The showdown between defending Sam Huff West Virginia Breeders’ Classic-winner Coastal Mission and the up-and-coming three-year-old Jubawithatwist will have to wait for another day. Trainer Jeff Runco opted to point Coastal Mission to New York’s Forty Niner Stakes (GIII). So the stage will belong to Kristy Petty’s Jubawithatwist, as the talented son of Juba headlines a full field of ten with four alternates in this year’s renewal of the richest race for West Virginia-breds on the 38th annual West Virginia Breeders’ Classics card.

The ten-race program features nine WVBC events along with one other West Virginia-restricted stakes race, with over $1 million in purses up for grabs Saturday evening. The night will also feature a mandatory distribution of the Charles Town 6-12 jackpot that currently sits at $42,146, along with an early and late Pick 5, with the former covering the first five races on the card, and the latter covering the final five contests.

Jubawithatwist returns to state-bred competition after a respectable fourth in the Robert Hilton Memorial (L) on Charles Town Classic and Oaks night against open competition. Petty says her charge exited that race in good order and is ready to roll on Saturday night.

“He came out of that race well and he’s been whinnying and really feeling himself in the mornings, so he’s coming into the race great,” said Petty. “He’s just all racehorse.”

The Sam Huff will not be Jubawithatwist’s first time around three turns at Charles Town. He passed his first test at the configuration with flying colors in a June 27 allowance race, a race that gives Petty plenty of confidence going into Saturday’s contest.

“That really has been nice to know that he shouldn’t have any issues with the distance. But I told him he’s still going to have to have his running shoes on.”

Jubawithatwist’s regular pilot Gustavo Larrosa has the call on the 3/5 morning line favorite.

While Runco will be leaving the defending champion West Virginia-bred in the barn, he will still be represented by the second and third choices on the morning line in Runaldo and two-time Breeders’ Classic winner Muad’dib. Runaldo is coming off a career best 88 Beyer Speed Figure in his most recent effort on August 17th. He will have the services of Arnaldo Bocachica.

Muad’dib famously started his career winning his first ten races and twelve of his first 13 but has just four wins from his last 13 starts. The son of perennial top West Virginia stallion Fiber Sonde has kept top company and will be ridden by Grade 1-winning jockey Angel Cruz.

I’m the Money Man, Lieutenant Brown, Juba’s Notion, Espresso, Remys Showtime, Late in the Game, and Sargent Kobe round out the remainder of the body of the field from the rail out, with Summoning Denis, Jungle Beast, Bad Lineage, and Moon Fall the four runners on the also-eligible list should there be any defections from the body of the race. The Classic will go as race 8 on the 10-race program, with a post time of 10:32 ET.

The night’s co-featured event is the $125,000 West Virginia Cavada Breeders’ Classic, which goes as race 7, and features the two-time defending champion Hessica, also owned and trained by Kristy Petty. But it’s the three-year-old Overnight Pow Wow for Cyndy McKee who was installed as the 2/1 morning line favorite for the Cavada.

By Fiber Sonde and out of the “blue hen” Beau Ridge Farm mare Holy Pow Wow, Overnight Pow Wow is a full-sister to superstar state-breds Late Night Pow Wow and Muad’dib, and will look to emulate her big sister by capturing the Cavada after running in the Charles Town Oaks (GII).

Hessica is coming into her “three-peat” bid off a win in the local prep for the Cavada, the Sadie Hawkins Stakes, where she earned a career-best 83 Beyer Speed Figure. Other main contenders include Barbers Point, Moonlit Shadow, and Great Spirit, with potential longshots Lucylou Who and Jubaslilballerina rounding out the field.

The first race on Saturday’s West Virginia Breeders’ Classics program is slated for 7PM ET.

West Virginia Breeders’ Classics festivities kick off on Thursday, October 10th with the Breeders’ Classics Gala, followed by the Sam Huff Golf Classic on Friday morning at Locust Hill Golf Course. There will be a West Virginia Breeders’ Classics Handicapping Tournament on TwinSpires for the first time this year. There will be over $5,000 in prizes, plus seats to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge and Kentucky Derby Betting Challenge up for grabs.

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