8/20/03
FOR RELEASE: IMMEDIATE
CONTACT: TAMARA PETTIT
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
304-387-8335(OFFICE)304-479-8097(CELL)
CHESTER, WV - Michael Dickinson was getting drenched; he couldn’t
have cared less.
Dickinson was standing in the winner’s circle at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort Saturday; just minutes after
an undefeated colt he trains named Soto had prevailed in a
stirring stretch drive in the Grade 3, $600,000 West Virginia
Derby at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort.
“It was a splendid effort,” said the 53-year-old
Dickinson, the rain drops dripping from his brow.
This was only Soto’s second start this year, and he wasn’t
100 percent fit. But he’s a colt who keeps improving
every time he goes out. “He’s durable and strong
and tough.”
Ridden by 26-year-old Ramon Dominguez, Soto, the second choice
on the board at 2-1, outgamed the 6-5 favorite Dynever in a
stretch long duel to win by a neck. Soto’s final time
for his 1 1/8-mile journey, 1:46.29, set a track record, bettering
the old standard set by Western Pride in the 2001 West Virginia
Derby by nearly a full second. “Soto is a super colt!” exclaimed
an exuberant Dominguez following the race.
Edgar Prado, who rode Dynever, opined, “ We don’t
have any excuses, but I don’t really think we need any.
The winner was very brave, and that’s also true of the
colt I was on.” Dynever finished clear for second by
5 lengths, and Colita, ridden by this year’s Kentucky
Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, Jose Santos, finished third
by 1 length.
Completing the order were Supah Blitz, Mobil, Coax Kid, Cat
Singer, Miss Karry Thenews and Dr. E. Claire. Outta Here, who
had shipped in from Southern California, was scratched during
the post parade. He appeared to be favoring his left hind leg. “I’m
not going to ride a horse who’s limping,” said
OuttaHere’s Jockey, Kent Desormeaux.
Despite the race-time downpour, track conditions at Mountaineer
were very fast.
The nine-race card included seven stakes, six of which were
won in stakes-record performances.
Of these, three resulted in track records, making it an unprecedented
day of racing for Mountaineer.
The West Virginia Derby was simulcast to 600 outlets, and
wagering from all sources on the race totaled $853,467,a record
for the race. Wagering for the whole of the Mountaineer card
was a record $2,513,911. Rain began falling about 10 minutes
prior to the start of the Derby and it was coming down hard
as the horses went into the gate. Under such conditions, Mountaineer’s
one-mile oval can become very tight, very quickly. The opening
quarter-mile of the West Virginia Derby was: 22.66, the fastest
ever registered in the race, as was the opening half-mile of
45.45.
At this point, the pacesetter, Cat Singer, surrendered the
lead to Soto, and from there on it was a question of whether
anyone could catch him.
Entering the stretch, Dynever was Soto’s only serious
challenger. Dynever collared his opponent and put his head
in front with an eighth of a mile remaining but Soto would
not quit. Dominguez got his mount in front again by a nose
with one-sixteenth of a mile remaining, and from there increased
his margin by about a half-inch with every stride.
There have been thrilling West Virginia Derby’s in the
past, but never a finish quite like this one. The final furlong
of the race whizzed by in an exceptionally fast :11.69. “A
beautiful rainy day in West Virginia,” said Baron George
Von Ullman, whose family stable, Gallop LLC, campaigns Soto.
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