Loooch Racing shooting high in Whitney and West Virginia Derby

Ron Paolucci has never been one to back away from a challenge when it comes to his stable Loooch Racing. Remember when Ria Antonio shocked the world in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies? It seems that Paolucci has been in search of that type of lightning in the bottle ever since. This weekend, he will be double-fisting it with horses in both the Whitney Handicap and the West Virginia Derby. You know what? With a pair of talented runners in War Story and Game Over, Loooch Racing might be on the verge of something big.

War Story has long been chasing a big win. He has not had much luck in races like the Kentucky Derby, Breeders' Cup Classic, or Pegasus World Cup, just to name a few. But on the other hand, the son of Northern Afleet has been competitive in plenty of graded stakes races -- competitive without winning, that is. He finally got over that hump in his last race. It wasn't at the very highest level of competition, but the five-year-old gelding demonstrated that he is in the best form of his life by powering on by good horses Sunny Ridge and Tu Brutus in the Grade 2 Brooklyn Invitational.

Fresh off the first graded stakes victory of his career, he now jumps right back into the deep end of the pool in Saturday's feature at Saratoga. The problem for War Story, and it's a rather big problem, comes in the form of a handsome chestnut named Gun Runner. The truth of the matter, is that unless Gun Runner runs something clearly less than his best, he will add the prestigious $1.2 million Whitney to his list of accomplishments. If the big horse somehow stubs his toe at the Spa, the Loooch runner is one of the horses who could capitalize.

While War Story is a nice horse, but in a little deep, I actually like the lesser known Loooch runner quite a bit better on Saturday.

The $750,000 West Virginia Derby has drawn a solid field of 11 to Mountaineer. While Triple Crown veterans Patch and Lookin At Lee figure to draw most of the attention, neither posses much speed, and neither has run since the 12-furlong Belmont Stakes in June. With the favorites vulnerable, Game Over looks to be a horse ready to step up and pull an upset. 

You may not have heard of him yet, but I believe that is about to change. Unlike when War Story finished third in the West Virginia Derby a few years ago, this Loooch entry comes in a lightly raced horse. In fact, he's only had three lifetime races.

His sire is the former Horse of the Year, Mineshaft. His broodmare sire is a former West Virginia Derby winner, Soto. Bred to get better with experience, the $100,000 yearling purchase won his first two starts, at Oaklawn Park in March, and at Churchill Downs in May. In typical Loooch Racing style, Game Over quickly tried the big boys after that.

The occasion was the $500,000 Ohio Derby on June 24. The race at Thistledown came up big, as evidenced by the impressive wins by the top two, Irap and Girvin, since. Game Over could only manage fifth, but all things considered, I thought he ran a big race. Watch as he takes the race right to Girvin on the turn, and while he could not stick with him late, it was the move of a talented horse.

With that strong experience under his belt, he should only be that much stronger this time around. While the West Virginia Derby has attracted a number of good horses, there is no one in here as good as Irap or Girvin, in my opinion. With local star Deshawn Parker picking up the mount, Game Over should be ready to take his promising graded stakes debut in the Ohio Derby to another level at Mountaineer.

Will it be enough to win the West Virginia Derby? I know what Ron Paolucci would say.