West Virginia Derby | Horse Racing Free Tips

Red Route One Rolls Home In the West Virginia Derby

Sent off the third betting choice at just shy of 4-1, Red Route One (Gun Runner) sustained a run for the better part of the final five furlongs and shot past the dueling pacesetters to give his owner Winchell Thoroughbreds a third win and trainer Steve Asmussen a sixth success in the GIII West Virginia Derby.

Outrun early, the homebred was third-last to make the first turn as Iowa Derby first-past-the-post One In Vermillion (Army Mule) and West Coast Cowboy (West Coast)–fifth in Altoona–eyeballed one another through honest splits. Red Route One began to make progress as he weaved his way through at the midway stage and was up into sixth, but still a good 10 lengths off the leaders as they hit the second turn. Going clearly the best of them nearing the stretch, though with several lengths to find, Red Route One was thrown onto his correct lead by Cristian Torres in the vicinity of the eighth pole and inhaled the front-runners shortly thereafter before kicking clear to score by daylight.

Runner-up in the GIII Southwest S. and again in the GII Rebel S., both sloppy-track affairs at his winter base at Oaklawn, Red Route One was left with too much to do in the GI Arkansas Derby and could do no better than a well-beaten sixth to Angel of Empire (Classic Empire). Winner of the Apr. 22 Bath House Row S. after failing to make the cut for the GI Kentucky Derby, Red Route One was a sound fourth to National Treasure (Quality Road) in the GI Preakness S. May 20 and was eased home a distant eighth when last seen in the GI Belmont S. June 10.

Pedigree Notes:

The 13th graded winner for his Three Chimneys-based stallion, Red Route One is out of an unraced daughter of Grade II winner Fun House, the dam of 2014 Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly and five-times Grade I winner Untapable, whose two most recent foals are Gun Runner colts of 2021 and 2023. Fun House also dropped GISW Paddy O'Prado (El Prado {Ire}) and the dam of GSW Majestic Eagle (Medaglia d'Oro). The deeper family includes Winchell standouts Olympio, Call Now and Early Flyer.

It comes as little surprise that the cross of Gun Runner over Tapit has proved fruitful, having accounted for the likes of GISW Society and other graded scorers Wicked Halo and Disarm. Another half-dozen of Gun Runner's black-type winners descend from other A.P. Indy-line sires. Red House sadly passed away at just five years of age in 2020.

Sunday, Mountaineer Casino & Resort
WEST VIRGINIA DERBY-GIII, $500,000, Mountaineer Casino & Resort, 8-6, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:49.49, gd.
1–RED ROUTE ONE, 118, c, 3, by Gun Runner
                1st Dam: Red House, by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Fun House, by Prized
                3rd Dam: Bistra, by Classic Go Go
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Cristian A. Torres. $297,500.
Lifetime Record: GISP, 12-3-2-1, $1,045,025. *Full to Red Run,
SW & GSP, $385,598. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–West Coast Cowboy, 118, c, 3, West Coast–Coco's Sweetie,
by Tenpins. ($35,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $170,000 2yo '22
OBSAPR). O-Gentry Farms (A.P. Gentry); B-Gary & Mary West
Stables Inc. (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. $100,000.
3–One in Vermillion, 118, c, 3, Army Mule–Given Star, by
Any Given Saturday. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($26,000 Ylg
'21 ARZNOV). O-Jonathan Kalman; B-Richard Barton
Enterprises (CA); T-Esteban Martinez. $50,000.
Margins: 3, HD, 3HF. Odds: 3.90, 7.50, 3.30.
Also Ran: Raise Cain, Groveland, Lord Miles, Timesatappin, Knockout Guy, Looka Looka, Fartlek. Scratched: Dreaming of Kona, My Man Biggie, Russian Hammer, Tapit's Conquest.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/race-replays/0/202202261821OPM11/

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Mr. Wireless Tries to Stay Hot in Oklahoma Derby

Already with a pair of Grade III victories in his rearview, JIL Stable's Mr. Wireless (Dialed In) will look to make it three in a row in Sunday night's GIII Oklahoma Derby at Remington.

A debut fifth with a tough trip going six furlongs Mar. 4 at Fair Grounds, the gelding earned a pair of hard-fought nose successes Mar. 27 and May 1 at Oaklawn before finishing a close second at 14-1 in the sloppy-track Texas Derby May 31 at Lone Star. Cruising to a sharp 3 3/4-length score in the GIII Indiana Derby July 7 at Indiana Grand, he backed that up with a pace-pressing tally in the GIII West Virginia Derby a month later at Mountaineer.

Second that day was Warrant (Constitution), who re-opposes here for Twin Creeks Racing Stable and Brad Cox. Never out of the trifecta in six trips to the post, the chestnut was runner-up in the Oaklawn S. this spring before overcoming a wide trip to score in the Texas Derby.

Super Stock (Dialed In), upset winner of the GI Arkansas Derby this April, made no impact when 16th in the GI Kentucky Derby, and could manage only fourth in the Texas Derby and Iowa Derby, but bounced back with a convincing tally in the Runhappy Ellis Park Derby last out Aug. 15.

Other contenders include Reddam Racing's improving Team Merchants (Nyquist), who upset a Del Mar allowance/optional claimer with a 91 Beyer at 18-1 July 16 before running fifth in the Shared Belief S., and Defeater (Union Rags), a debut graduate Jan. 2 at Fair Grounds who has since run two strong seconds, including last time behind Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) in a loaded Saratoga allowance Aug. 14.

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By My Standards Exits Whitney In Good Order, May Target Gold Cup Next

Trainer Bret Calhoun said he experienced “the highs and lows of racing in a matter of ten minutes” after seeing Mr. Wireless capture a second graded stakes triumph in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Racetrack in New Cumberland, W. Va., before saddling By My Standards to a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Second in last year's Whitney to Improbable, Allied Racing and Spendthrift Farm's By My Standards stumbled and lost a front left shoe a few strides leaving the gate. Unable to catch pacesetter and winner Knicks Go, By My Standards trailed throughout finishing 15 ½ lengths off the winner.

Calhoun said By My Standards, a 5-year-old son of Goldencents, emerged from the race in good order.

“For what he went through, he came back pretty well, better than expected,” Calhoun said. “He stumbled twice and wasn't going to do too well without a shoe. The foot is a little sore and we got lucky it didn't tear anything up. He's just a little bruised up is all.”

A four-time graded stakes-winning millionaire, By My Standards arrived at the Whitney off a runner-up effort despite a troubled trip in the Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 5 at Belmont Park.

Calhoun said By My Standards could target the $1 million Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 4 at Saratoga.

“The Whitney was a race we had dialed in for quite some time,” Calhoun said. “Obviously, you don't know what to take from that race other than just drawing a line through it. We'll figure out where we go. I wouldn't think the Jockey Club is impossible. Knicks Go ran them off their feet, went fast early, and he kept on running. He just ran that race he ran in the Breeders' Cup.”

Mr. Wireless notched a second graded stakes triumph in the West Virginia Derby after winning the Grade 3 Indiana Derby on July 7 at Indiana Grand Race Course in Shelbyville, Ind.

Calhoun said the JIL Stable-owned son of Dialed In could return in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby on September 25 at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa.

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Mr. Wireless Scores Second Consecutive Grade 3 Win In West Virginia Derby

With a large group of owners and supporters from several states in the Midwest and Southwest looking on, Mr. Wireless collected his second consecutive Grade 3 win with a gritty score in the $500,000 West Virginia Derby for 3-year-olds Aug. 7 at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort in New Cumberland, W.Va.

With regular rider Ramon Vazquez aboard in the 1 1/8-mile race, Mr. Wireless left the gate well from post position fpur and took early position to the outside of Kinetic Sky and Bourbon Thunder, who had little separation from the start to midway on the final turn through moderate fractions of :23.82 for a quarter-mile, :47.86 for a half-mile, and 1:12.48 for three-quarters of a mile.

Mr. Wireless took over near the top of the stretch, opened up by three lengths, and held on to win by 1¼ lengths over Warrant, who rallied from fourth on the far turn. The final time on a track rated fast was 1:52.49.

Mr. Wireless returned $5.20 to win as the slight favorite over Warrant, who had defeated him in the Texas Derby. Third choice Bourbonic closed late for third.

Trainer Bret Calhoun, who won the 2019 West Virginia Derby with Mr. Money, watched this edition on a television monitor at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where he saddled By My Standards in the Grade I Whitney Stakes.

“He had good position the whole way around,” Calhoun said of Mr. Wireless, a Kentucky-bred gelding by Dialed In. “It looked like the rider was sitting on a lot of horse. I think it was a trouble-free race, and when Ramon asked him, he did his job.

“I hate to get to looking too far ahead for a horse's next race, but I would say the (Grade I) Pennsylvania (Sept. 25) is very possible.”

Mr. Wireless is owned by JIL Stable (John and Iveta Kerber, who also bred him). Part-owner Jon Lapcnzenski traveled from Oklahoma to West Virginia as did 12 people from Iowa and Wisconsin, including two of the Kerbers' daughters. It proved well worth the trip.

“I couldn't see the start because of where I was standing and going into the first turn, I saw he was three-wide,” Lapcnzenski said. “But Ramon (does what Ramon does—he got the horse to relax. And Mr. Wireless does what he does. He has only given up the lead once in his career. When he gets the lead he's all heart.”

Mr. Wireless now has four wins and a second in six starts and earnings of $670,150.

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