Trainer Jeff Runco has become a household name in Charles Town for his numerous training titles and abundant success on the track’s two biggest days. Runco’s trainee Researcher took the first two editions of the Charles Town Classic, and the trainer has made frequent trips to the winners’ circle on West Virginia Breeders Classics night.

This Friday evening Runco is looking to add yet another big stakes tally to his resume when he sends Zip Start postward in the Grade 2, $750,000 Charles Town Oaks for three-year-old fillies. Zip Start is 20-1 on the morning line.

A West Virginia-bred daughter of Upstart co-owned by Coleswood Farm, Inc. and David Raim, Zip Start has won twice in three starts this year and four times in seven career outings with two of those victories coming in seven-furlong stakes for state-bred fillies. She arrives in peak form following a five-length score in the Sylvia Bishop Memorial Stakes as the odds-on choice.

But the waters are deeper here in a race that’s produced Grade 1 winners like Society and Vahva in recent years. Zip Start will face Vodka With a Twist, runner-up in last year’s Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies and the 2-1 favorite, and four sophomores conditioned by Saffie Joseph, Jr., including morning line second choice Indy Bay (5-2), third in the Grade 3 Victory Ride last out.

“When we looked over the noms we didn’t think the race was going to come up exceptionally tough,” Runco said. “She’s coming into the race great. I mean, if she wasn’t I wouldn’t put her in there. But it’s tough to pass on the chance to race for that kind of money on your home turf.”

Zip Start finished third in her career debut roughly one year ago before graduating at second asking against maiden special weight company. She ended her freshman campaign by capturing the James & Eleanor Casey Memorial for state-bred juvenile fillies.

She returned six months later to capture her sophomore debut then rebounded from a second-place effort against allowance foes to record a sharp score in the Sylvia Bishop as the 3-10 favorite with regular pilot Arnaldo Bocachica aboard.

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“Her last race was great and she came out of it perfect and she’s been doing great since then,” Runco said. “I know there’s some good ones in there, but if she runs her race I think she’ll do well.”

The Oaks is contested at the two-turn distance of seven furlongs. Zip Start’s experience racing on the bullring under the lights, and her spotless 3-for-3 record at the trip, should both stand her in good stead Friday. None of her rivals has raced at Charles Town previously.

“She’s always acted like she would be a little better going two turns up here,” Runco said. “Both of her two stakes wins here were going seven furlongs and two turns, so the distance suits her perfectly… For that kind of money we thought we would give it a shot, and I think she’ll run well in there.”

Runco saddled Researcher to win the first two editions of the Charles Town Classic. He later saddled West Virginia-breds Muad’dib and Coastal Mission to finish second and fourth, respectively, in the track’s signature event.

The Oaks has also seen some state-bred runners make an impact. Late Night Pow Wow, trained by Javier Contreras, prevailed in the 2018 renewal, while both her full-sister Overnight Pow Wow (Cynthia McKee) and Parisian Diva (Stacey Viands) earned fourth-place finishes.

As is generally the case for the local conditioner, Runco will make frequent trips to the paddock for the expanded 13-race program that gets under way at 5 p.m., two hours earlier than normal. In all, Runco will send out nine runners in six different races. His one-turn sprint specialists Duncan Idaho and Penguin Power will square off in the $40,000 Last Enchantment Stakes for state-breds. Much later Runaldo, Muad’dib and Social Chic will meet in the $75,000 Frank Gall Memorial, which serves as the nightcap.

The Gall also includes Social Chic’s younger full-brother Pascaline, while full siblings Duncan Idaho, Muad’dib and Overnight Pow Wow will all seek stakes victories in three different events on the card.

At some point on the Friday card, Runco trainees will likely enable him to eclipse the $70 million plateau in career earnings – he’s about $60,000 shy. He is also 139 wins away from reaching  5,000 winners, a milestone he could realistically reach in the fall of 2026.