Late Night Pow Wow edges clear in Cavada Breeders Classic

Late Night Pow Wow didn’t get away cleanly in the $125,000 Cavada Breeders Classic at Charles Town on Saturday night, forcing jockey Fredy Peltroche to make a middle move after the early leaders on the backstretch. When he did, the seven-furlong Cavada turned into a match race between 3-year-old Late Night Pow Wow and 4-year-old Moonlit Song.

The pair quickly separated themselves from the other four members of the field. Moonlit Song, the reigning West Virginia-bred Horse of the Year, held a slim advantage to deep stretch before Late Night Pow Wow got the upper hand and pulled away by a half-length.

It was 6 1/4 lengths back from Moonlit Song to Anna's Bandit in third.

Late Night Pow Wow has now won six races in a row, including the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks in September, and is 8 for 9 and only a half-length shy of perfection.

A daughter of the top-notch West Virginia sire Fiber Sonde, Late Night Pow Wow is owned and trained by Javier Conteras. She paid $3.60 and was timed in 1:24.99, by far the fastest seven-furlong clocking of the Breeders Classics card, and got an 87 Beyer Speed Figure.

The horses spent quite a bit of time in the gate before the start as Jacky's Notion was fractious and Late Night Pow Wow grew more and more antsy. When the gates opened Late Night Pow Wow and Anna's Bandit did not get away sharply as Ghost Fever – also owned and trained by Contreras – and Moonlit Song sprang to the front.

Peltroche's bold move on the backstretch, likely made the difference between Late Night Pow Wow winning or losing.

Onion Juice: Follow the Notion finishes fast

Follow the Notion was in a different gear than the rest of the field in the stretch of the $75,000 Onion Juice and roared past pace-setting Fairweather Friend coming to the wire of the seven-furlong race to win by three-quarters of a length.

A 7-year-old who was bred and is owned and trained by Gary Williams, Follow the Notion dropped back to last position in the Onion Juice and trailed by about a dozen lengths early. He began to gather momentum on the backstretch and was in full flight as he rallied wide into the stretch. Fairweather Friend looked like a winner turning for home, but there was little he could do to contain Follow the Notion, who galloped out far in front of the field after the finish.

Follow the Notion also rallied from far back to win the Onion Juice in 2016. Last year, he finished sixth in the 1 1/8-mile Breeders Classic. He is now 9 for 32 in his career.

Follow the Notion paid $12.40 to win. He completed the course in 1:26.04 following Fairweather Friend's 1:12.42 six-furlong split.

The Onion Juice was the second stakes win of the night for jockey Jose Montano.

Help a Brother, the 3-1 second choice behind 2-1 favorite Fairweather Friend, finished fifth.

Dash for Cash: Scythe tops longshot exacta

Scythe reeled in front-running Blue Plaid to score a half-length win in the $75,000 Dash for Cash. The win was the 5-year-old's first in a stakes race.

Blue Plaid moved up to take the lead midway on the backstretch of the 4 1/2-furlong sprint and drew clear. Scythe, who was never more than a few lengths behind, collared Blue Plaid nearing the sixteenth pole and was inching away at the wire under jockey Victor Rodriguez.

Scythe paid $41.60 in the 10-horse field. Blue Plaid was sent off at 11-1. The $2 exacta returned $420.20.

A son of Smarty Jones who was bred and is owned and trained by Leslie Condon, Scythe is now 6 for 26. He was timed in 52.20 seconds.

Aaron's Tap, the 3-5 favorite, bumped at the start with George Town Cat, who won this race a year ago. Aaron's Tap steadily advanced after his slow beginning but had to settle for third, beaten a total of 1 1/4 lengths.