Gatsas Stables, R.A. Hill and Steven Schoenfeld's Delaware Oaks (G3) winner Midnight Stroll looks to make it back-to-back scores in graded stakes company as she takes on eight others in the $500,000 Charles Town Oaks (G3) – the most lucrative race on the Friday undercard of Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races' marquee night of the year that features the $1,000,000 Charles Town Classic (G2).
The two graded stakes on the program are joined by a trio of other stakes each worth $250,000 and a pair of $75,000 restricted stakes on a card that gets underway at 5:00 P.M. EST. The night also offers some terrific wagering opportunities for horseplayers with a $100,000 guaranteed Pick 5 that kicks off in Race 9, a $100,000 guaranteed Pick 4 that starts with Race 10 and a mandatory distribution of the Charles Town 6-12 carryover that currently sits at $23,527.
A Florida-bred daughter of Not This Time, Midnight Stroll comes to Charles Town having won three of her last four outings, including the Delaware Oaks and the restricted Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies Stakes at Tampa, with the only blemish being a ninth place effort at 1 1/8 miles in the Black Eyed Susan (G2).
Trained by John Terranova, Midnight Stroll has won both on and off the early pace, which is a quality her trainer thinks suits her well in the Charles Town Oaks.
“I think she's versatile. She's a real classy filly, and that's a great attribute about her. You know, she's proven going seven furlongs, she's proven at the two-turns. She's very handy. Very tactical. And she's doing very well at Saratoga. Eric [Cancel] rode her for the first time last time and he seemed to figure her out pretty well, and he's worked her since. She's a smart filly. She'll put herself in the game if she wants to. One thing that I've definitely seen is that she runs well on the turns, which I think is going to be big at Charles Town.”
Much like Midnight Stroll, Divine Huntress comes out of the Black Eyed Susan where she checked in fourth, but has picked up her game since the outing at Pimlico with a runner-up effort behind Matareya in the Grade 1 Acorn on Belmont Stakes day and by notching her first stakes win in the Miss Disco Stakes at Laurel Park.
Trained by Graham Motion, Divine Huntress will test out whether the seven furlongs of the Charles Town Oaks is up her alley.
“I think somewhere between seven furlongs and a mile is her best trip,” said Motion.
Divine Huntress, who has been working at Fair Hill, will have Luis Saez aboard on Friday night.
Lady Scarlet was also in action on Preakness weekend but stuck to the sprint ranks and took down the lone graded stakes win in her career by posting a 3 3/4 length victory over Happy Soul in the Miss Preakness (G3). The Mike Maker trainee added the Miss Preakness score to her powerful victory in the Cicada at Aqueduct in March over the Aqueduct oval.
Originally trained by Brad Cox, but claimed for $150,000 out of her maiden win at Churchill Downs, the daughter of Union Rags has won three of her five outings in 2022.
Javier Castellano will look for his second Charles Town Oaks win after piloting Book Review to a win in the 2012 event.
Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds' homebred Society will get some class relief in the Charles Town Oaks as she searches for the first graded stakes win of her career. After a slow break from the gate in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1), the daughter of Gun Runner rushed up to chase divisional heavy heads Nest and Secret Oath before fading to fourth. Without any Nest's or Secret Oath's in the Charles Town Oaks, her trainer Steve Asmussen sends his filly to West Virginia in hopes of securing his third score in the race, having won the inaugural edition with Four Gifts back in 2009 and in 2021 with Pauline's Pearl.
Tyler Gaffalione, who rode Society in both the Coaching Club American Oaks and in her win in the Monomoy Girl at Churchill Downs has the call once again in the Charles Town Oaks.
The wild card in the Charles Town Oaks may very well come in the form of Louisiana-bred Free Like a Girl who, despite being 0-for-2 in graded stakes company has had success around the bullring ovals in her home state, including an 18 1/2 length win in the restricted Louisiana Jewel stakes going the same seven-furlong trip she'll encounter on Friday.
Trained by Chasey Deville Pomier, who will saddle her first starter at Charles Town in Friday's Oaks, recognizes that a familiarity with the configuration is something that could serve to help her star filly on Friday night.
“She's spent a lot of time at Delta, so we know she loves the bullring,” said Pomier, who has served as a longtime assistant to her father Carl, before going back out on her own in 2020.
“It was either run against older mares down here, or face straight 3-year-olds there, so we thought this would be the best spot for her. She's held her own with the big girls before, so we figured we'd give her a shot.”
Pedro Cotto, Jr. has the call aboard Free Like a Girl who breaks from Post 9 on the far outside.
Speedway Stables' Chardonnay, Peachy Weachy, She's Pure Silver and Stellar Ride, most recently third in the Azalea Stakes round out the Charles Town Oaks lineup.
The Charles Town Oaks is scheduled as Race 11 on the night with a post time of 9:45 P.M. EST.
$500,000 CHARLES TOWN OAKS (G3)
August 26, 2022
Race 11 – Post time 9:45pm EST
Fillies 3YO, 7 Furlongs
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. She's Pure Silver, Marshall Mendez, 118, Ricardo Bailey
2. Divine Huntress, Luis Saez, 120, H. Graham Motion
3. Chardonnay, John R. Velazquez, 118, Michael Stidham
4. Peachy Weachy, J.D. Acosta, 118, Claudio A. Gonzalez
5. Society, Tyler Gaffalione, 120, Steven M. Asmussen
6. Stellar Ride, Arnaldo Bocachica, 118, Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
7. Midnight Stroll, Eric Cancel, 123, John P. Terranova, II
8. Lady Scarlet, Javier Castellano, 123, Michael J. Maker
9. Free Like a Girl, Pedro L. Cotto, Jr., 120, Chasey Deville Pomier
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