Overanalyze, Departing square off in West Virginia Derby

Overanalyze beat Preakness winner Oxbow by a wide margin in the Arkansas Derby (Oaklawn/Coady Photography) Overanalyze and Departing, both of whom won Triple Crown prep races but failed to contend in the classics themselves, will return from extended layoffs Saturday in the $750,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer. The 1 1/8-mile West Virginia Derby is the highlight of a nine-race, all-stakes program, which commences with a special afternoon post time of 2 p.m. (EDT). One of several classic prospects in the Todd Pletcher juggernaut, Overanalyze entered the season with a pair of Grade 2 wins at two in the Remsen and the Futurity. A disappointing fifth following a wide trip in the Gotham in his sophomore bow, he rebounded to take a slowly-run renewal of the Arkansas Derby by more than four lengths.

Overanalyze ran in two of the Triple Crown events, but was never close in
either one. Eleventh in the Kentucky Derby, 13 1/2 lengths behind the victorious
Orb, he was a nondescript seventh in the Belmont Stakes next out, 8 1/2 lengths
behind stablemate Palace Malice.

The son of Dixie Union will get a new rider, Rosie Napravnik, for the West
Virginia Derby, and will race with blinkers for the first time.

Departing has landed in a winnable spot in the West Virginia Derby (Mike Kane/Maryland Jockey Club) Departing, a homebred War Front gelding who races for Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, was never seriously considered for the Kentucky Derby despite winning a minor stakes at Sam Houston and finishing third in the Louisiana Derby in his first two black type appearances. However, he did contest the Preakness following a strong 3 1/4-length tally in the Illinois Derby at Hawthorne, but never got untracked at Old Hilltop, finishing sixth, 10 lengths behind the winning Oxbow. Departing will also get a new rider Saturday. Robby Albarado substitutes for Brian Hernandez Jr., who stays at Saratoga to ride Fort Larned in the Whitney Handicap. The other leading contenders in the West Virginia Derby are Betweenhereandcool, a neck second in the Iowa Derby last time for trainer Steve Asmussen, and the the late-developing California shipper Say Ow, a two-length winner against first-level allowance foes at Hollywood Park most recently. Grass stakes winner Ruler of Love, third in the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs earlier in the year, is also in the mix for a minor share.

The most lucrative of the undercard stakes is the $200,000
West Virginia
Governor’s, a 1 1/16-mile test for older horses. The most prominent
contenders are all front runners: multiple stakes winner and Pimlico Special
runner-up Eighttofasttocatch; Oaklawn Handicap and Prairie Meadows Cornhusker
Handicap runner-up Taptowne; and the stakes-winning Brooklyn Handicap runner-up
Percussion. The latter is trained by Todd Pletcher, who has also entered Mordi’s
Miracle, who finished second in the Excelsior at Aqueduct in late March.

Gentlemen’s Bet, who upset Delaunay in the Iowa Sprint Handicap in late June,
will be an overwhelming favorite in the six-furlong, $100,000
Senator Robert
C. Byrd Memorial if his connections choose to bypass Sunday’s Alfred G.
Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga, for which he has also been mentioned as a
possible starter.

In Gentlemen’s Bet’s absence, favoritism would likely fall on either
Aristides runner-up Jasizzle or local hopeful Russell Road, who captured the
one-mile Independence Day at Mountaineer on July 2.

The $100,000
West Virginia Secretary of State, a six-furlong dash for fillies and mares,
features the three-year-old Fusaichiswonderful. A star in Puerto Rico as a
juvenile, the chestnut won a minor Gulfstream stakes in March for Todd Pletcher
before placing in a pair of Grade 3s — the Eight Belles and the Victory Ride —
in her last two. She has since been privately purchased and will debut Saturday
for trainer Tevis McCauley.

Others of note are Barbara Fritchie Handicap winner Funnys Approval, multiple
Grade 2-placed stakes winner Amie’s Dini, and the three-year-old Flattering Bea.

The 100,000
West
Virginia House of Representatives Speaker’s Cup, for older horses at one
mile and 70 yards on the turf, includes Hammers Terror, a multiple stakes winner
on grass at Canterbury; Grade 3 veteran Derby Kitten; multiple turf stakes
winner Global Power; and the stakes-placed pair of Saint Pierre and Easy
Crossing. The $100,000
West
Virginia Senate President’s Cup, for fillies and mares at one mile and 70
yards on turf, will have as its favorites Ask Me Anything, Soft Whisper and
Prissy.

The lightly-raced five-year-old Back Forty, a 6 1/4-length allowance winner
at Oaklawn when last seen in April, returns to action in the $100,000
West Virginia
Legislature Chairman’s Cup. Favorably drawn on the inside in the 4
1/2-furlong blitz are Regal Revenge, Comiskey’s Humor, and Bet Seattle.

Indiana Downs maiden winners Joedini and Bisque figure to take most of the
betting action in the $100,000
Mountaineer
Juvenile over six furlongs. The filly counterpart, the $100,000
Mountaineer
Juvenile Fillies at six furlongs, features Lady Red Di, a last-out Indiana
Downs maiden winner, and Silver Valley, a debut winner at Lone Star who failed
to threaten in either the Debutante at Churchill or the Schuylerville at
Saratoga in two subsequent outings.

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