In addition to the two graded stakes that highlighted the August 23 card at Charles Town, the Jefferson County oval also offered a pair of $500,000 open stakes that ordinarily would have taken center stage but provided a supporting complement to the Charles Town Classic and Charles Town Oaks.

Heading into the latest renewal of the $500,000 Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon Stakes for fillies and mares, much of the attention was clearly focused on Spirit Wind, the Saffie Joseph, Jr. trainee who had captured the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in her previous outing and retained the services of Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. 

But although Spirit Wind would go off at 4-5 and set the early tempo, it was two other talented mares that would eventually settle the issue late.

When the gates opened in the Pink Ribbon Stakes, Spirit Wind, Free Like a Girl and Clearly Unhinged all broke very alertly. Spirit Wind led the way through the clubhouse turn and by the opening quarter in a sharp 22.69 with Clearly Unhinged just off her flank and 1 ½ lengths in arrears. Free Like a Girl sat just outside Clearly Unhinged and awaited her cue. 

Heading into the far turn, Clearly Unhinged and Free Like a Girl both overhauled the odds-on choice, and the Pink Ribbon developed into a match race in the final furlong. In a stirring finish, Free Like a Girl prevailed by a neck while stopping the timer in 1:24.51 for the seven furlongs.

A five-year-old daughter of El Deal trained by Chasey Deville Pomier, who co-owns the mare along with Gerald Bruno, Jr., Carl J. Deville and Jerry Caroom, Free Like a Girl recorded her third win in nine starts this year and now sports a solid 18-11-6 slate and nearly $2 million banked from 41 career tries. Two years ago she’d finished a solid second behind Society in the Charles Town Oaks in her only previous start over the strip.

Her return trip to the West Virginia oval proved even more rewarding.

“She trains at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana, which is a track a lot like this one,” said Pomier, who hinted that her next start would be a stake at Churchill Downs. “The race set up exactly like we thought it would. She has a tendency to be really sharp at the break, but Luis rode her perfect. She had the trip that we expected. She likes to have a target to run at in the lane. When she angled outside of [Clearly Unhinged] I knew she was going to be tough.”

“She broke really sharp, but I wanted to sit just off the speed,” Saez said. “We had a great trip. When I asked her to run on the far turn she was moving really well. When I angled outside the leader turning for home, I was pretty confident that I could get her.”

One race later in the $500,000 Robert Hilton Memorial for three-year-old boys, delayed considerably when Catalytic became unruly in the gate and flipped over and was a late scratch, Valentine Candy (Cristian Torres) delivered a modest 7-1 upset. 

Valentine Candy saved ground most of the trip while rallying from just off the pace while saving ground behind honest early fractions. He found a seam along the rail turning for home and surged past 8-5 favorite Bentornato in the lane for a two-length score while stopping the timer in 1:23.58.

A sophomore son of Justify trained by Steven Asmussen for owners William Heliligbrodt, Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm, Whispering Oaks Farm and Coteau Grove Farms, Valentine Candy notched his third win from six seasonal tries and now owns six wins and over $800,000 banked from 12 career outings. He had won four minor stakes at Oaklawn Park in the winter, was fifth behind Book’em Danno in the Grade I Woody Stephens, then third behind World Record in the Grade II Amsterdam at Saratoga last out.

Book’em Danno, likely a prohibitive favorite here, scratched to run in Saturday’s Grade 1 Allen Jerkens at Saratoga.

“I thought there would be a lot of speed in the race, so I just wanted to get away in a good position,” Torres said. “I was able to save ground on the first turn and then on the far turn. When I asked him turning for home, he had a lot of horse left and we had room along the inside. He finished up really well. The delay didn’t affect him – he was perfect that whole time.”

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