Virginia Breeders’ Classics founders Sam Huff and Carol Holden put on the inaugural event in 1987, the richest race on the card will be the West Virginia Breeders’ Classic for horses 3&up going 1 1/8 miles. Originally run for $100,000 in 1987, the $500,000 Breeders’ Classic now stands as the country’s richest statebred contest. Last year’s running was captured by the venerable eight-year-old gelding Russell Road, who became the first horse to cross the finish line first three times in the race and denied Lucy’s Bob Boy’s bid to become a two-time winner in the process.
Also similar to recent Breeders’ Classics cards is the return of the $150,000 West Virginia Cavada Breeders’ Classic as the top supporting stakes race on the program. For fillies and mares ages 3&up going Charles Town’s two-turn 7 furlong distance, the Cavada will be run for a six-figure purse for the sixteenth consecutive year.
A pair of races for older horses – the West Virginia Breeder’s Classic Distaff and West Virginia Onion Juice Breeders’ Classic will be contested for $70,000 with the Division of Tourism Breeders’ Classic, Lottery Breeders’ Classic, Triple Crown Nutrition Breeders’ Classic and Vincent Moscarelli Memorial all carrying a purse of $60,000. The Triple Crown Nutrition Breeders’ Classic for two-year-old fillies will be lengthened from 4 1/2 furlongs to 6 1/2 furlongs for the first time. The $50,000 West Virginia Dash for Cash Breeders’ Classic will round out the card.
The full lineup of races for the 2015 West Virginia Breeders’ Classics will be:
- $500,000 West Virginia Breeders’ Classic, 3&up, 1 1/8 miles
- $150,000 West Virginia Cavada Breeders’ Classic, F&M 3&up, 7 furlongs
- $70,000 West Virginia Breeders’ Classic Distaff, F&M 3&up, 1 1/8 miles
- $70,000 West Virginia Onion Juice Breeders’ Classic, 3&up, 7 furlongs
- $60,000 West Virginia Division of Tourism Breeders’ Classic, F 3YO, 7 furlongs
- $60,000 West Virginia Lottery Breeders’ Classic, 3YO, 7 furlongs
- $60,000 West Virginia Triple Crown Nutrition Breeders’ Classic, F 2YO, 6 1/2 furlongs
- $60,000 West Virginia Vincent Moscarelli Memorial Breeders’ Classic, 2YO, 6 1/2 furlongs
- $50,000 West Virginia Dash for Cash Breeders’ Classic, 3&up, 4 1/2 furlongs
Post time for the first race on October 10 will be 7:05 P.M. EST with the featured $500,000 Breeders’ Classic being shown live on a Comcast Mid-Atlantic broadcast later in the evening while HRTV, The Network for Horse Sports, will provide in-studio coverage of much of the card, as well as on Fox SportsNet.
