The seven-furlong contest for West Virginia-bred fillies and mares drew a full gate of 10, with three-year-old Xanthe drawing in after the scratch of Navy Sword.

As expected, it was the Tim Grams-trained Moonlit Song who set the early tempo, quickly grabbing the lead and tugging through fractions of 23.96 seconds for the quarter and 48.25 for the half. But under jockey Carlos Lopez, Lucylou Who, breaking from the nine-hole, was quickly able to attain prime real estate just outside, and a half-length behind, the leader.

Lucylou Who took the lead from the tiring Moonlit Shadow rounding the far turn, and she widened her advantage to the wire, stopping the timer in 1:26.40 over a fast main track. Xanthe, the sophomore who drew in because of a scratch, mounted a strong late rally for second, a couple clear of Moonlit Shadow, who easily held third.

Off as the favorite, Lucylou Who paid $4.60 to win and topped a one-dollar exacta that returned $26.10 with Xanthe (19-1) underneath.

Lucylou Who, a filly by Sky Mesa, is a homebred for Robert L. Cole, Jr. She is trained by Mike Geralis. Since being transferred into Geralis’ barn in the fall of 2022, she’s won four of seven. Overall, Lucylou Who has won seven of 12 career outings and posted earnings of $194,332.

The Original Gold was the first stake of the year in Charles Town, but fans and horsemen won’t have to wait long for the second. The seven-furlong Confucius Say for state-breds is slated for April 22.