Last year, in what was his first career setback, Muad’dib was 12-1 when the late Art Collector prevailed for a second straight year for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Art Collector thus joined Runco’s Researcher as the only horse to win back-to-back runnings of the Classic. But the local trainer was not at all disappointed in his runner’s effort.

“He ran even better than we expected last year in the Classic, and I think he’s coming into the race this year just as good as he did a year ago,” he said.

Muad’dib followed up last year’s runner-up effort in the Charles Town Classic by taking both the West Virginia Breeders’ Classic and the Randy Funkhouser Memorial (formerly the A Huevo Stakes) before ending the season with a disappointing third-place effort as the odds-on choice in a two-turn allowance.

He would finish fifth in the $75,000 Confucius Say Stakes in his seasonal debut in April over a muddy track, but he has since returned to win a pair of two-turn allowance contests. In five career outings at the Classic distance, Muad’dib, a son of Fiber Sonde and a full brother to multiple graded stakes winner Late Night Pow Wow, s0ports four wins, one runner-up effort and over $560,000 banked, accounting for nearly three-fourths of his bankroll.

Since his most recent outing July 21, Muad’dib has posted two recorded works, most recently breezing a half-mile in 47 1/5 seconds August 17. That was the second-fastest of nine works at that distance.

“He’s doing really, really good,” Runco said of Muad’dib, victorious in 14 of 17 career tries with over $780,000 banked. “There are a lot of really good horses in the field this year and there’s plenty of early speed. But ideally, I think he will be forwardly placed. He loves the track and he loves the distance.”

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Runco’s night won’t only rest on the efforts of Muad’dib, as perhaps his top trainee this season, Coastal Mission (Bocachica) has been tabbed as a 6-1 shot in the $250,000 Russell Road Stakes for older runners. A winner of eight of nine local outings and a perfect five-for-five at the seven-furlong distance here, Coastal Mission has won four straight races, including the $75,000 Confucius Say Stakes in April, and the Runco homebred who races under his and wife Susan’s Coleswood Farm colors, will seek his first open stakes in a race where Monmouth Park shipper Benevengo is listed as the 9-5 morning line favorite.

“He’s doing really good,” Runco said of Coastal Mission, who has won his last three races at the Russell Road distance, including the Confucius Say Stakes. “He came out of that last race great and he worked really well [3F in 35.6 on Aug. 19] last week. He’s got plenty of early speed, but there’s a lot of early speed in there, including the favorite and Peter Miller’s horse [Radical Right], who is coming in off the turf. It’s just going to depend on how the race sets up, but I think he should do well in there.”

As expected, Runco should also have a legitimate say in the outcomes of state-bred stakes on the under card. His durable eight-year-old campaigner Penguin Power (Bocachica) will be among the top three choices in the $75,000 Last Enchantment Stakes for state-breds going 4 1/2 furlongs where three-year-old Little Roo Roo (Marshall Mendez) is listed as the 6-5 morning line favorite for trainer Mike Jones, Jr. Last year’s champion West Virginia-bred sprinter, Penguin Power has won once in four starts this year but boasts 18 wins and over $525,000 banked in 34 career outings for Raim.

“He’s always run his race,” said Runco, who will also send out Amidships in that event. “He just needs to work out a trip. He’s got plenty of speed, but he likes to sit a trip. There’s plenty of speed in the race, so if he can sit just off of it, he’ll be in a good spot.”

Immediately following the Classic, Runco will send out The Sky Is Falling (Bocachica) as the 3-1 favorite in the $75,000 Sadie Hawkins Stakes for state-bred fillies and mares and then will seek to cap the card with a victory in the $75,000 Frank Gall Memorial for state-breds with Social Chic (Bocachica), who is listed as the 8-5 morning line choice in that event. Social Chic won that event last August but was disqualified and placed second behind runner-up Fancy Concho, who exits an allowance race won by Muad’dib last out.

“It’s going to be a very busy night and we’re just hoping to have a little racing luck,” Runco said. “All of the horses are coming into it great, but we’re hoping to have some good clean trips and a lot of luck.”