Donald and Roberta Mary Zuckerman’s WEST VIRGINIA (Tomorrows Cat) made a late
run in Saturday’s $151,900
Excelsior Breeders’ Cup H. (G3)
at Aqueduct to
capture his second Grade 3 stakes by 1 3/4 lengths. The five-year-old dark bay
rated in midpack as Funny Cide (Distorted Humor) went to the early lead and sped
through fractions of :23 2/5, :46 1/5 and 1:10 3/5 with Liquor Cabinet (Ire)
(Hennessy) closely in tow. The Todd Pletcher-trained West Virginia rallied three
wide into the lane and took over the advantage, completing 1 1/8 miles over
Aqueduct’s fast main track in 1:48 1/5 under jockey Norberto Arroyo, Jr.
“He ran better today than any other time I’ve ridden him,” Arroyo said. “The
pace was quick, which was good for us. Sometimes, when he gets to the last
horse, he likes to wait. But today, he just went right by.”
The winner left the gate at 7-1 to return $17.40, $8.30 and $4.70, leading
exotics of $116 (exacta), $489 (trifecta) and $1,786 for the 5-4-2-1 superfecta.
Funny Cide re-rallied for second, giving back $6.50 and $3.60, 1 1/4
lengths ahead of 5-2 favorite Colita (Grindstone), who paid $3.10 for the bronze
position. Liquor Cabinet, Evening Attire (Black Tie Affair [Ire]), Watchmon
(Maria’s Mon), Your Bluffing (Pine Bluff), Go Now (Go for Gin) and Infinite
Glory (Hennessy) rounded out the order of finish.
“He gives you 110 percent every time you lead him over there,” Seth Benzel, Pletcher’s
assistant, said. “It’s nice to see him rebound after a couple of
tough races. Everything clicked today.”
Bred in New York by his owners, West Virginia is out of the winning Wild and
Wonderful (Kennedy Road), who has most recently produced an unraced two-year-old
colt named Mountain Stage (Johannesburg) and a 2006 Mineshaft filly.
West Virginia
now shows a line of 22-7-5-1 with $749,846 in earnings. His other notable victories
include last year’s Philip H. Iselin Breeders’ Cup H. (G3) along with the 2004
runnings of the Albany S. and Times Square S.