Breeders Classics planned for Saturday
October 18, 2012 ·
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races will offer more glitz and glamour than usual Saturday night, when the 26th annual West Virginia Breeders Classics takes place.
Hall of Fame football player and West
Virginia native Sam Huff started the BreedersClassics as a way to promote and reward West Virginia’s
thoroughbred horse industry.
Carole Holden, president, said the event started out
relatively small with only five races and a much smaller pot of winnings.
“Our feature race back in 1987 was only worth $100,000 and
then we had four other races of $25,000 each,” Holden said. “This year we’ll
have nine races worth $1,345,000, so we’ve seen some tremendous growth in the
26 years.”
Seven of the races will each offer $85,000 in prize money;
one race is worth $250,000 and another $500,000.
All the horses running were either foaled in the state or
sired by a West Virginia stallion
and some names, like Russell Road,
Sea Rescue and Black Belt, will be familiar to fans.
“Once of the nice things about this, a lot of the horses
race at Charles Town regularly, it’s an opportunity for them to have this
really big night each year and we get a lot of horses that return,” Holden
said. “So the people who come and watch the races get familiar with them.”
Holden points out the event also offers an economic boost to
the region.
“Most of the money stays right there in the Eastern
Panhandle because that’s the center of the West Virginia
thoroughbred breeding industry,” Holden said. “So it generates through that
economy for the horsemen whether they be owners, breeders, trainers or
jockeys.”
The West Virginia Breeders Classics offers nine races
Saturday evening at The Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races and will be broadcast nationally on Comcast Mid Atlantic and
Fox Sports. Post time is 7:15 p.m.