Diversify heads prospective Charles Town Classic 2018 field
Diversify, one of three Grade 1 winners nominated to Saturday’s Charles Town Classic, is expected as the favorite for the Grade 2, $1.2 million race in West Virginia.
Erich Zimny, Charles Town’s vice president of racing operations, listed seven horses as of Sunday the track considers probable for its signature event at 1 1/8 miles. Others include War Story, Fear the Cowboy, Discreet Lover, Something Awesome, Afleet Willy and You’re to Blame.
Additionally, graded stakes winner Dalmore is possible but does not show recent works for West Coast trainer Bob Hess Jr.
A 5-year-old son of Bellamy Road, Diversify, who’s trained by Rick Violette, won three straight stakes races last season, including the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. Considered for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he concluded his season instead with a fourth-place effort in Churchill Downs’ Grade 1 Clark Handicap.
The Charles Town Classic will mark Diversify’s first start since November. His most-recent breeze Saturday was the bullet four a half mile at Florida’s Palm Meadows Training Center, with the gelding clocking in at 47.80 seconds.
Diversify is campaigned by Ralph and Lauren Evans and boasts a career record of seven wins in 11 starts with earnings close to $800,000.
War Story was third in the 2017 Charles Town Classic won by Imperative; Fear the Cowboy ran fourth as a longshot in the world’s richest race, the Pegasus World Cup, in January; and trainer Todd Pletcher will be represented with graded stakes placed You’re to Blame. Pletcher won the 2016 Charles Town Classic with Stanford.
The track will take entries and draw post positions Wednesday. The race, which has run both during the day and under the lights, will this year go on an afternoon card supported by three additional unrestricted stakes all run at 7 furlongs: the $100,000 Dance to Bristol for fillies and mares 4 and up, the $85,000 Robert Hilton Memorial for 3-year-olds, and the $50,000 Russell Road for horses 3 and up.