STAR OF NIGHT HEADLINES MY SISTER PEARL

Star of Night
Star of Night outdueled Privately to win the WVBC Cavada. Photo by Allison Janezic.

Star of Night may be 3-5 on the morning line in Saturday evening’s $75,000 My Sister Pearl Stakes at Charles Town Races. But it’s hard to tell whether she’s scaring many rivals off.

In part that’s because, if all who are entered post, it’ll be a full field of 10. On the other hand, four of those 10, including Star of Night, are trained by Jeff Runco.

Star of Night, a four-year-old filly by Creative Cause, has won eight straight, five in stakes company, and last out scored in the West Virginia Cavada Breeders’ Classic, overcoming an unexpectedly stiff challenge from Privately to earn the win in the premier event for state-bred distaffers.

A homebred for Heinz and Eric Steinmann’s Huntertown Farm LLC, Star of Night has won 10 of 12 in her career with two runner-up finishes. She’s earned just shy of $320,000. And for good measure, she’s one-for-one at the My Sister Pearl distance of nine furlongs; she won this contest a year ago.

Regular pilot Arnaldo Bocachica will do the honors.

Privately returns to tackle Star of Night in this contest. The Javier Contreras trainee was 22-1 in the Cavada and nearly pulled the big upset, forcing Star of Night to work for it to the bitter end. That was just this five-year-old mare’s second try around two turns, and this will be her first going three.

A homebred for trainer Javier Contreras, Privately (6-1) has won four of 10 starts while earning just over $124,000. Wesley Ho will ride a runner making just her second start in stakes company.

Star of Night and Privately are two of just three runners here with morning lines below 10-1. The third is another Runco trainee, WVBC Distaff winner Stowe Angel (5-1).

Stowe Angel had been throttled by Star of Night two back in the Sadie Hawkins Aug. 27, but the added ground in the nine-furlong Distaff seemed to do her a world of good. Sent off at even money, she stalked the pace before drawing away to win by nearly seven lengths for her second win in three starts.

Stowe Angel has won seven of 14 starts for owner David Raim, amassing $180,640 in the process. The Warrior’s Reward filly was bred in West Virginia by Newborne Farm. While Arnaldo Bocachica rode her in the Distaff, he picks Star of Night here, so Christian Hiraldo gets the mount.

Other notables here include Door Buster (15-1), See Ya Manana (12-1), and Boundtobebad (10-1).

Door Buster won the WV Tourism Office Breeders’ Classic, and the three-year-old filly has won five of 11 overall for trainer Ollie Figgins, III and owner Jay Reese. Denis Araujo is up.

See Ya Manana has won 11 times while earning over $300,000 in her career for Runco and Huntertown Farm LLC. While she has yet to win a stake, she has placed in six of them. Carlos Marrero will ride.

And Boundtobebad, trained and owned by John A. Casey, was the runner-up behind Stowe Angel in the Distaff.

Nurse Tompkins (50-1), The Better One (30-1), Alpine Moon (30-1), and Power Forward (15-1) round out the field.

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