8/8/03
FOR RELEASE: IMMEDIATE
CONTACT: TAMARA PETTIT
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
304-387-8335(OFFICE)304-479-8097(CELL)
CHESTER, WV - Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort will
be serving up more stakes than La Bonne Vie, its gourmet restaurant,
on Saturday afternoon. With a racing card of seven stakes races,
including the West Virginia Derby, and two allowance races,
a great day of thoroughbred racing can be expected.
Kicking off the special 2 p.m. post time will be the WTOV-TV
9 Purse. Eight three-year-olds will go post ward for the six-furlong
contest for a $45,000 purse. Local trainer Tim Hamm will send
Great Waters to the gate without blinkers, hoping for a different
response in the young colt. Kentucky shipper Bernie Flint has
a great chance with LX Commander who won his lat race, a $41,600
allowance, at Mountaineer. Also coming up from the bluegrass
state is Tee to Green, who had a stakes win added to his resume
earlier this year.
The second race is the West Virginia Secretary of State Handicap
featuring 11 fillies and mares going six-furlongs for an $85,000
purse. Local trainer James Fair will try his four-year-old
filly Abyss from the three hole.“She’s been training
excellent,” said Fair. “We’ve been galloping
and swimming her between here and Thistledown.” Abyss
has won four of her seven lifetime starts She is a speed horse
who rarely has anyone in front of her when the gates break,
but will face her first real test in this race.
Born to Dance, the Larkspur Handicap winner, should go for
the lead also. Her form shows a consistent front-running style.
Two-time allowance winner, Gabrieles Princess, will make her
second trip over the Mountaineer surface as yet another speedster
who will look for the early lead.
Keeping with the trend, Malvern Rose, another front-runner,
will be right with pace setters down the backstretch.
All this speed should set Miss Lodi up in perfect striking
position. The four-year-old filly, trained by Tom Amoss, has
an excellent shot at stalking the pace and closing fast for
a big score.
The third race is the $85,000 West Virginia Presidents Cup
going one mile on the turf. Ashwood CC, winner of the Decoration
Day and Firecracker Handicaps, will attempt he first trip on
the sod.
On the other hand, Born Something, a ship in from New York,
has never been on anything but grass winnings four of eleven
starts for 116,012.
Minnesota HBPA Mile runner up, Glorious Grace, has never won
on the turf, however, she does have five trips over it, producing
three seconds and a third.
Richard Small, owner and trainer of Phyxius, will try to get
that elusive Mountaineer win once again. He has ran his four-year-old
filly at Mountaineer in the Decoration Day Handicap finishing
third, the Golden Sylvia finishing second and the Firecracker
Handicap where she ran third again.
Pleasant State, an eight-year-old mare who shows 35 starts
on the turf, should be tough in the race also.
The seventh running of the West Virginia Speakers Cup will
have ten equine athletes going one mile on the turf for an
$85,000 purse. Long time local trainer Tony Polichena has his
horse Hunforgun fresh off a win on the Mountaineer turf ready
to go. “This horse has done everything I’ve asked
of him,” said Polichena. “He’s very versatile.
He can run in front or come off the pace. He likes the slop
and he’s easy to handle.”
Bernie Flint has Sea Scout, winner of his last three including
a July 14 win on the Mountaineer turf, entered as well.
Magical Madness will return to Mountaineer where last year
he ran in the Independence Day Handicap placing sixth, West
Virginia Speakers Cup placing third and the Labor Day Handicap
placing second.
The Sixth running of the West Virginia Legislature Chairman’s
Cup is loaded full of front-runners.
Trainer Benny Feliciano has a pair of steamers entered in Ameri
Brilliance, who has won his last three starts, and Baby Shark,
back-to-back winner of the Rocket Man Stakes.
Also making a return trip to Mountaineer is last year’s
winner, Sheryar Special. The four-year-old horse has hit the
board four times out of his five starts this year.
The fourth running of the Harvey Arneault Memorial Handicap
has ten horses going six-furlongs.
A Huevo, a West Virginia bred who has won all four of his lifetime
starts but was disqualified in his latest outing, has not run
since 1999.
The seven-year-old horse will face As Wicked, who has won
three of his last four, and Cargi, a five-time winner trained
by John Semer.
John Zimmerman will send out 11-time winner, Unreal Partym
to try to capture the $85,000 purse.
The Governor’s Handicap will be run with ten thoroughbreds
traveling 1 1/16 for a purse of $100,000. Docent, who beat
X Country and Winning Connection in last year’s running,
will look to stay unbeaten on the Mountaineer main track against
those two again this year. The four-year-old gelding has won
his last four races including the June 7th Slipton Fell Handicap
here.
Memorial Day Handicap winner and Independence Day runner-up,
Eagle Time, drew the #1 post for the route race.
Rounding out the field is Grey Beard, who was on last year’s
Kentucky Derby trail before a setback sidelined him.
The grand finale will be of course, the West Virginia Derby,
followed by the Bold Nobleman purse.
A field of nine runners will participate in the 13th running
of this event for three-year-olds and up that have never won
three races.
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