Russell Road Eyes $2M Mark at Mountaineer
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Photo: Chad B. Harmon
Russell Road winning at Charles Town
Mark Russell's 10-year-old gelding Russell Road, winner of 31 of 61 starts, will attempt to clear the $2 million mark in earnings Aug. 6 in the $100,000 Northern Panhandle Stakes for West Virginia-bred 3-year-olds and up at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort.
Trained by James W. Casey, Russell Road is sitting on $1,981,586 in earnings. He needs a win or second-place finish in the six-furlong stakes to reach the milestone. He enters the Northern Panhandle, one of two state-bred stakes on the West Virginia Derby (gr. II) program at Mountaineer, off of a victory in a June 18 allowance event at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.
Though one of the most popular horses ever to compete at Charles Town, where he is based, Russell Road, by Wheaton, has done well at Mountaineer as evidenced by four wins and four seconds in 10 starts.
By far the oldest runner in the Northern Panhandle, Russell Road will have to contend with Coleswood Farm's homebred In the Fairway, a 6-year-old Posse gelding who is two necks away from being four-for-four since he was gelded after the 2015 racing season. Trained by Jeff Runco, In the Fairway last time out finished a neck behind Russell Road at Charles Town.