Hopping Henry the First Winner for West Virginia's Juba

Taylor Mountain Farm's freshman sire Juba, a winner of $179,105 and a half brother to grade 2 winner Saint Anddan, had his first winner when Hopping Henry took a 4 1/2-furlong maiden test Aug. 15 in his second start at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.

Hopping Henry broke clean and raced for the lead to set the pace, taking the field of nine through a quarter-mile in :22.76 and a half-mile in :46.55. The 2-year-old gelding then drove home while fending off the late challenge of Allen Can Do It to win by a half-length. He completed the distance in :52.70 on a track labeled wet fast.

Bred and raced by Michael Sterling in West Virginia, Hopping Henry is out of the Phone Trick mare Phone Jazz. The colt placed second July 4 in his debut on the same track.

Juba, a 9-year-old son of Tapit , was bred in Kentucky by Manganaro and purchased at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $250,000 by Centennial Farms, which campaigned him from age 2 to 5 with trainer Jimmy Jerkens.

Juba won three times in 15 starts, with his best performance coming in a seven-furlong allowance optional claiming race at Belmont Park in which he romped by 6 1/4 lengths and earned a career-high Equibase Speed Figure of 112. He placed fourth in the 2015 Westchester Stakes (G3), which was his only graded stakes effort.

Juba, who is out of the Danzig Connection mare Adoradancer, has stood at the farm in West Virginia for a fee of $1,500 since he went to stud in 2017.