Charles Town: Parabola meets Termsofengagement in St. Patrick's Day Starter Handicap

By now, the races are buried in the past-performance lines of aging geldings Parabola and Termsofengagement. But if you dig deep enough, there is proof that during the 2008 racing season they both won stakes. Parabola upset the $127,000 Kingarvie at Woodbine at 19-1 odds. Termsofengagement captured the off-the-turf Woodlawn at Pimlico.

Those glory days may be long gone, but the 8-year-old Parabola and the 9-year-old Termsofengagement are still competitive enough to run in Tuesday night’s $30,000 feature at Charles Town, the St. Patrick’s Day Starter Handicap at 1 1/8 miles.

Parabola, the 3-1 second choice on the track’s morning line, has the more intriguing storyline of the two old-timers. He was claimed out of a win for $6,250 at Penn National two starts ago by owner-trainer Cody Beattie.

The son of prominent Penn National-based trainer Todd Beattie, Cody was a former star wrestler during his junior and senior years at Annville-Cleona High School in central Pennsylvania. He went 20-3 with 12 pins as a 135-pounder in 2010-11 before he sustained a season-ending concussion. As a senior at 152 pounds, Beattie began the 2011-12 wrestling season 17-0 before he was sidelined by a knee injury.

As a trainer, Cody Beattie is 0 for 7 but just missed his first career victory when Tap Chap lost by a neck in a six-furlong claiming sprint in November.

Parabola, a 16-time winner in 73 starts, fits well in this spot. He won four straight races in 2013, including an $8,000 starter allowance going 1 1/8 miles in late September.

Termsofengagement, 9 for 71 lifetime, is now based in Maryland with trainer William Campbell but has plenty of experience at Charles Town, where he is 3 for 38. Two starts ago, Termsofengagement rallied from last of seven, 10 lengths behind, to upset a $5,000 starter allowance at Laurel Park going 1 1/16 miles at almost 30-1.

The 7-5 morning-line favorite in the six-horse field is another old-timer, the 8-year-old Count On Lou. He recorded six of his 16 victories in 2013, including a win for a $15,000 claiming tag in November at Penn National. Last September, Count On Lou was beaten 3 3/4 lengths by Parabola going a mile.

Dr. Funkenstein won seven races in 2013 but has never finished first while racing beyond seven furlongs. In his last attempt going longer than a mile, Dr. Funkenstein was a distant third for a $5,000 tag in March 2013.