Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races is located in Charles Town, West Virginia and is one of two Thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state, the other being Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort in Chester. The Charles Town track is about 63 miles from Washington, DC and is proximate to both the Maryland and Virginia borders.
The late Bill Hartack, one of the outstanding jockeys of all time, got his start at the track. The racetrack fell on hard times but was rescued by the addition of alternative gaming and the purchase by Penn National Gaming, Inc. Another boost was the creation of the West Virginia Breeders Classics in 1987, thanks to co-founders Sam Huff and Carol Holden–who breed Thoroughbreds on a farm near Middleburg, Virginia–and are the co-hosts of Trackside on Radio. They remain today the Chairman of the Board and President, respectively, of the West Virginia Breeders Classics.
On Saturday night, October 15, 2011, Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races will host the 25th anniversary of the West Virginia Breeders Classics, with $1.345 million in purses going to West Virginia-bred horses. Every annual edition save one has been held at Charles Town (one year it was hosted by Mountaineer).
To qualify, a horse must be registered with the West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Association and meet one of the following requirements:
“(1) The breeder of the West Virginia bred foal is a West Virginia resident; (2) the breeder of the West Virginia bred foal is not a West Virginia resident, but keeps his or her breeding stock in West Virginia year round; or (3) the breeder of the West Virginia bred foal is not a West Virginia resident and does not qualify under #2 above, but either the sire of the West Virginia bred foal is a registered West Virginia stallion at the time of cover, or the mare was covered by a registered West Virginia stallion following the birth of the West Virginia bred foal.”
The 2011 West Virginia Breeders Classics has nine stakes races carded; the feature is the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders Classic for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on dirt. A $250,000 7-furlong race for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up is the next richest offering. Seven additional races are worth $85,000 each.
The West Virginia Breeders Classics stands as a model of what can be achieved with passionate and capable leadership and strong participation by a state’s breeding and racing interests.
Click here to see the West Virginia Breeders Classics website.
Click here to see the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races website.
Click here to see the Trackside on Radio website.
Click here to see the West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Association website.
Click here to read an ESPN bio on Sam Huff.
Copyright © 2011 Horse Racing Business
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