Once On Whiskey Headlines West Virginia Derby

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Once On Whiskey Headlines West Virginia Derby
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Photo: BENOIT PHOTO
Once On Whiskey (outside) edges Draft Pick by a head to win the Los Alamitos Derby at Los Alamitos Race Course

Fresh from his upset win in the July 14 Los Alamitos Derby (G3), Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman's Once On Whiskey will try to keep his winning streak alive Aug. 4 in the $500,000 West Virginia Derby (G3) at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort.

With a last-minute rally that saw him edge out grade 3 winner Draft Pick by a head, Once On Whiskey put on quite a show in his first step up to graded company. Unraced at 2, the Bodemeister  colt looked to have the makings of a competent sprinter. But after breaking his maiden in March going seven furlongs at Santa Anita Park, the Bob Baffert trainee stepped up and stretched out just two starts later at Los Alamitos and discovered he liked the view from two turns. 

Contested at the same 1 1/8-mile distance as the Los Alamitos, the West Virginia Derby has drawn a slightly larger field of nine. The 5/2 morning-line favorite, Once On Whiskey will break from post five under regular rider Flavien Prat. 

Joining him on the field in a quest for redemption will be Draft Pick. The Peter Eurton trainee has his two-race win streak snapped by Once On Whiskey in the Los Alamitos when he was caught on the line and unable to hold the advantage. The son of Candy Ride  seeks his second grade 3 victory in the West Virginia Derby and partners again with jockey Joe Talamo. 

Another strong contender is High North, who enters off a win in the July 6 Iowa Derby. The West Virginia Derby will be the fifth try against graded company for the son of Midnight Lute , who has won two of his five starts this year. 

Also entered in the West Virginia Derby are Iowa Derby second- and third-place finishers Mr Freeze and Lionite. 

One race before the Derby kicks off, the West Virginia Governor's Stakes (G3) has drawn a field of nine. The 1 1/16- mile test for 3-year-olds and older will be headlined by 8-year-old Hawaakom. The millionaire took home his first graded win this year in the Feb. 19 Razorback Handicap (G3) and enters off a fourth-place finish in the Stephen Foster Handicap (G1). He will be making his 44th start for owner/trainer Wesley Hawley. 

Two-time grade 3 winner Matrooh will vie for his second win of the season in the Governor's Stakes. Trained by Cipriao Contreras, Matrooh won three consecutive starts this year between March and May before finishing third in the Stephen Foster. 

Running as the highweight on the field will be Ken McPeek's Rated R Supertar. The 5-year-old gelding swept the April 14 Ben Ali Stakes (G3) with an impressive last-to-first rally but finished fifth next out in the Pimlico Special Stakes (G3). Luis Quinones will ride. 


Entries: West Virginia Derby (G3)

Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort, Saturday, August 04, 2018, Race 8

  • Grade III
  • 1 1/8m
  • Dirt
  • $500,000
  • 3 yo
  • 5:35 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Lionite (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate David Cabrera 118 Steven M. Asmussen 6/1
2 2Draft Pick (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joseph Talamo 120 Peter Eurton 3/1
3 3Caloric (KY) Ricardo Mejias 118 Odin J. Londono, Jr. 50/1
4 4King Cause (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Julien R. Leparoux 118 Doug F. O'Neill 15/1
5 5Once On Whiskey (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Flavien Prat 120 Bob Baffert 5/2
6 6Rugbyman (KY) Jorge A. Vargas, Jr. 118 H. Graham Motion 8/1
7 7Pamir (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Luis M. Quinones 118 Pavel Vashchenko 30/1
8 8Mr Freeze (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Robby Albarado 118 Dale L. Romans 9/2
9 9High North (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Florent Geroux 118 Brad H. Cox 4/1


Entries: West Virginia Governor's S. (G3)

Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort, Saturday, August 04, 2018, Race 7

  • Grade III
  • 1 1/16m
  • Dirt
  • $200,000
  • 3 yo's & up
  • 4:55 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Secret Passage (KY) David Cohen 119 Robertino Diodoro 8/1
2 2Rated R Superstar (KY) Luis M. Quinones 124 Kenneth G. McPeek 5/1
3 3Leofric (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Florent Geroux 121 Brad H. Cox 6/1
4 4Great Emperor (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Irwin J. Rosendo 119 Mikhail Yanakov 20/1
5 5Hawaakom (KY) Robby Albarado 121 Wesley E. Hawley 5/2
6 6Imperative (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Scott Spieth 119 Jeffrey A. Radosevich 6/1
7 7Matrooh (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Santo Sanjur 121 Cipriano Contreras 7/2
8 8Term of Art (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Julien R. Leparoux 121 Brad H. Cox 10/1
9 9Rocky Tough (KY) Flavien Prat 119 Thomas M. Amoss 12/1