Almodovar rides two stakes winners

Gerald Almodovar, riding one heavy favorite and another 11-1 longshot, swept the two stakes for West Virginia-bred juveniles at Charles Town on Saturday night.

Lord of the Dance ($2.20) remained unbeaten in three career starts with an easy 5 1/4-length victory in the $45,950 Henry Mercer Stakes for colts and geldings. Lord of the Dance, trained by Eddie Householder, has now won his three races by a combined margin of 20 3/4 lengths and looms the early favorite for the Vincent Moscarelli Stakes on the Oct. 20 West Virginia Breeders' Classic program.

The winning time for 4 1/2 furlongs was 52.65 seconds.

In the $46,100 Cinderella Stakes for fillies, Almodovar and We're in the Money ($13.20) rallied strongly in the stretch to finish in a dead heat with pacesetter Chez Lang ($22.20) after 4 1/2 furlongs in 53.43 seconds.

We're in the Money, trained by Ollie Figgins, had won her career debut by eight lengths on Aug. 25, but was off slow and never threatened in a first-level allowance run over a muddy track.

Chez Lang, sent off at 22-1 in the Cinderella, won her first start in May and was fourth of seven, finishing four lengths in front of We're in the Money, in the Aug. 25 allowance. Chez Lang is trained by Cynthia O'Bannon.