When racing folks gathered on the top floor of the clubhouse at Charles Town for the annual West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Awards dinner and trophy presentations Sunday night, it was a joyous occasion that also had a touch of sadness.

For the second consecutive year, Coastal Mission garnered the title as champion West Virginia-bred older male and horse of the year following another busy campaign in which he won three of nine starts and earned nearly $535,000. He earned his top win with a victory in the Grade 3 Forty Niner Stakes at Aqueduct for trainer Jeff Runco, also, with wife Susan, the breeder and owner.

One year earlier, Coastal Mission recorded eight wins from 10 starts and banked just shy of $450,000 to garner his first title as state-bred older horse and horse of the year.

“He’s been a really good horse for us the last two years,” Runco said of Coastal Mission, the Coleswood Farm homebred who now owns 14 wins and $1.15 million banked from 28 career outings. “I’ve had some nice horses in the past, like Researcher, but it’s a little more special when one of your own turns out that good. I mean, that doesn’t happen very often, so you really have to savor it when they do well.”

[SEE COASTAL MISSION VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS ABOVE OR CLICK HERE]

Runco noted that Coastal Mission, who has finished third once in two starts this year while venturing to Aqueduct for a pair of open stakes, will get some time off before resuming training later this spring for a summer and fall campaign that will include several more stakes tries.

Another Runco trainee, Duncan Idaho, the full-brother to Late Night Pow Wow, Muad’dib and Overnight Pow Wow, was honored as champion male sprinter on Sunday evening. Duncan Idaho is owned by longtime Runco client David Raim.

Duncan Idaho, Late Night Pow Wow, Muad’dib and Overnight Pow Wow have combined to earn nearly $3 million. That quartet had two common threads: their sire, Fiber Sonde, and their dam, the great local broodmare Holy Pow Wow.

Holy Pow Wow, by Indian Charlie, passed away in late December while in foal to Fiber Sonde. Her passing marked another difficult milestone for owner Cynthia McKee, who had previously lost her husband, John McKee, two years ago, and has since retired the very talented Direct The Cat, another talented homebred, to begin her second career as a broodmare.

“It was so sad to lose her,” McKee said of Holy Pow Wow, who was posthumously honored as champion broodmare for 2024. “She was in foal to Fiber Sonde, and when they sent me the autopsy x-rays, you could see the colt almost fully developed. He was set to be foaled in March.”

Direct the Cat won four of five last year for McKee, including the West Virginia Lottery Breeders Classic, but it wasn’t enough to secure top state-bred three-year-old filly honors. She was runner-up to stablemate Overnight Pow Wow, and now she won’t have the chance to turn the tables.

“Direct the Cat had a little bone issue in her lower leg,” McKee said. “She could have come back after six months off, but the vets said she might not be the same.”

Overnight Pow Wow, the runner-up to Coastal Mission in the horse of the year voting, took home the title as champion three-year-old filly, edging Direct the Cat for the honor.

Other champions honored included Pascaline (champion two-year-old male), Diakonisa (two-year-old filly), Jubawithatwist (three-year-old male), Hessica (filly or mare), Maggie’s Girl (female sprinter), and Duncan Idaho (male sprinter). See the list below.

Juba was tabbed as champion sire, and the late John McKee was named the breeder of the year. Former West Virginia Racing Commission chair Ken Lowe and longtime breeders Hank and Betty Stehr were recipients of the Sam Huff Award presented by Carol Holden of the West Virginia Breeders Classics.

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WEST VIRGINIA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS ASSOCIATION DIVISION CHAMPIONS

• 2YO FILLY: Diakonissa – bred by Michael Furr, trained by Anthony Farrior for Ultra Championship Racing LLC
• 2YO MALE: Pascaline – bred by James Miller, trained by Arnaud Delacour for West Point Thoroughbreds, et. al.
• 3YO FILLY: Overnight Pow Wow – bred by John McKee, trained by Cynthia McKee for Beau Ridge Farm
• 3YO MALE: Jubawithatwist – bred by John A. Casey, trained by Kristy Petty for KP Racing Stables LLC
• OLDER FILLY/MARE: Hessica – bred by Kristy Lynn Petty, trained by Kristy Petty for KP Racing Stables LLC
• OLDER MALE: Coastal Mission – bred by Coleswood Farm, trained and owned by Jeff Runco
• FEMALE SPRINTER: Maggie’s Girl – bred by Tim and Judy Grams, trained by Tim Grams for Grams Racing Stable
• MALE SPRINTER: Duncan Idaho – bred by John McKee, trained by Jeff Runco for David Raim