Charles Town Releases Complete 2022 Stakes Schedule

Following the release of its open stakes schedule earlier this week, Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races has announced its full stakes lineup for 2022. Charles Town's final stakes schedule calls for 30 stakes worth $3,450,000—a figure that does not include purses for the West Virginia Breeders' Classics which will be announced at a later date.

The schedule is once again highlighted by the $1,000,000 Charles Town Classic (G2), which will be contested alongside the $500,000 Charles Town Oaks (G3) on Friday, Aug. 26 on what is expected to be the most lucrative night of racing in Charles Town's near 90-year history. Run on the same card for the first time in 2020, Charles Town's two graded stakes anchored the track's largest ever single-day handle with nearly $7.2 million wagered on the 2021 event.

Run for $1,000,000 in available purse money in its first 11 editions, the Classic will jump back into seven-figure territory for the first time since local star Runnin'toluvya took the 2019 edition with the pandemic impacting available purses in both 2020 and 2021. The Oaks also received a purse increase to $500,000, matching where it stood in 2014, the first year it was run as a graded race. The three unrestricted stakes on the Classic night undercard—the Russell Road, Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon, and Robert Hilton Memorial also received purse increases to $250,000. 

A pair of $75,000 West Virginia-bred stakes—the Frank Gall Memorial and Sadie Hawkins—will complete the stakes portion of the 13-race card on Aug. 26 that gets underway at a special first post of 5:00 p.m. EST. 

The signature event for West Virginia-breds will take place on Oct. 8 as the West Virginia Breeders' Classics take center stage for its 36th renewal. Beginning in 2022, the featured West Virginia Breeders' Classic will be run as the Sam Huff West Virginia Breeders' Classic in honor of the event's co-founder and NFL Hall of Fame member who passed away in November 2021. 

Outside of the West Virginia Breeders' Classics program, a total of 16 West Virginia-bred stakes worth $1,200,000 are slated for 2022, including the renamed Randy Funkhouser Memorial to be run on Nov. 12. The 1 1/8 mile test for state-breds honors the longtime West Virginia horseman, breeder and owner of O'Sullivan Farms who passed away earlier this month. 

The stakes action will kick off on April 23 with the $75,000 Original Gold and $75,000 Confucius Say for West Virginia-breds.