Woodstock, VA — Hagerman Racing’s impressive 2-year-old gelding trotter In The Worst Way captured his fifth straight race in a $10,000 Virginia Breeders prep division Saturday (Oct. 17) at Shenandoah Downs as round number one of the 29th annual Virginia Breeders Championship Series kicked off. A second round of preps and eliminations will take place next weekend in advance of the $400,000 “Day of Champions” card on Oct. 31.
Driver Corey Braden directed the son of Mach II past Areallyfastcar just after the quarter then led the rest of the way, crossing the wire in 2:01.4. The winner is trained by Herman Hagerman and came to Virginia fresh off a dominating $100,000 Maryland Sire Stake victory Oct. 11 where he won by nine lengths. William Roberts and Graham Grace Stables’ Youcancallmeroy finished second and Caviart Farms’ Call Me Ovi took third.
In the female counterpart, Tremaine Harding’s Dance With Jenni picked up where she left off in Virginia Sire Stake competition two weeks ago with another solid win — in Breeder’s company this time. The daughter of Armed Dangerously, who wired the field in both her Sire Stake prep and final, came outside Saturday in the final turn — after a pocket trip throughout — and powered home to a 6-1/4-length triumph in 2:03.4. Reinsman Billy Carter led the effort for trainer Michael Whitaker. All six of Dance With Jenni’s career starts have been at the Woodstock oval. Rudy Hostetler’s Aren’t I Pretty finished second and Tremain Harding and Cornelius Martin’s Queen Jessica took third.
Pacers took center stage Sunday and Caviart Farms’ Caviart Caleb delivered a solid outing in the first of two elimination division legs for males. The Papi Rob Hanover gelding wired the field in 1:56.1 after initial fractions of :29.3, :59.1 and 1:28.3. Driver Troy Beyer positioned the Jim Campbell trainee 10 lengths ahead at the top of the stretch, and at the wire was 18 lengths on front of runner-up Big Mac Dylan. Debbie Warnick’s Meadowland Park finished third.
Richard Havens’ Blue Jay’s Watchin took care of business in the second colt division, covering the mile in 1:57.2 and crossing 2-1/2 lengths the best. The son of He’s Watching left from outside post eight with driver Tony Morgan aboard and authored panels of :28, :57 and 1:27. Trained by Dan Gassien, the elimination winner is now three-for-five in his young career and rebounded from an eighth-place finish last out at Harrington. Joe Chinando’s Ohh Hey Bud finished second and Scott Woogen’s KJ Atlas took third.
In the first filly division, Ramona Gillespie’s Oops All Berries paced in front at all four fractions and stopped the timer in 1:59.4. The daughter of Captain Crunch authored a :29.3 opener and followed with 1:00.2 and 1:30.2 stanzas. The Janet Davis trainee maintained a one-length cushion throughout but opened extra distance in the stretch and crossed 3-1/2 lengths the best. J M B Ventures’ If I Win Uwin was second and Hagerman Racing’s All That Rusty finished third.
Jason Skinner’s Denim N Pearls surged past Nurse Nippy before the three-quarter pole in the second filly clash, opened up by eight at the head of the stretch and coasted home to a 9-3/4-length victory in 1:58. The Perfect Sting filly has produced top-three finishes in all eight of her starts and 19-year-old Ryder Skinner has been in the sulky for all. Ellen Warren and Bob Krenitsky’s Dark Sunkist took second and John Pyott’s Nurse Nippy was third.
Shenandoah Downs hosts its annual Pink Power Day in conjunction with second leg Breeder’s races next Saturday, Oct. 24. Details are at shenandoahdowns.com.