Departing Leaves Rivals in the Dust in West Virginia Derby

Photo: Eclipse Sportswire

Post time favorite Departing ran away from eight rivals in Saturday's Grade II West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer. 

Ruler of Love, a 13-1 longshot ridden by Calvin Borel, set the pace through fractions of :23.45, :47.37, and 1:11.72. Rank outsider Ledokol chased the early runner with Departing steadily advancing from 7th to 5th to 2nd.

Departing surged past Ruler and Love and widened in the lane, crossing the line almost nine lengths in front under jockey Robby Albarado. The final time was 1:51.47 for nine panels. Al Stall Jr. conditions the winner for Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider. 

Ruler of Love easily held the place over second betting choice Overanalyze. Betweenhereandcool finished 4th and was followed by Shaler, Stratocruiser, Say Ow, Ledokol, and Mi Sto Divertendo. 

Departing paid $4.80 and earned $435,750 for his victory on Saturday.

Read More

Division rankings: No debate in this Eclipse race
Last week, I mentioned that as many as seven Eclipse races still have debate swirling around them. I...
Head to Head: Turf queens clash in the Jockey Club Oaks
The Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational Stakes was inaugurated in 2019 as part of a new racing...
1997 Belmont winner Touch Gold is euthanized at age 31
Touch Gold , winner of the 1997 Belmont Stakes, was euthanized at the age of 31 because of...
With the Angels looks to go 6-for-6 at Aqueduct on Sunday
With the Angels , a 3-year-old filly trained by Linda Rice, will try to go 6-for-6 with her...
Freshman sires: Yaupon remains on top as rivals add wins
Yaupon continues to dominate the 2025 freshman sire standings with 32 wins from 128 starts, maintaining a robust...