The $500,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic anchors a nine-race program worth a total of $1.28 million in stakes purses on Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races' West Virginia Breeders' Classics card Oct. 18.
The total purse figure for the 2014 Classics program represents a $125,000 increase over the purses available for the event in 2013.
As has been the case since West Virginia Breeders' Classics founders Sam Huff and Carol Holden put on the inaugural event in 1987, the richest race on the card will be the West Virginia Breeders' Classic for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles. Originally run for $100,000 in 1987, the $500,000 Breeders' Classic now stands as the country's richest state-bred contest.
Also similar to recent Breeders' Classics cards is the return of the $200,000 West Virginia Jefferson Security Bank Cavada Breeders' Classic as the top supporting stakes race on the program. For fillies and mares going Charles Town's two-turn seven-furlong distance, the Cavada will be run for a purse of $200,000 or more for the 11th consecutive year.
Four races—the West Virginia Breeder's Classic Distaff, Division of Tourism Breeders' Classic, Lottery Breeders' Classic and Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Onion Juice Breeders' Classic—all received a purse bump of $20,000 to $85,000.
The card will be rounded out by a trio of $80,000 stakes in the West Virginia Dash for Cash Breeders' Classic, Triple Crown Nutrition Breeders' Classic and Vincent Moscarelli Memorial Breeders' Classic. All three of those races received a purse hike of $15,000 this year.
The full lineup of races for the 2014 West Virginia Breeders' Classics will be:
—$500,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic, 3&up, 1 1/8 miles
—$200,000 West Virginia Jefferson Security Bank Cavada Breeders' Classic, F&M 3&up, 7 furlongs
—$85,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic Distaff, F&M 3&up, 1 1/8 miles
—$85,000 West Virginia Division of Tourism Breeders' Classic, F 3YO, 7 furlongs
—$85,000 West Virginia Lottery Breeders' Classic, 3YO, 7 furlongs
—$85,000 West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Onion Juice Breeders' Classic, 3&up, 7 furlongs
—$80,000 West Virginia Dash for Cash Breeders' Classic, 3&up, 4 1/2 furlongs--$80,000 West Virginia Triple Crown Nutrition Breeders' Classic, F 2YO, 4 1/2 furlongs
—$80,000 West Virginia Vincent Moscarelli Memorial Breeders' Classic, 2YO, 6 1/2 furlongs
Post time for the first race Oct. 18 will be 7 p.m. EST with the featured $500,000 Breeders' Classic being shown live on a Comcast Mid-Atlantic broadcast later in the evening, while HRTV will provide in-studio coverage of much of the card.
