Northview, CT’s big night, more: The week in social media

Late Night Pow Wow won the 2018 Charles Town Oaks. Photo by Coady Photography.

The Preakness Stakes will now be part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, Wellbourne Farms is taking over the Northview-Pennsylvania farm, and the Charles Town Oaks and Charles Town Classic will both take place this Friday, August 28.

Here is the 411 on what racing fans in the Mid-Atlantic region have been buzzing about on social media this past week:

Preakness and Breeders’ Cup Classic team up

The Covid-19 pandemic has created quite an unusual racing year. The Preakness Stakes, slated to take place October 3 instead of its original date of May 16, now has another change to it to go along with its new date. The Stronach Group and officials of the Breeders’ Cup have announced that for the first time ever the winner of the Preakness Stakes (G1) will be granted an automatic entry into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

For 2020, the Preakness Stakes will be the only Triple Crown race that is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series takes place in North America and internationally, with specific races granting a guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the winners of those races.

The 2020 Breeders’ Cup is set to take place November 6-7, with the Classic being held on Saturday the 7th. With a purse of $7 million, the Breeders’ Cup Classic is contested at the distance of 1 ¼-miles as opposed to the 1 3/16-mile distance of the Preakness Stakes. Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, KY will host the Breeders’ Cup this year.

To date, only four winners of the Preakness Stakes have claimed victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, with the most recent victory going to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in 2015, when he became the first “Grand Slam” winner in the sport after claiming the Breeders’ Cup Classic in the wake of his Triple Crown sweep. Other winners of both the Preakness Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic include Alysheba in 1987, Sunday Silence in 1989, and Curlin in 2007.

Both the Preakness Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic will be broadcast on live television by NBC and NBCSN.

Wellbourne to take over Northview-PA

Wellbourne Farms and Northview Stallion Station announced this week that the Northview-PA — one of two operated by Northview — would be taken over by Wellbourne Farms.

Northview-PA, which first started in 2009, is a 168-acre farm that is fully equipped with an eight-stall stallion barn, a full breeding shed and office, three 20-stall broodmare barns, and a yearling barn containing 12 stalls. Back in May of this year, the farm had announced plans of focusing more on the Maryland side of things and selling its Pennsylvania location which exists near Peach Bottom. The other location belonging to Northview Stallion Station can be found on Northern Dancer Rd, in Warwick, MD.

David Wade, the general manager of Northview Stallion Station had this to say of the transition: “We are thrilled that the farm will remain a breeding operation. We have assured Wellbourne Farms that we will support them and do whatever we can to help them during and beyond the transition.”

Charles Town’s big night upcoming

Charles Town Races will play host to a landmark day of racing this Friday, as for the first time the Charles Town Classic (G2) and the Charles Town Oaks (G3) will be held on the same night.

Slated to take place August 28, the Charles Town Classic and Charles Town Oaks will be the highlights of a card with seven stakes races. The night will kick off with a special first post time of 5 p.m. EDT.

Originally scheduled to take place on April 18, the Charles Town Classic was canceled when the track was shut down by the Covid-19 pandemic. But the delay seems not to have been a negative; a total of 141 horses were nominated for both the Oaks and the Classic.

Ten horses have been entered in the Charles Town Classic, with one on the also-eligible list. Among those entered in the $600,000 main event is local favorite Runnin’toluvya, who is the defending champion of the Charles Town Classic, and the only West Virginia-bred in history to own victory in the event.

The $200,000 Charles Town Oaks will be run at the distance of seven furlongs on the main track and has a scheduled post time of 9:43 p.m. The Charles Town Classic will be contested at the distance of 1 1/8 miles on the main track, with post time set to take off at 10:18 p.m.

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