Zihnal rolls in West Virginia Derby as Velazquez notches Mountaineer stakes double
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Zihnal entered the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby with plenty to prove, but trainer Jonathan Thomas maintained that the late-blooming 3-year-old simply needed the right ride. Jockey John Velazquez delivered, sweeping the stakes double on Sunday at Mountaineer Park.
“I’m very fine saying we were disappointed in the ride he received last time [in the Grade 3 Indiana Derby],” Thomas said. “The horse has subsequently trained very well and we were thrilled to get Johnny out here. Johnny did what he does best.”
After cruising home to a 15-length victory aboard Bracket Buster in the $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s, Velazquez pushed the issue again with Zihnal before kicking clear to win by 6 1/4 lengths. He paid $8.20 to win.
Coming off a troubled fourth in the Indiana Derby, in which the colt was forced back in the early going, Zihnal added blinkers and seemed to benefit from Velazquez’s more aggressive ride in the 1 1/8-mile race.
Sitting just behind the pacesetter Wayne’s Law, who completed the opening quarter-mile in 23.97 seconds, Velazquez pushed forward to challenge through a half-mile in 48.24. As was the case in the West Virginia Governor’s, the jockey was left with little to do in the late stages.
Clear by four lengths at the top of the stretch, Zihnal went unchallenged by straggling closers Trendsetter and Bull by the Horns. He completed the race in 1:52.47.
“Tonight is what we thought this horse could show at some point in his career,” Thomas said.
Trendsetter, a graded stakes winner trained by Ben Colebrook, finished 3 1/2 lengths clear of Bull by the Horns, who bounced back some for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
Thomas said he knew he had a potential stakes runner well before the colt made his April debut, but getting him out of maiden company took work. His rise was further delayed when Thomas tried the turf without success in May.
Now, with a commanding Grade 3 victory in the bank and plenty of races ahead, Thomas could be crashing into the highest ranks with a lively newcomer. He said the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby was his hesitant target on Sept. 19.
“If you put a gun to my head, I’d think we have to look at the timing of the Pennsylvania Derby,” Thomas said. “That probably makes the most sense.”
The West Virginia Derby was built for horses like Zihnal, a 3-year-old who did not find himself in time to earn a reputation in the Triple Crown or other premier races earlier in the year. Naturally, it is a race Thomas appreciates deeply.
“He’s a late-developing 3-year-old and he was making his first start at Mountaineer,” Thomas said. “Super hospitable and the track was great. In a business where tracks are unfortunately shuttering, thank God we’ve got these tracks putting on all these big races with big money. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
West Virginia Governor’s Stakes
Bracket Buster earned tepid 2-1 favoritism in the $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s Stakes on Saturday, but those odds would have plummeted if bettors got another chance at the quarter-pole. The Victoria Oliver-trained colt romped in his 4-year-old debut, extending at will to win by 15 lengths.
“I expected him to run a big race, but I didn’t expect him to win by 15,” Oliver said.
Bracket Buster’s performance was so dominant that the race was competitive for only about a half-mile, when the eventual winner dueled with the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained colt Neoequos through an opening quarter-mile in 23.77 seconds and half-mile in 47.31. In his first of two dominant stakes victories on Sunday, Velazquez did not have to work much thereafter.
“He’s a real kind horse,” Oliver said. I know it looks like he’s a more aggressive horse because he always runs real close on the lead, but he’s actually not. When he got in front, John said he was looking around.”
After dispatching Neoequos before the far turn, Bracket Buster never met another challenger. He completed the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:44.05 and paid $6 to win.
In a tightly packed group far, far behind Bracket Buster, Warp Nine was the only closer who managed to overtake Neoequos. The Harold Wyner trainee closed with determination and took second by a neck. Itsmybirthday and Hall of Fame failed to make up the ground and settled for fourth and fifth.
Bracket Buster has been based in Kentucky for the majority of his career, but he has now shipped to win three stakes, including the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park last year. He also finished second behind Sovereignty in the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga last summer.
When Oliver was considering spots for Bracket Buster to return in 2026, she considered shipping for races at Colonial Downs and Ellis Park before choosing the West Virginia Governor’s. As it turns out, he could have run just about anywhere.
“He ships very well,” Oliver said. “He’s done the Travers, gone to Oklahoma. He’s very versatile and seems to like most tracks.”
After such a dominant effort to kick off his 4-year-old campaign, Oliver said she can’t help but think of her colt as a potential Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile contender in October. He will certainly run before that and her trainer would prefer for that start to be closer to home, but it’s hard to consider shipping an issue.
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