Named in honor of the talented, versatile O’Sullivan Farms homebred who earned over $1 million and was an inaugural member of the West Virginia-bred Hall of Fame last fall, the Confucius Say attracted an overflow field of 11 runners, including several horses that are rapidly becoming household names in the Eastern Panhandle.

Headlining the deep, talented group is Muad’dib, the two-time reigning West Virginia-bred horse of the year who boasts wins in the last two editions of the West Virginia Breeders’ Classic and was second to dual-Grade I winner Art Collector last summer in the Grade 2, $1 million Charles Town Classic. 

Muad’dib headed into the Charles Town Classic undefeated, and it marked the first and only time in his career to date that he was not the post time favorite.

A six-year-old son of Fiber Sonde trained by Jeff Runco for owner David Raim and the full-brother to multiple graded stakes heroine Late Night Pow Wow, Muad’dib has won 12 of 14 career outings heading into the Confucius Say although he will be making his seasonal debut in the two-turn affair.

Regular pilot Arnaldo Bocachica will ride Muad’dib, who is the 7-2 morning line favorite.

While Muad’dib makes his debut in the Confucius Say, other contenders have a race or two under their belts.

In fact, two of the starters who fit that bill in the Confucius Say are also trained by Runco, Coastal Mission and Social Chic. Coastal Mission (6-1), a four-year-old son of Great Notion and the full-brother to former Runco trainee Lewisfield, won an allowance race over the strip last out and is three-for-three in local outings this year. Overall, he sports five wins in six tries over the surface, his only local defeat having come around one turn.

With regular pilot Bocachica jumping ship, Runco turns to Denis Araujo to ride the Coleswood Farm homebred, and they will leave from the far outside.

Social Chic (9-2), a handy winner against allowance foes last out, has won nine times in 20 career outings and earned just shy of $290,000 along the way. He was second in a two-turn allowance last fall in which Muad’dib settled for third.

While Runco might hold a trio of aces heading into the Confucius Say, he may not hold all of them. Free Sailin (4-1), last year’s champion West Virginia-bred three-year-old male, has already won a pair of allowance races this year against open allowance foes at Mahoning Valley. He concluded last fall by taking a two-turn allowance here in which both Social Chic and Muad’dib were in his wake.

A four-year-old Freedom Child gelding bred by Susan Wantz and owned and trained by Jason DaCosta, Free Sailin has won three of his four local tries, including a pair of stakes, and boasts nine wins in 15 starts overall.

Fittingly, a quartet of O’Sullivan Farms homebreds also seeks to prevail in this contest named in honor of one of their past stars.

The best of those looks to be Nico (5-1), a winner twice in three starts this year for trainer Javier Contreras. Nico sports an 8-11-1 slate and $261,000 bankroll from 23 career tries. Wesley Ho will ride.

Royal Pain (12-1) arrives on a three-race win streak for trainer Jamey Johnson, capped by a narrow score in a three-turn route last out. Reshawn Latchman is named.

Jungle Beast (12-1), a sharp allowance winner last out for Contreras, won four of nine starts last year and sports a solid 7-4-2 slate and over $250,000 banked from 16 career outings. Regular pilot Carlos Lopez will do the honors.

And Bubba Grump hopes to draw in as an also-eligible. He’s also 12-1 on the morning line for what would be his seasonal debut.

Looking to truly upset the group in the Confucius Say are Candy Invasion (15-1), a five-year-old Normandy Invasion gelding trained by former local rider Kristy Petty for the late owner-breeder John A. Casey; No Change (8-1), the defending champion of this event and a narrow winner of his seasonal debut last out for owner-trainer Cynthia McKee; and Late In The Game (20-1), a late-running sort trained by Ronald Sigler for the late James W. Casey’s Taylor Mountain Farm.

The Confucius Say is carded as race seven with a projected post time of 10:02 p.m.