Cupid, Mo Tom part of full field in West Virginia Derby

An overflow field of 13 3-year-olds was entered Monday for the Grade 2, $750,000 West Virginia Derby on Saturday at Mountaineer.

The 1 1/8-mile West Virginia Derby is limited to 12 starters, and Fort Pulaski is the lone also-eligible. From the rail out, the main body of the field includes Cupid, No Distortion, Mo Tom, Pinson, Whateverybodywants, Name Changer, Van Damme, Adventist, Economic Model, Anaximandros, Forevamo, and Suddenbreakingnews.

Cupid, who will be ridden by Rafael Bejarano, and Mo Tom, who has Joe Bravo named to ride for the first time, are the two likely favorites. Cupid rebounded from two subpar performances to win the Indiana Derby on July 16 by three-quarters of a length, earning a 94 Beyer Speed Figure. A front-runner, Cupid is sure to be sent to the lead from his rail draw, while the confirmed closer Mo Tom will race from the other end of the field. Mo Tom in his most recent start June 25 won the Ohio Derby by three lengths under Javier Castellano while earning a career-best 95 Beyer.

Adventist finished second in the Ohio Derby in an improved performance and is part of a very solid second tier of contenders that also includes Forevamo, Suddenbreakingnews, and Economic Model. Forevamo, trained by Al Stall, finished a good second in the Pat Day Mile before most recently winning a Churchill Downs allowance race. Suddenbreakingnews rallied for fifth in the Kentucky Derby and was well supported in the Belmont Stakes but ran below his best form, finishing ninth. Economic Model won the Easy Goer Stakes, in which Cupid could only finish fourth, before finishing second to Fish Trappe Road in the Grade 2 Dwyer.

Brody’s Cause, the Blue Grass Stakes winner, was listed by track publicity as a probable starter last week but did not appear among the entries.

The West Virginia Derby is the eighth of nine races on an all-stakes card worth a total of $1.65 million that begins at 2 p.m. Eastern. Post time for the local derby is 5:21. The long-range forecast calls for partly sunny skies and a high temperature of 85 degrees.

The supporting feature, the $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s Stakes for older horses at 1 1/16 miles on dirt, also drew an overflow field of 13 and is rife with qualified contenders.