From a Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races release
In addition to the six stakes already slated for Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races’ September 19 Race for the Ribbon card, four handicaps have been added to the 12 race program. The handicaps, each with a purse of $30,000, will be restricted to West Virginia breds and will serve as the final preps for horses running in West Virginia Breeders’ Classics XXIX on October 10.
The Roger Ramey Handicap, named in honor of former West Virginia Racing Commission member and Charles Town’s current Vice President of Public Affairs Roger Ramey, will be run for horses three-years-old and upward going 1 1/16 miles. Last year’s Roger Ramey saw Lucy’s Bob Boy score a blowout 7 1/4 length victory over Russell Road only to have the popular gelding turn the tables on his rival four weeks later in the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders’ Classic.
The Harry Buch Handicap will be run as the female counterpart to the Roger Ramey on September 19 and will be contested at the same 1 1/16 mile distance. Buch, a past chairman of the West Virginia Racing Commission as well as President of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, passed away in 2013.
Rounding out the handicaps will be the 6 1/2 furlong Dr. Ernest Benner and Ann Hilton Handicaps for colts and geldings and fillies and mares respectively. Hilton was formerly the President of the Charles Town HBPA and currently maintains the track’s history walls, while Benner is a long time respected local veterinarian who founded the Valley Equine Associates vet practice which has served the area for nearly 50 years.
I’d like to see, Charlestown put in at least a 7/8 of mile track , this short track and races are just too hard on these horse and Jockeys, it would be a better draw for the Racing Fans, can’t stand all of those short races, The horse can run at Laurel and Pimlico, while construction is under way.
Or just close that Track! The folks can move horses to Mountainerr, Pres Isle. or run in Maryland!
The laurel Race course would be the Choice to me, bigger , safer track, also this would open up more racing dates. Food for thought!!