Mountaineer: Hour By Hour upsets Dale Baird Memorial

The 20-1 longshot Hour By Hour led every step of the way to win the Dale Baird Memorial for older horses, one of three $75,000 stakes Sunday night at Mountaineer Park.

In the other stakes, Kingofthebluegrass won the Independence Day and Lunar Mist took the Firecracker.

Hour By Hour set quick opening fractions in the 5 1/2-furlong Dale Baird of 22.00 and 44.76 en route to a 1 1/4-length score in 1.03.09 under Godofredo Laurente. Russell Road, under Travis Dunkelberger, closed ground late to be second, 4 3/4 lengths in front of favored Cash Refund in third.

A Michigan bred 4-year-old gelding, Hour By Hour is trained by Laura Jackson. He returned $43.40 to win.

In the Independence Day, Kingofthebluegrass needed every inch of the Mountaineer Park turf course to catch Sneakin Thru in the one-mile race for older horses.

Jockey Francisco Torres kept the 4-year-old Kingofthebluegrass to the outside and near the back of the field of nine early. Kingofthebluegrass inched closer to the front until upper stretch. Torres asked for his best and he responded when taken to the inside and got up in the final jump.

Sneakin Thru led to the final stride and finished second, and Crimson Comic was another 2 1/2 lengths back in third. The running time for the one mile over a firm course was 1:34.74. Kingofthebluegrass, trained by Tevis McCauley, returned $7.40 to win.

Lunar Mist rallied to win the Firecracker, a one-mile turf race for fillies and mares.

Jockey T.D. Houghton had Lunar Mist near the back of the pack until the far turn. Lunar Mist began picking up horses and was third at the top of the stretch. Houghton went to work and Lunar Mist responded, winning by three-quarters of a length.

Revelstoke also finished well, taking second at odds of nearly 35-1. She finished a half-length on front of Mimi's Special Six in third.
Trained by Eric Reed, Lunar Mist covered the mile in 1:35.85 and returned $9. The exacta returned $212.60.