Leofric sparks Cox to solid day

It’s not an easy ship into Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack, and Resort, a venue that requires a hot drive along a winding road in the hills. The trip home goes a lot quicker when you leave with piles of purse money, and the Brad Cox barn is hauling a lot of dough out of The Mountain this weekend.

Cox had horses in five of the six undercard stakes on Saturday’s West Virginia Derby card and came away with three wins and a close second. Florent Geroux rode all the winners, including Leofric, who captured the lead undercard race, the Grade 3, $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s Stakes, by a head.

Earlier on the program Golden Mischief leveled four foes in the $75,000 West Virginia Secretary of State, and Big Changes was an easy winner of the $75,000 West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker’s Cup.

Hachi, another Cox horse, finished second by a nose to Mythical Mission in the West Virginia Senate President’s Cup Stakes.

Leofric ($4.20) ran gamely in victory – and benefitted from several scratches in the Governor’s Stakes. Great Emperor, Rated R. Superstar, Secret Passage, and Rocky Tough all were scratched, leaving just five runners. One of them, the logical contender Hawaakom, never got involved.

Leofric, with Geroux letting him run to the front from an inside post, set even splits of 24.25, 48.14, 1:11.32, and 1:36.87 en route to a final time of 1:42.72 for 1 1/16 miles on a fast track. Term of Art chased Leofric all the way around the track, drawing abreast in upper stretch before the favorite kicked back on. Steve Landers owns Leofric, who won his first stakes. Leofric is a 5-year-old son of Candy Ride and the Unbridled’s Song mare, Lady Godiva.

The older female sprinter Golden Mischief was especially sharp in victory, as was the case last month in the Saylorville Stakes at Prairie Meadows. Golden Mischief, the property of Juddmonte Farms, cruised along just outside pace-setting second choice Astrollinthepark before taking control of the WV Secretary of State at the quarter-pole and drawing off to win by 7 1/2 lengths. Golden Mischief, by Into Mischief out of Lanai City, by Carson City, ran six furlongs on a fast main track in 1:09.24 and paid $2.80 to win.

Big Changes, another Landers-owned horse, won the House of Delegate’s Speakers Cup by 3 1/2 lengths for his third straight victory. Big Changes ($3.20) and Geroux tracked the pace of longshot Judah before drawing clear to win with ease as Judah held second, clocking 1:38.28 for one mile, 70 yards on firm turf. Judah held second by 1 1/2 lengths over Runaway Posse. Big Changes is a 6-year-old gelding by Midshipman and out of the Giant’s Causeway mare, Colorama.

Hachi was the 17-10 favorite under Geroux in the Senate President’s Cup and took a narrow lead to the stretch call before Mythical Mission pushed past in the final furlong to win by a nose under Jorge Vargas. Mythical Mission ran one mile, 70 yards on firm turf in 1:39.03 and paid $11.80 to win as Bombshell was a neck behind Hachi finishing third. Graham Motion trains Mythical Mission, a homebred 4-year-old, for Sam-Son Farms. The 4-year-old daughter of Giant’s Causeway and the Miswaki mare Misty Mission won her first stakes.

*** Heartwood ($14.80) won a homestretch battle with Woodland Walk to capture the $75,000 Robert. C Byrd Memorial Stakes by a neck. Heartwood, a useful listed-stakes-class 4-year-old sprinter, ran six furlongs in 1:09.35 over a fast track with Terry Houghton riding for trainer James Chapman, who co-owns Heartwood with Stuart Tsujimoto. Heartwood, who notched his sixth win from 20 starts, is by Tapit out of the Forestry mare, Maple Forest.

*** Warleigh was fifth in a Laurel Park $15,000 claimer on June 29 but in his very next start won the $75,000 West Virginia Legislature Chairman’s Cup by one length Saturday. Warleigh, who evidently thrives in short sprints, ran 4 1/2 furlongs in 51.46 and paid $6.80. Charlie Oliveros rode for trainer Kevin Patterson and owner Robert Cole Jr. Warleigh is a 7-year-old by Speightstown out of the Silver Deputy mare Fresh Tracks.