The 4 ½-furlong Henry Mercer Memorial has drawn a well-matched field of precocious West Virginia-breds, headlined by several impressive maiden winners looking to take the next step into stakes company.

Irish Jubalee comes in as both the 5-2 morning line favorite and the most seasoned entrant, having raced three times already. The Anthony Farrior trainee, a son of Juba, broke his maiden at second asking in sharp fashion at Charles Town before stretching his speed against allowance company at Timonium, where he dueled on the lead and finished second.

The lightly raced colts Chuck Town and Gurney Halleck renew acquaintances after exiting the same September 6 maiden dash. Chuck Town, trained and bred by Michael Sterling, broke sharply, fought off pressure, and held on gamely for the victory in :52.33, earning a 65 figure. Runner-up Gurney Halleck, a $100,000 yearling by Practical Joke trained by Jeff Runco, showed good determination in defeat and figures to benefit from that debut. Both have the pedigree and connections to be serious players here.

Another major threat is Tricks R for Juba (7-2), who bested Irish Jubalee at first asking. More recently he dueled with that rival before finishing just behind him in the Timonium allowance. The Ronald Sigler trainee’s lone Charles Town try earned a solid 64 Beyer figure, and his tactical speed should serve him well cutting back to the Mercer distance.

The Big Lep adds intrigue for the Farrior barn. The son of Great Notion debuted at Timonium, where he set the pace and drew off comfortably to score by open lengths. Though his figure (53) came back light compared to some rivals, he did everything right and could move forward second time out.

Noble Ruling (15-1), a winner at second asking going two turns, and the 0-for-2 Ifthedevildanced (30-1) both will need to step forward to contend in this spot. The latter gets Lasix on for the first time.

With several speedy youngsters signed on, the race may come down to which colt handles the expected pace battle best.