Mountaineer: Sophomore Sprint Championship attracts a sharp group

In the Fairway has won eight of 14 races at distances ranging from 4 1/2 to seven furlongs, but has yet to win at the six-furlong distance of the $85,000 Sophomore Sprint Championship, which will be run at Mountaineer Park on Tuesday evening.

Trained by Jeff Runco, In the Fairway comes into the race off a 2 1/2-length win in the West Virginia Onion Juice Breeders Classic at Charles Town Oct. 19, a seven-furlong race.

In the Fairway finished fourth in his only attempt at six furlongs, the Jimmy Winkfield at Aqueduct in January. The Winkfield is In the Fairway’s only start away from his Charles Town base.

“I am not worried about shipping him up there to Mountaineer,” Runco said. “He had a bit of a shin problem when he went to Aqueduct and ran so poorly. He is doing great now and I think it will work out fine.”

A 3-year-old son of Posse, In the Fairway is versatile, having won the $50,000 Coin Collector on the lead going 4 1/2 furlongs and then the Onion Juice from off the pace going seven furlongs.

There is an abundance of early zip in the nine-horse Sophomore.

“I think the six-furlong distance will be great for him,” Runco said. “I have to look how it sets up, but he can sit off the pace if he has to.”

Take It Like a Man has won five of his last six and also will be looking to come from off the pace. Take It Like a Man will be looking for his third consecutive win after taking an optional-claiming event at Ellis two starts ago and the $400,000 Researcher at Charles Town in his last.

Trainer Kellyn Gorder has an idea of why his horse has improved so dramatically.

“We started training him on the Polytrack at Keeneland and he loves to train on it,” Gorder said. “He runs better on dirt, but if he trains on it he will start hitting himself.”

Go Duke Go is another horse that races better on dirt than a synthetic surface. Trained by Jeff Radosevich and owned by Jonathan Pippin, Go Duke Go was almost turned out but a move to dirt turned his form around.

“He was not running that great at Presque Isle Downs,” Pippin said. “I said we would give it five tries to win a maiden race, and if he didn’t come around I would sell him for a jumper.

“He was named after my grandpa that passed away, and my grandma said, ‘You can’t just give up on a horse named after your grandpa.’ He won his fifth start and we moved him to the dirt where he has really taken off.”

Go Duke won two races at Mountaineer in October. He won a first-level allowance by 10 1/2 lengths on the Oct. 1 and a second-level allowance by 1 1/2 lengths on Oct. 19.