Plenty of stakes action at Charles Town this weekend for the WV Breeders Classics. Meanwhile, let’s see what else is on tap:
Midlantic-breds in Graded Stakes
- Middleburg, a Virginia-bred, will race in Saturday’s Belmont Park feature, the $200,000, Grade 3 Knickerbocker Stakes on the turf. The five-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid, bred and owned by Mr. & Mrs. Bertram R. Firestone, earned his first graded win last out in the Grade 3 Cliff Hanger Stakes at Monmouth Park. Trained by Christophe Clement, he’s won five of 16 career starts — with nine other in-the-money finishes. He’s 9-2 on the morning line and will have to contend with a number of other tough competitors, including Mr. Speaker and Legendary, who ran one-two in the Grade 2 Commonwealth Cup at Laurel Park last month.
Midlantic Stakes Action
- Parx Racing’s Saturday feature — the final day of its gigantic purse Fall Festival extravaganza — is the $100,000 Plum Pretty Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles. It’s a wide open affair, with 12 slated to face the starter, and lukewarm morning line favoritism falls to Primo Via (7-2). The daughter of Candy Ride was most recently eighth in the grassy Mrs. Penny at the track, but she’s a stakes-placed performer who’s earned more than $400,000 in her career. She ran second as the favorite in this event a year ago. Post time for the Plum Pretty is 4:58.
- West Virginia Breeders Classics night kicks off at 7:00 p.m. with nine races for horses bred in West Virginia. The day’s feature is the $500,000 Classic — as rich as any state-bred race in America — which features three-time winner Russell Road, the defending champ, and his frequent nemesis and himself a former champ, Lucy’s Bob Boy. In fact, if Fred High draws in off the also-eligible list, the last three winners will be in the house. Talented speedster Hidden Canyon is also slated to face the starter, and it should be one of the most exciting renewals of the WVBC. Post time for the Classic is 10:48 p.m. For more on the WVBC:
