In addition to celebrating its 80th anniversary, the 2013 racing season at
Charles Town saw the United States’ richest Thoroughbred race outside of the
Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup held over its oval, the track earn its second
graded stakes in December, a late closing finish by Fred High to deny Russell
Road a third West Virginia Breeders’ Classic, the first ever Eclipse Award
earned by an individual or horse based in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle and
the first ever Grade 1 score by a Charles Town based trainer when Ollie Figgins
III saddled Dance to Bristol to a victory in the Ballerina at Saratoga.
After the final day of live racing for 2013 was completed on Saturday
evening, those highlights were key drivers in Charles Town ultimately producing
an average daily all-sources handle number of $992,368 — which includes all
completed live racing programs — that represented the second highest annual
total in the track’s aforementioned 80 year history, just missing the record
number of $1,001,938 set the previous year. Charles Town had actually been
seeking a record for annual handle for the third consecutive year, but fell
short by less than 1 percentage point.
Additionally, each of Charles Town’s three event days in 2013 — Charles Town
Classic Day in April, the Race for the Ribbon card in September and October’s
West Virginia Breeders’ Classics — produced a record wagering total for the
event. The Charles Town Classic card set an all-sources handle record with
$4,398,985 in wagering, besting the prior mark of $3,441,632 set on Charles Town
Classic day in 2012. In September, the Race for the Ribbon program became the
first non-Classic Day card to handle at least $2 million as fans bet $2,225,355
on the program that featured seven stakes races. West Virginia Breeders’
Classics XXVII saw $1,576,267 wagered, which narrowly shaded the prior record of
$1,526,419, set in 2010.
The full list of all-time pari-mutuel marks set in 2013 includes:
* Consecutive live cards handling $1,000,000 or more (26 — 2/5/13 to
3/14/13)
* Highest average daily all-sources handle in a single month (April 2013 —
$1,365,857)
* Highest average daily export handle in a single month (April 2013 —
$1,309,629)
* Highest single card export handle (April 20 — $ $4,066,108)
* Highest single card all-sources handle (April 20 — $4,398,985)
* Highest single race handle (April 20, Charles Town Classic — $1,286,188)
* Largest WPS pool (April 20, Charles Town Classic — $599,518)
* Largest Pick 4 pool (April 20 — $215,491)
All told, average daily handle at Charles Town has grown 28.92 percent
between 2009 and 2013.
“To have the second most successful wagering year at a track around for more
than three-quarters of a century, the top handicap horse in the country at the
time here in April to compete in one of the country’s richest races, a second
graded stakes granted to us in December, a rider based here win an Eclipse Award
and a local trainer come within a Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint win of
training a champion, speaks volumes of how far we’ve come as a track,” Vice
President of Racing Operations Erich Zimny said.
“Most of all, I’m incredibly proud of all the hard work the entire team at
Charles Town has put forth to make it happen. We’ll do our best to continue it
in 2014.”
Despite missing the final three months of the year with an injury, jockey
Jose Montano was able to defend his 2012 riding title by posting 195 wins, 38
more than runner-up J.D. Acosta. In January, Montano became the first Charles
Town-based recipient of an Eclipse Award when he was named the top apprentice
rider in the country for 2012. 2013 was proving to be even more successful for
Montano as his 856 mounts earned a total of $3,040,014 prior to his suffering
his injury on October 2. Those purse earnings also allowed Montano to shade
Acosta for the earnings title at the meet by less than $17,000.
For the eighth consecutive year, Jeff Runco found himself on top of Charles
Town’s trainer standings, saddling 138 winners at the track in 2013. In addition
to topping the list at Charles Town, Runco’s 2013 campaign will enable him to
finish amongst the country’s top 25 trainers in wins for the sixth straight year
and moved him within 16 wins of cracking the top 20 on the all-time list of
winningest Thoroughbred trainers in the history of North American racing. Ronney
Brown finished second with 79 victories.
On April 20, Charles Town hosted fifth running of the Charles Town Classic.
With its $1.5 million purse for 2013, the Charles Town Classic entered some
rarified air as the richest Thoroughbred race in the country outside of the
Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup.
The $1.5 million purse and $1 million winner’s share was enough to lure
handicap division star Game On Dude out from his home base in California to take
a second crack at winning the Charles Town Classic. Much like he did prior to
his runner-up effort in 2011, Game on Dude came into West Virginia’s most
lucrative race off a victory in the Santa Anita Handicap — this time taking the
prestigious Big ‘Cap in a record setting 7 3/4-length romp. Facing a field that
included multiple Grade 1 winner Ron the Greek, defending race winner Caixa
Eletronica and Santa Anita Handicap runner-up Clubhouse Ride, the popular
gelding was able to redeem his 2011 defeat, by winning the Charles Town Classic
by a half-length and giving trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith their
first ever wins at Charles Town in the process.
In addition to Charles Town Classic Day itself setting a new track record for
handle on a single card, the Classic itself also set a single race benchmark for
the track, as a total of $1,286,188 was bet through the windows.
Charles Town also hosted the country’s second richest sprint for
three-year-old fillies in 2013 as the $400,000 Charles Town Oaks served as the
co-feature on the fifth Race for the Ribbon card. The Oaks lineup was headed by
Maggi Moss’ Grade 1 winner So Many Ways, trained by Tom Amoss. In what would be
her final career start, the favored So Many Ways didn’t disappoint as she closed
from midpack to take the lead in the final sixteenth of a mile and drew off to a
2 3/4-length triumph over R Free Roll.
Race for the Ribbon Day was punctuated by a series of events to help raise
money for breast cancer care and research, with more than $12,000 ultimately
raised for the West Virginia Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
Foundation.
West Virginia Breeders’ Classics XXVII took place on October 19. In the
featured event, the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders’ Classic, heavily favored
and defending champion Lucy’s Bob Boy squared off against Russell Road, himself
a two-time winner of the race. However, when all was said and done, Edward
Krishack’s Fred High posted a late-running upset, nipping Russell Road at the
wire and giving trainer John Robb his first win in a West Virginia Breeders’
Classics race. All told, Breeders’ Classics XXVII included nine races worth more
than $1.1 million in purse money.
Click
here for the 2013 statistical recap furnished by Charles Town.
As the year drew to a close at Charles Town, the track announced its plans
for 2014, which not only included 220 live racing days, but again includes the
$1.5 million Charles Town Classic and the Charles Town Oaks which, in addition
to joining the Test as the richest race in its division with a purse increase to
$500,000, will be track’s second graded stakes after being designated a Grade 3
in December. Charles Town Classic Day is scheduled for April 19, while the Race
for the Ribbon is slated for September 20. The third of the track’s event days,
West Virginia Breeders’ Classics XXVIII, is tentatively scheduled for October
18.
Charles Town’s 2014 racing season kicks off on Thursday, with post time for
the first race scheduled for 7:15 p.m. (EST).
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