Bill Campbell’s SPEED WHIZ (Weshaam) got off a step slow, but quickly made
amends, coming back to capture Saturday evening’s $450,000 West Virginia Breeders Cup Classic S. at Charles Town
by 7 1/2 lengths. The nine-furlong event was the feature of
eight stakes races held as part of the track’s Breeders Classics XIX.
Racing wide throughout, the Speed Whiz ran the first quarter-mile in :23 under jockey Anthony Mawing in the seventh
spot. Brigader (Gneiss) completed a half-mile in :48 1/5 with Speed Whiz
trailing in sixth before the former claimer made his move entering the third
turn, following the leader through six furlongs in 1:13 4/5. The Campbell-trained
gelding took command entering the stretch, going a mile in 1:39 2/5, and then
proceeded to draw away from his rivals, concluding the 1 1/8-mile test in 1:52
3/5 over sloppy going.
Campbell managed to grab the top two spots as an owner and trainer Saturday as Speed Whiz’s coupled entrymate, Slew’s Smile (Native Slew), held on to second-place by a half-length over Sheckatoo (Shecky Iron).
Speed Whiz and Slew’s Smile each returned $9.60, $8.40 and $4.60 to their
backers at 7-2 while Sheckatoo paid $8 for the show and was on the bottom
end of the $133 exacta at 19-1. Brigader held on to fourth to round out the
$645.80 trifecta (2-7-4) at 6-1. Wild Remarks (Wild Rush), Vanastash (Manastash
Ridge), Longfield Spud (Mercer Mill), Take the Plunge (Weshaam) and Tienneman
Square (Oh Say) completed the order of finish. The 1-2 favorite, A Huevo (Cool
Joe), pulled up before approaching the four-furlong stage and was vanned off the
track after the finish.
Bred in West Virginia by James Casey, Speed Whiz is out of the stakes-winning
mare Whiz Quiz (*Slady Castle) and is a full brother to the stakes-winning colt
Whiz Pass. With this victory, his third consecutive, Speed Whiz increases his
mark to 26-4-4-5 and $326,206 in earnings. Other marks on the four-year-old’s
resume include a second in the 2003 West Virginia Futurity.
In the race prior to the West Virginia Breeders’ Classic, ORIGINAL GOLD
(Slavic) captured the $225,000
Jefferson Security Bank “Cavada” West Virginia
Breeders Classic S. for owner/trainer Ronney Brown. Sent off as the 1-2
favorite, the five-year-old mare rated off the pace in the early going under
jockey Travis Dunkelberger, but made the lead drawing off around the turn and
kept his opponents at bay while cruising to a 2 1/2-length victory to stop the
timer in 1:26 for seven furlongs. The winning mare returned $3, $2.40 and $2.20
for her efforts, leading exotics of $11 (exacta) and $63.20 (trifecta).
Other winners on the day included Sorbettor Associates’ STANDING FOR PEACE
(Standing on Edge), who captured the $67,500
Triple Crown Nutrition Breeders
Classic S. by a length under jockey Gustavo Larrosa for conditioner John McKee. Sydney
Racing Partners’ BRYCESLITTLESECRET (Littlebitlively) took the $67,500
West
Virginia Lottery Breeders Classic S. by three lengths under Scott Spieth for
trainer Eddie Householder. Betty Kaelin’s KING COHL (Crimson Classic), trained
by Forest Kaelin, annexed the $67,500
West Virginia Vincent Moscarelli Memorial
Breeders Classic S. by 5 1/4 lengths beneath Mawing.
Diamond Oak Stable’s NOT
FOR SAM (Not for Love) captured the $67,500
West Virginia Dash for Cash
Breeders Classic S. by 3 1/2 lengths for trainer Amy Albrigtht and jockey Oscar
Flores. DASL Stable’s SPINDINI (Prenup) scored a 1 3/4-length victory in the
$67,500
West Virginia “Onion Juice” Breeders Classic S. under
Kendrick Carmouche for
conditioner David Wells. In the final race of the day, the $67,500
West Virginia
Division of Tourism Breeders Classic S., Nancy Terhune’s BRAVURA (Irgun) went on
to a three-length win beneath Dunkelberger for trainer Jeff Runco.