Peaceful Bliss shocks A Huevo rivals at $75

Peaceful Bliss, unchallenged while loping along on the lead, upset 1-10 favorite Russell Road and two other former West Virginia Breeders’ Classic champions in Saturday night’s $50,000 A Huevo Stakes for West Virginia-breds at Charles Town.

Ridden by Oliver Castillo, the 6-year-old Peaceful Bliss ($75.20) set tepid fractions of 48.66 seconds and 1:14.14 in the 1 1/8-mile race and cruised to a 1 1/2-length victory in 1:52.94.

Based in Maryland with trainer John Robb, Peaceful Bliss had lost eight straight races since winning the seven-furlong Robert Hilton Memorial in September 2009. He was a distant third in last year’s A Huevo and most recently finished last of 10 in the $450,000 West Virginia Breeders’ Classic.

Russell Road, the 2009 Classic winner, held off stablemate Colonel J W by a neck for second. The 4-year-old Russell Road has now been beaten at 1-10 odds in each of the last three stakes he has run.

Colonel J W was 3 1/4 lengths clear of Sea Rescue, who upset last month’s Classic at 57-1. Ghostly Thunder, the 2008 Classic champion, finished eighth of nine older horses.