Charles Town Races

State-bred and -sired programs in Louisiana, West Virginia and Maryland were in the spotlight over the weekend, and the while main events at Delta Downs, Charles Town Races and Laurel Park each featured heavily backed odds-on favorites, the results produced varying outcomes: A new track record, a double-digit-lengths blowout, and an upset of a Breeders' Cup-placed horse who had seemed like a cinch dropping down into restricted company. On Saturday at Delta Downs, Touchuponastar (Star Guitar) returned from a 4 1/2-month layoff in the co-featured $100,000 Gold Cup Stakes for...

Banishing (Ghostzapper) spoiled a bid by Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) to win the GII Charles Town Classic for the third year in a row when he successfully shipped in for West Virginia's biggest night at the races on Friday. The veteran who is co-owned by trainer David Jacobson scored his biggest triumph in the GIII Oaklawn Mile in Hot Springs Mar. 29 when he dueled and then defeated GISW Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming). Banishing was bested by First Mission (Street Sense) in the GII Oaklawn Handicap the next month, but he did...

The stewards at Charles Town Races on Wednesday issued a ruling that will not impose penalties against the licensure of trainer Curtis Bass after deeming that a "trace level" of a cocaine metabolite detected in a $5,000 claiming mare who won Apr. 10 was the result of "inadvertent exposure" to that drug. It's the second time in eight months that the Charles Town stewards have made that type of  determination on a cocaine positive, disqualifying the winning horse but not penalizing the trainer. Although West Virginia's Thoroughbred medication testing and...

The stewards at Charles Town Races on Wednesday issued a ruling that will not impose penalties against the licensure of trainer Justin Nixon after deeming that a "trace level" of a cocaine metabolite detected in a winning first-time starter he trained in March was the result of "inadvertent exposure" to that drug. West Virginia, along with Louisiana, are the only two states in America where Thoroughbred medication testing and enforcement are not subject to oversight by the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit...

Trainer Joe Taylor, a longtime fixture at Parx and the leading trainer there in 2019, has received an eight-year suspension handed down by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), after he had two horses test positive for banned substances. The story was first reported by Matt Hegarty of the Daily Racing Form. Taylor received a pair of four-year suspensions, one for each horse. According to postings on the HIWU website, the Taylor-trained Classy American (Uncle Lino) tested positive for Methylphenidate and Clenbuterol following a June 20 race at Parx....

Both Charles Town Races and Mountaineer Park got approval Wednesday from the West Virginia Racing Commission (WVRC) to reduce live racing dates in 2024 compared to recent seasons. The Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) chapters at both tracks supported the diminished schedules based on available purse funds and projected horse populations. Right now the placeholders are 158 dates for Charles Town and 121 for Mountaineer. But the exact number of programs will ultimately be contingent on the outcome of several overlapping federal lawsuits that have to do with the...

Charles Town Races on Tuesday was approved for a reduction of 15 dates for 2023 compared to its 2022 allotment, with the understanding that the 164-program schedule could be revisited mid-year to include additional dates if finances warrant extra racing. The awarding of race dates in West Virginia is a somewhat confusing several-step process bound by a state statute that requires Charles Town to apply for 220 programs every year. The state's other Thoroughbred track, Mountaineer Park, is required to apply for 210 dates. But what has ended up happening...