Charles Town track report

Voo Kan Doo, whose last two out-of-town races were far better than either of his outings over the local course, looks like the fastest horse in the $40,000 Henry Mercer Memorial Stakes at Charles Town.

The seven-furlong race, restricted to West Virginia-bred 2-year-olds, is race 4 on a special matinee program that begins at 1 p.m.

Far back, in his first two career starts, Voo Kan Do improved when trainer Bruce Kravets dropped him in for a claiming tag at Philadelphia Park, then really moved forward when he beat straight maidens at Penn National and followed up with a second-place finish in a minor restricted stakes at Philly Park. His last two Beyers of 74 and 67 are easily the best in the Mercer field.

Voo Kan Do's chief challenger, Hold on Tight, will break just outside of him in post 2. Hold on Tight, trained by John Casey, set the pace before settling for second in the West Virginia Futurity two races ago. He returns to seven furlongs after running poorly against open company going 4 1/2 furlongs three weeks ago.