Former Canadian classic winner Duke of Love dueled Surly Furious down the stretch and dug deep for Luis Contreras to prevail by three-quarters of length in the $200,000 West Virginia Governor's Stakes (G3) Sunday at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort.
Sent off at 8-1 odds, the Ontario-bred Cupid colt was winning for the fourth time from 12 career starts. Campaigned by a My Racehorse ownership group, he entered off a seventh-place finish in the Dominion Day (G3) July 1 at Woodbine but would not be denied Sunday in a display of tenaciousness.
Duke of Love returned $19 after covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.49 on a track rated as good.
Ideally positioned in third then second as Altmeister laid down early fractions of :23.22 and :47 through a half mile, Duke of Love grabbed a slim lead on the far turn as Surly Furious surged determinedly into contention from fifth for Antonio Gallardo. The pair battled abreast through the stretch before Duke of Love knuckled down on the inside of his rival to get the win.
Chilean-bred O'Conner, who raced near the back of the 10-horse field in the early going, advanced down the backstretch and around the turn but was never a threat to the top two, finishing 5 1/4 lengths back in third as the favorite.
Duke of Love earned the $119,000 winner's share of purse, boosting his career earnings to $443,817. He had raced on Tapeta and turf in 10 of his 11 previous starts; his only other start on dirt prior to Sunday resulted in victory in the 2022 Prince of Wales, a leg of Canada's Triple Crown, at Fort Erie.
“When he won the Prince of Wales he ran his best numbers,” said Charlie Nash, assistant to his wife, trainer Josie Carroll. “She thought this would be the best place for him (to return to dirt). And that was a good ride by Luis.”
Produced by the Smart Strike mare Tell the Duchess, Duke of Love was bred by Caldara Farm Inc., Patrick Costello, David Whitford, and Tom Zwiesler.
My Racehorse paid $85,000 for Duke of Love at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, where Julie Davies consigned him.
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