Two Charles Town Stakes Moved to September
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Photo: Coady Photo
Lucy's Bob Boy wins 2015 Frank Gall Memorial
Two stakes that guarantee the winners berths in West Virginia Breeders Classics races at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races have been moved from August to September to avoid a conflict with new stakes at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort.
The $50,000 Frank Gall Memorial for 3-year-olds and up and the Sadie Hawkins Stakes for fillies and mares—both at seven furlongs—were scheduled for Aug. 20 and Aug. 13, respectively. Mountaineer, as part of its West Virginia Derby (gr. II) Aug. 6, replaced two open stakes for 2-year-olds with two $100,000 West Virginia-bred stakes for 3-year-olds and up, males and females.
They will move to the Sept.17 Race for the Ribbon program that features the $350,000 Charles Town Oaks. There will be eight stakes on the program.
The Mountaineer stakes will be the richest for West Virginia-bred runners outside of a few on the Oct. 8 WVBC program at Charles Town.
The Gall Memorial winner automatically qualifies for the 1 1/8-mile West Virginia Breeders' Classic and the Sadie Hawkins winner for the West Virginia Breeders' Classic Distaff. Purses for those races haven't been set yet.