Banishing doesn’t need flashy forms of communication to tell David Jacobson when he’s ready. Coming off a valiant effort at Ellis Park last month in his eighth race of the year, it’s abundantly clear to the trainer that his 5-year-old gelding is prepared for a wide-open running of the Grade 2, $1 million Charles Town Classic on Friday night. “He’s pretty much prepared,” Jacobson said. “He’s pretty fit, has run through the whole year. He’s just doing everything right. Nothing wrong.” The Charles Town Classic is the headliner on a card that also includes the Grade 2, $750,000 Charles Town Oaks, $500,000 Robert Hilton Memorial, $250,000 Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon, and four West Virginia-bred stakes. First post is 5 p.m. Eastern. In the past nine months, Banishing has gone from a solid allowance contender to a surefire stakes performer. In an awe-inspiring stint at Oaklawn Park earlier this year, he earned two stakes wins in a five-race run that culminated with a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap. The gelding was far from done after leaving Arkansas, as he dead-heated for second with Nysos in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs in May, finishing a neck behind Mindframe, who is regarded by some as the best older horse in the country. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. After taking a step back in the Grade 3 Blame and coming up just short in the $300,000 Hanshin, Banishing shipped to Ellis Park last time out for the $150,000 Jeff Hall Memorial. It was supposed to be a chance at class relief, but three-time graded stakes winner Booth gave him everything he could handle at 6 1/2 furlongs, with Banishing winning by a nose. The Hall Memorial was Tyler Gaffalione’s first trip aboard the gelding in more than a year, and he will return to ride at Charles Town. “That was really some race,” Jacobson said. “It wasn’t a big race, but it was very fast. Booth is no joke.” Banishing has had success with a number of running styles anywhere between six furlongs and 1 1/8 miles for Jacobson and will be stretching back out to 1 1/8 miles on Friday after one of the gutsiest wins of his career. Many of the other contenders in the Charles Town Classic are hoping for bounce-back performances. Both horses entered by Saffie Joseph Jr. are coming off disappointing efforts. Skippylongstocking, the 7-5 morning-line favorite and two-time Charles Town Classic winner, returned from a two-month break in the Grade 1 Whitney last time out. He made an early bid for the lead and actually hit the front before fading to seventh. Last year, he earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure for his performance at Charles Town, nearly the best of his career. No horse has ever won the Charles Town Classic three times. “Skippy obviously won it twice and loves the track,” Joseph said. “I feel like he’s moved forward off the Whitney. He’ll probably have to run as good of a race as he did last year to win it.” Skippylongstocking’s stablemate, Alexander Helios, defeated Banishing in the Grade 3 Razorback in February before finishing fifth in the Oaklawn Handicap. He also ran in the Blame, but things quickly went sideways on the front end and he faded to last by 67 3/4 lengths. He has not raced since. Awesome Aaron, a 6-year-old gelding trained by Norm Casse, won his first stakes race in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special in May, but he got caught wide on an unforgiving Saratoga course in the Grade 2 Suburban in July. Casse said that he’s prepared to toss the 31 1/4-length defeat. “He obviously was flat down the lane, but I think he had a lot of excuses because of the trip he had,” Casse said. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Alexander Helios and Awesome Aaron are two potential pacesetters in a field full of early speed. Trainer Mike Maker said that Willy D’s also should be forwardly placed from post 7. The 4-year-old gelding won his two most recent starts on the front end. After a pair of stakes tries on turf, trainer Robertino Diodoro will switch back to dirt with Japanese-bred Komorebino Omoide. In his last race on dirt, the 5-year-old earned his first graded stakes victory in the Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park. Bettors looking for a toss might begin with Trademark, a 20-1 longshot trained by Vicki Oliver. They will do so at their own peril, however, as the 6-year-old gelding has made a career out of outrunning his odds under jockey Fernando De La Cruz. In November 2023, the pair pulled off a 13-1 upset in the Grade 2 Clark, making Trademark the sixth runner in Friday’s field to enter with a graded stakes victory. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.