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Stokes makes himself at home in West Virginia

Jockey Rex Stokes III is no stranger to riding at Mountaineer Park in Chester, West Virginia, and used his home field advantage to take the three biggest stakes plus one more on the West Virginia Derby (G3) undercard.

In 2005, trainer Dale Romans saddled Michael J. Bruder's M B SEA (Alphabet Soup) to a seven-length victory $125,000 West Virginia Governor's S. He bypassed last year's edition, but wasn't about to skip the event for a second time and gained the experience of Stokes for this go-around.

The eight-year-old M B Sea split rivals at the three-eighths pole and put away Mr. Pursuit (General Royal), who had taken over at the quarter-pole after stalking early on. Drawing off to stop the clock in 1:46 4/5 on the fast dirt, the dark bay horse earned a facile 7 1/4-length victory in the 1 1/16 mile test.

M B Sea was sent off the 8-5 favorite and returned $5.20, $2.60 and $2.20 while keying the $13.40 exacta and $61.60 trifecta (6-2-3). Mr. Pursuit held second by a head to pay $3 and $2.20, while Come on Chas (Jambalaya Jazz) was worth $4 for being best of the rest in third.

In addition to his 2005 Governor's score, M B Sea captured the 2003 Fayette S. (G3) at Keeneland. He owns six black-type placings, including a second in the 2003 Governor's and a third in the 2005 Fayette, and now shows a 54-8-7-9 line with $699,771 in lifetime earnings.

One race earlier, Stokes never gave up on Gus Goldsmith's COWBOY HARDWARE (Announce) despite the Jeff Talley trainee's slow break in the $123,950 Harvey Arneault Memorial Breeders' Cup S. The five-year-old gelding slowly began to respond, coming five wide around the turn, and hit his full stride in midstretch to surge past the leaders and record a 2 1/4-length score. He ran six furlongs in 1:11 3/5 as the 5-1 fourth choice, and paid $13.60, $7.80 and $4.80 to his backers. With this win, Cowboy Hardware adds a first stakes win to his record, which now stands at 25-7-3-5, $251,625.

Stokes began his three-race win streak in the $119,000 West Virginia Senate President's Breeders' Cup S. with a battling 1 1/4-length victory aboard J. Fred Miller III's BEAUTIFUL VENUE (Came Home). The Barbara Beagle-trained miss pulled away late to set a new track record of 1:38 for a mile and 70 yards on the firm turf as the 7-2 fourth choice, returning $9, $4.40 and $3. The dark bay sophomore was second in the Firecracker S. over this same course on July 3, and improved her mark to 18-4-3-2 to go along with $191,514 in accumulated earnings.

Marablue Farm's homebred COUNTRY DIVA (Songandaprayer) captured the American Beauty S. at Oaklawn Park in her four-year-old bow earlier this season, and returned to the winner's circle for the first time since that event with a game neck score in the $85,000 West Virginia Secretary of State S. Beginning Stokes' very good day, the Michael Trivigno charge completed six furlongs on the main track in 1:11 4/5 and now boasts a 21-7-4-3 line with $222,930 in earnings.

Heiligbrodt Racing Stable's CRACKALACKIN (Tiger Ridge) began Mountaineer's all-stakes card on Saturday, posting a 4 1/2-length win in the $85,000 Mountaineer Juvenile S. under Shaun Bridgmohan. The Steve Asmussen-conditioned juvenile colt, third in Churchill's Bashford Manor S. (G3) on July 7, stopped the clock in 1:12 2/5 for six furlongs, and now owns a 3-2-0-1 mark and $82,229 in earnings. Heiligbrodt, Asmussen and Bridgmohan teamed up to take the fillies' counterpart, the $85,000 Mountaineer Juvenile Fillies S., with ELOCUTION (Mutakddim) just two races later. The chestnut lass was five lengths clear of her closest rival at the line while getting six furlongs in 1:12 3/5. Fifth in the Landaluce S. at Hollywood Park last out, the juvenile miss improved her record to 4-2-1-0, $94,400.

Pyrite Stables' BERNIE BLUE (Bernstein) ran second in the $85,000 West Virginia Legislature Chairman's Cup S. last year, and moved up one spot on Saturday to add the 4 1/2-furlong test to his record. Trained by Miguel Feliciano, the bay gelding pulled off for a six-length victory under Deshawn Parker, stopping the teletimer in :52 2/5. The five-year-old, who now shows seven stakes wins, has accumulated $492,788 in earnings to go along with his 33-14-7-3 mark. John M. Tucker's BUCKEYE BUDDY (Horse Chestnut [SAf]) followed Bernie Blue's example, having finished third in the $85,000 West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker's Cup S. in 2006 but scoring in this year's edition. Posting a neck victory under Robby Albarado, the Bill Connelly-trained five-year-old ran a mile and 70 yards in 1:38 1/5 to add a first stakes win to his record, which now stands at 23-4-2-5, $195,686.