WV Derby Lures Near-Record Number of Noms

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Photo: Benoitphoto.com

Swaps winner Skipshot is among those nominated to the West Virginia Derby.
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A near-record number of 3-year-olds were nominated to the Aug. 7 West Virginia Derby (gr. II) at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort.

In all, 68 horses have been nominated to the $750,000 event at 1 1/8 miles. The Derby will be the featured race on a nine-race card of all stakes that begins at the special post time of 2 p.m. EDT.

“That’s the second-largest group of nominees we’ve ever had—it’s topped only by the 71 received in 2007,” Mountaineer racing secretary Joe Narcavish said in a statement. “We’ve got 20 horses among this year’s nominees who have already won graded stakes, and 15 others who are graded stakes-placed.

“The winner will get $435,000. And even if a horse finishes somewhere from sixth through 10th, he’ll receive $7,500. The money the West Virginia Derby offers constitutes a pretty powerful lure.”

Nominations closed July 26. Track officials said the list of current probable or possible starters includes Olympia Star Inc.’s Skipshot, winner of the grade II Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park July 17; M and M Thoroughbred Partners’ Gunfighter,  an impressive winner of three races in a row, the last two at Monmouth Park; Gary Barber’s Coffee Boy, upset winner of the grade II Carry Back Stakes at Calder Casino & Race Course July 10; Kaleem Shah’s Concord Point  , winner of the grade III Iowa Derby June 26; Wertheimer and Frere’s Exhi, a winner of four consecutive stakes on Polytrack; Brereton Jones and Tim Thorton’s Trickmeister, three-for-three in his career with all races, including the Barbaro Stakes, at Delaware Park; and Steel Your Faces Stables’ Yawanna Twist, who finished a close fourth in the May 15 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) in his last start.

Entries for the Aug. 7 program will be taken Aug. 3. The West Virginia Derby, along with the $110,000 Harvey Arneault Memorial Stakes for 3-year-olds and up, will be televised live during an hour-long program beginning at 5 p.m. on Fox Sports.

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