Jolie Ange always a threat to wire

Jolie Ange, unbeaten in three starts around two turns at Charles Town this season, will attempt to extend that streak when she faces a competitive group of 3-year-old West Virginia-bred fillies in Friday night's $50,000 Ruth Funkhouser Memorial Stakes.

The seven-furlong Funkhouser serves as the local prep for the $140,000 West Virginia Division of Tourism, a seven-furlong race that is part of the $2 million West Virginia Breeders Classic program on Oct. 17.

Since joining Gary Capuano's barn at the start of this season, Jolie Ange has gone 3 for 4, losing only when she was shortened up to 4 1/2 furlongs in early June. In her three other races, all at either 6 1/2 or seven furlongs, Jolie Ange has led wire to wire, winning by wide margins, including the Sadie Hawkins Stakes last time out on Aug. 15 with a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 84.

There are three others in the full field of 10 who appear to be fast enough to threaten Jolie Ange. That group is led by Run Louis Run, a lightly raced filly who will be making her stakes debut. Run Louis Run, part of a coupled entry for trainer Tim Grams, owns the best last-race Beyer Figure in the field, an 87 for her win in a second-level allowance. All five of her starts have come at seven furlongs, and she has shown the ability to stalk and pounce.

My Sister Margaret has moved forward on the Beyer scale three straight times, while finishing first twice and second in the Sylvia Bishop Stakes during that span. Her regular rider, Scott Spieth, comes along from Mountaineer to retain the mount. Spieth has been aboard for all three of My Sister Margaret's victories.

Come Here Oonga was beaten four lengths by Run Louis Run last time out, but that third-place finish was worth a 79 Beyer and represented the fastest race in Come Here Oonga's 10-race career. On the down side, she is still eligible for nonwinners-of-two-lifetime, and her lone victory came more than a year ago.