Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association, Inc.
Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association, Inc.
WHAT MAKES THE CHARLES TOWN CLASSIC (GII) ONE OF THE MORE DIFFICULT RACES TO WIN?
4/19/2019
The Charles Town Classic (GII) is a race for 4-year-olds and older run at 9 furlongs over the dirt track at the Hollywood Casino and Charles Town Races. It carries a purse of $1.000.000. The race was first run in 2009. In these seven years two horses have won the race twice. Imperative who is going for third win this year won the race in 2014 and 2017. Researcher won the first two times this race was run –2009 and 2010. Something Awesome, last year’s winner returns to defend his title. Since 2009 jockey Javier Castellano has won the race 3 times or 42.8% of the times it has been run. This year he is ridding Diamond King, a 4-1 morning line horse which is also the pick of ThoroFan’s Handicapper’ Corner pick. Will he up his win percentage? Although the purse is lucrative attracting horse can be a challenge because of the configuration of the track. Most Thoroughbred tracks are a least 1 mile in distance; the Charles Town course is only 6 furlongs or ¾ of a mile. The outline geometrically necessitates very sharp turns loved by sprinters, but not by distance horses. Asking these horses to travel 1 1/8 miles is contradiction in pedigree making the race a difficult one to win.