Less than one month ago, trainer Cynthia McKee was hoping that one or both of her talented state-bred sophomore fillies would be peaking at the right time and deserve a chance to compete in the upcoming Grade 2, $750,000 Charles Town Oaks on their home track.

At the time, it seemed likely that Direct the Cat would carry the load.

This Friday evening McKee will get part of her wish granted when Overnight Pow Wow, a three-year-old daughter of Fiber Sonde and full sister to a prior Charles Town Oaks champion named Late Night Pow Wow, enters the gate for the very lucrative event off a win in the $75,000 Sylvia Bishop Stakes here late last month.

Direct the Cat, on the other hand, will be on the sidelines. McKee said the daughter of Redirect has been dealing with a cut on her left hind leg for over a month, which likely compromised her performance in the Sylvia Bishop when she settled for second, behind Overnight Pow Wow, as the 1-9 favorite.

“It’s a shame that the timing of the injury kept her out of the race,” McKee said of Direct the Cat, last year’s West Virginia-bred champion juvenile filly. “She only gets one chance to compete for that kind of money on her home track.”

The defeat snapped Direct the Cat’s six-race win streak, which included a sweep of Charles Town’s three stakes for juvenile fillies.

But Overnight Pow Wow, 15-1 on the morning line, has been on a three-race heater of her own.

“Overnight Pow has overcome a lot and she’s coming into the race really well,” McKee said. “I worked her a hard five-eighths the other day and then scoped her, and she didn’t bleed. Usually I have them go easy, but I needed to find out if she would bleed because none of them will get Lasix on Friday.”

Like little sis Overnight Pow Wow, Late Night Pow Wow in 2018 headed into the Charles Town Oaks following a victory in the Sylvia Bishop Memorial Stakes. Late Night Pow Wow, owned and trained by Javier Contreras at ages two and three, won the Oaks and then came right back to win the WVBC Cavada.

She then won a pair of open stakes at Laurel Park before capturing the Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie there. Overnight Pow Wow, bred by Cynthia McKee’s late husband John, is looking to follow in her older sister’s footsteps, at least locally, for her owner-trainer.

“She’s done nothing wrong to this point,” McKee said. “She’s done everything that we’ve asked of her. I knew John wanted to sell, but I really wanted to keep her. Everybody knows the story by now, but he ended up selling me one-half of her for $40,000 and keeping the other half. But if he really wanted to sell her, he would have sold her. I know deep down inside he wanted to keep her and he wanted me to have her, and I know on Friday he’ll be watching.”

Overnight Pow Wow will be reunited with regular pilot Reshawn Latchman in the Oaks, and the pair will leave from the three-hole. Latchman has ridden Overnight Pow Wow in all but one of her seven starts; the lone exception came in the Sylvia Bishop, when he rode the favorite, while Marshall Mendez took over on Overnight.

McKee will saddle five horses on Friday, including Overnight Pow Wow in the Oaks, No Change in the $75,000 Frank Gall Memorial for state-bred older runners and Youthinkthatsfunny in the $40,000 Last Enchantment overnight stakes. No Change is the 2-1 favorite in the Gall, while Youthinkthatsfunny is 20-1 in the Last Enchantment.

The Last Enchantment is named in honor of another John McKee homebred trainee, who recorded 14 wins and over $125,000 banked in 55 career outings. He has the distinction of capturing the first West Virginia Dash For Cash Breeders Classic in 2000.

Remarkably, Last Enchantment is still roaming on the same Beau Ridge Farm where was he was foaled and raised.

“He’s 29 years old and he still has a happy life,” McKee said. “He has another old horse that John used to train that keeps him company. If you look at him, you would never know he is four months away from turning 30. He’s got a little arch in his back, but his ribs aren’t showing and he still moves around the farm like a happy horse.”

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