Mountaineer roundup: Red Route One wins West Virginia Derby

Red Route One, who had been knocking heads with the top 3-year-olds all year without a graded stakes victory, rallied strongly from fifth with an eighth of a mile remaining and drew away to win the Grade 3, $500,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort Sunday night.

The 3-year-old Gun Runner colt gave trainer Steve Asmussen his sixth win in the 1 1/8-mile West Virginia Derby. It marked the third victory in the race for owner Winchell Thoroughbreds, all of them with Asmussen as trainer.

Ridden by Cristian Torres, who was aboard Red Route One when he finished second in the Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, the chestnut colt was never worse than seventh in a race with a fairly quick pace set by One in Vermillion, who fired to the front and was unchallenged for more than a half-mile. West Coast Cowboy engaged the leader heading in the far turn and the pair battle to the wire—only to be engulfed by Red Route One approaching the finish.

Red Route One won by three lengths, while West Coast Cowboy finished second, a head in front of One in Vermillion. Red Route One paid $9.80 to win and completed the distance in 1:49.49.

The Mountaineer main track, which was sloppy to begin the program and switched to good for the sixth race, was clearly favoring horses on or near the lead. Assistant trainer Darren Fleming, who has saddled all six of Asmussen’s West Virginia Derby winners, said the surface was a concern.

“We were apprehensive the way the track was playing,” Fleming said. “He ended up handling it very well. “Mountaineer has always been great for us, and the colt had been doing very well coming into the race.”

In his previous start, Red Route One finished a distant eighth in the Belmont Stakes at 1 1/2 miles after a fourth-place finish in the  Preakness Stakes. Fleming said the distance and the fact “it wasn’t his day” led to a lackluster performance in the Belmont.

Red Route One, who now has three wins, two seconds and a third in 12 starts, became a millionaire with his Mountaineer victory. His earnings now stand at $1,045,125.

Mountaineer this year moved the West Virginia Derby to Sunday from Saturday this year with a twilight post of 5 p.m. The total pari-mutuel handle for nine races was $2.53 million, up 12% from $2.26 million in 2022 and the highest number since 2015.

Canadian invader Duke of Love wins Governor's Cup for Carroll

Duke of Love’s victory in the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie in Canada in 2022 was the reason his connections were considering shipping to West Virginia for a shot at a grade 3 stakes with a nice purse.

They did make the trip to Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort and ended up taking the home the money and the trophy in the Grade 3, $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s Stakes. Luis Contreras came in from Canada to ride the colt, who was making only his third start of 2023.

Duke of Love, a 4-year-old Ontario-bred colt by Cupid, had raced on Tapeta and turf in 10 of his 11 starts. His lone dirt outing came in the Prince of Wales.

“When he won the Prince of Wales he ran his best numbers,” said Charlie Nash, assistant to his wife, trainer Josie Carroll. “She thought this would be the best place for him (to return to dirt). And that was a good ride by Luis.”

Duke of Love, who paid $19 to win as the fourth choice, was close up throughout in the 1 1/16-mile Governor’s Stakes, took over on the far turn and held off Surly Furious by three-quarters of a length. Favored O’Connor was third. The time for the distance was 1;42.39.

Duke of Love is owned by MyRaceHorse.