On the night when Charles Town hosted both the Grade 2, $1 million Charles Town Classic for older males and the Grade 2, $750,000 Charles Town Oaks for three-year-old fillies, the Jefferson County oval also offered a quartet of stakes for West Virginia-breds.

Next stop: the upcoming West Virginia Breeders Classics night card here on October 11.

In the finale on the 13-race program, Teachintherelease lived up to his billing as the even-money favorite in the $75,000 Frank Gall Memorial Stakes for state-bred older males. Under Carlos Lopez, he gained command easily through the clubhouse turn and led throughout en route to a 2 1/4-length score over No Change. Hero of this event one year earlier, Teachintherelease successfully defended his title in the Frank Gall by getting the seven furlongs in 1:25.39 for trainer Stephen Murdock and owner Robert Cole, Jr.

“That was a very big effort,” Cole said of Teachintherelease, who has now won twice in three seasonal outings after ending his previous campaign with a victory in the $75,000 Randy Funkhouser Memorial traveling the three-turn distance of one mile and one eighth. “Speed wasn’t holding up at all tonight and he went to the lead and made it look easy. I’d like to get him in a longer race before the [Sam Huff West Virginia Breeders’ Classic], but I don’t know if they will get one to fill.”

Trainer Jeff Runco, who attacked the evening with gusto by sending out nine runners, saddled the winners of two of the other three state-bred stakes on Friday night, both for owner David Raim.

The Sky Is Falling maintained her sharp recent form when the six-year-old Cupid mare rallied from well off the pace to capture the $75,000 Sadie Hawkins Stakes for fillies and mares, and an hour later Duncan Idaho remained perfect from five seasonal outings when he prevailed handily as the 1-5 choice in the $40,000 Last Enchantment Stakes for one-turn sprint specialists. 

“I didn’t think she would get the same pace scenario she did in her previous race, but turns out she didn’t need it,” Runco said of The Sky Is Falling, who recorded her third straight score and now owns 12 wins and over $400,000 banked from 30 career outings over the strip. “I told David she’s doing really good, and she showed it.”

Duncan Idaho, a full-brother to state-bred stars Late Night Pow Wow, Muad’dib and Overnight Pow Wow, captured the Last Enchantment Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths in 52.02 as the odds-on choice. Away alertly from post eight, Duncan Idaho swept to command on the far turn then held safe Anthony Farrior trainees Youthinkthatsfunny and Honeyquist in the lane.

“When he breaks clean, he’s tough to beat,” Runco said of Duncan Idaho, who now sports 15 wins and nearly $375,000 banked from 22 career outings. “He’s just a little bit better than these. But the whole key for him is the break. If he breaks the way he did, he usually wins.”

While Teachintherelease, Duncan Idaho and The Sky Is Falling prevailed in formful fashion, Party Time for Me forged a 19-1 shocker in the $40,000 Autumn WVB Overnight Stakes for state-bred distaffers. With Joe Stokes up, she edged 1-5 choice Overnight Pow Wow following a prolonged stretch battle. A four-year-old daughter of Weave It To Me owned, bred and trained by Anthony Grigsby, Party Time for Me recorded her third win from nine seasonal tries and 10 outings overall by getting the 4 1/2 furlongs in 52.51.

In the Friday opener, Time to Rock served notice that he might be ready to tackle stakes company. With jockey Marshall Mendez in the irons, Time to Rock rallied from well off the pace to capture an open, one-turn allowance for older runners by a neck in 52.04 as the tepid 8-5 choice. A four-year-old, West Virginia-bred Uncle Lino gelding trained by Stacey Viands for owner-breeder Jill Daniel, Time to Rock notched his third win from six seasonal tries and now owns a 6-2-2 slate and over $120,000 banked. 

The running time was virtually identical to that recorded by Duncan Idaho several races later.

“He’s not the quickest horse out of the gate, but he has a great closing kick,” Viands said of Time to Rock, who will likely next start in the West Virginia Dash For Cash Breeders’ Classic, where Duncan Idaho looms the prohibitive favorite. “If he has another horse in his sights turning for home, he’s going to run them down. I can’t say enough about getting the chance to train this horse. Jill Daniel gave me a chance with him at a time when I didn’t have many horses.”