Charitable Annuity noses to victory in WV Breeders' Classic

Charitable Annuity's 5-year-old campaign has been hindered by minor physical ailments, but with the big money on the line in the $350,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic on Saturday night at Charles Town, he turned in a gutsy performance and then put his head down at the right time to win a three-horse photo by a nose.

This is Charitable Annuity's second win in the Classic. He also won the race in 2015, the year his stablemate Russell Road faltered to finish ninth. Russell Road won the Classic three times.

Charitable Annuity and Russell Road are both owned by Mark Russell and trained by James W. Casey, the all-time leading Breeders' Classic trainer with 32 wins since the series began in 1987.

Last year, Charitable Annuity finished a distant second in the Classic over a sloppy track that he did not appear to like. The winner was Slip the Cable, who was trained by Jeff Runco, the perennial leading trainer at Charles Town. On Saturday, Runco sent out both runner-up North Atlantic and Weekend Liberty, who was beaten two noses.

Longshot Green Time set the pace in the three-turn, 1 1/8-mile Classic while being tracked by Ello Govna and North Atlantic. Ello Govna took the first shot at the leader and then Northern Atlantic made his move outside horses nearing the stretch.

Meanwhile, Charitable Annuity lagged well back before beginning to advance on the backstretch. Jockey Christian Hiraldo took him outside horses for the drive but he lacked the needed punch to put the race away.

At the same time, Weekend Liberty was rallying strongly up the inside. The trio hit the wire together, and while announcer Paul Espinosa Jr. called Charitable Annuity the winner, the finish was so close he sounded a little less sure when he came back on the air after watching the replay.
Charitable Annuity paid $5.60 as the favorite in the 10-horse field and was timed in 1:53.37.

He is now 15 for 28 with earnings of $848,454 in his three seasons of competition. The win was his second in seven starts during an abbreviated 2017 campaign.

Distaff: Romantic Cork wins stretch battle

Under an aggressive ride by Jose Montano, Romantic Cork took the lead three furlongs out and then won a quarter-mile duel with Rock N' Gold to take the $80,000 Breeders' Classic Distaff, the last of nine stakes on the night.

Romantic Cork, the 2-1 favorite, is owned and trained by John Casey and was bred by his father James W. Casey. In 2016, Romantic Cork won the West Virginia Breeders' Classic Division of Tourism, which is for 3-year-old fillies.

Romantic Cork won by a half-length and paid $6.40. She covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:55.08. Romantic Cork is now 8 for 27.

Return to Denis finished third, 2 1/2 lengths behind 10-1 Rock N' Gold.