A competitive field of West Virginia-bred fillies and mares will sprint 4 ½ furlongs Saturday night in the $75,000 Fancy Buckles Stakes at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, a longtime showcase for local distaff speed.

Nine runners are entered, with trainer Tim Grams taking aim with two runners as he seeks to win a race named for a top early runner of his.

Grams’s duo brings plenty to the table. Moonlit Kiss (4-1), a daughter of Great Notion out of the accomplished Moonlit Song, has finished first or second in eight of nine starts at the distance. She was a troubled eighth last out in the $100,000 The Very One Stakes on the turf at Pimlico but had just won a tough allowance at Charles Town in April and remains a major threat.

Stablemate Maggie’s Girl (7-2), like Moonlit Kiss a homebred for Grams and his wife Judy, owns 11 career wins and has been in the money in 17 of 19 starts. Though well beaten in her latest try at Pimlico, she was second by a half-length in this race last year and has never finished worse than second in seven tries at the trip.

Grams’s go-to rider, Larry Reynolds, lands on Maggie’s Girl, while Denis Araujo will pilot Moonlit Kiss.

Looking to spoil the Grams barn’s party is Mendys Honey (3-1), trained by Anthony Farrior and ridden by Arnaldo Bocachica. She was bumped at the break in The Very One but had previously captured the Original Gold Stakes going two turns. Her versatility and 6-for-9 record make her a top contender in this dash.

Another with sharp local credentials is Dreamy Sonde (8-1), a 7-time winner at the distance trained by Jeff Runco. The grey daughter of Fiber Sonde enters off a confident allowance score and brings consistency and tactical speed.

Veteran mare Stryda (10-1) returns for her third try in the Fancy Buckles, having finished second and fourth in her previous appearances. A winner last out, she makes her first start for trainer Kent Knudsen, who claimed her for $10,000 from that triumph. She has 11 career victories and won the 2023 Autumn Stakes.

Bella Mela (5-1), trained by Javier Contreras, has eight runner-up finishes to go along with five wins. Though seeking her first stakes victory, she exits a strong second-place finish in allowance company and has proven to be competitive in stakes.

Lightnin Runner (6-1) brings back class and earnings power, but she hasn’t run at this short sprint distance in nearly two years. She’ll leave from the nine-hole with Carlos Lopez in the irons for trainer Ronney Brown.

Rounding out the field are longshots Jlodiamond (15-1), third in her latest start and making her third try off the layoff, and Lil Knockout (30-1), a maiden with several in-the-money finishes but still seeking her first win.

The Fancy Buckles Stakes is the seventh on an eight-race program with a projected post time of 10:02 p.m.

FANCY BUCKLES ENTRIES