At a Premium dominates Bishop Memorial
CT Oaks a “definite possibility” for next start
Ted Black
July 26, 2026
After watching his talented trainee At a Premium stay perfect through the first four starts of her career by capturing the $75,000 Sylvia Bishop Memorial Stakes for West Virginia-bred three-year-old fillies Saturday at Charles Town, trainer David Walters took a cautious approach regarding her next endeavor.
With a 4-for-4 record, those wins coming by a combined total of more than 40 lengths, At a Premium has the look of a horse who could contend in the Grade 2, $750,000 Charles Town Oaks Aug. 28.
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But though he called the Oaks “definitely a possibility,” Walters wasn’t inclined to make any commitments and could just as easily point to a state-bred spot that same night.
At a Premium, a sophomore daughter of Great Notion that Walters trains for breeder and co-owner Jill Daniel and Michael J. Miller, prevailed in her stakes debut on Saturday night as the prohibitive 1-9 favorite while also attracting over $262,000 in place wagers. The second wagering choice was 18-1.
Away a touch slow under regular pilot Jeiron Barbosa, At a Premium barged between two rivals to get to the front, and it was all over from there. At a Premium cruised to an 8 1/4-length tally and stopped the timer in 1:24.79 for the seven furlongs over the fast track.
At a Premium paid $2.20 to win, and the Jeff Runco trainee Johanna finished second. Maskedandmummed and Orange Canyon rounded out the order of finish. The win pushed At a Premium’s bankroll to nearly $110,000.
“Tonight, I didn’t think this was an easy spot by any means,” Walters said. “If they had gone after her early and she got tired late, I was ready to concede defeat. But she did it easier than I expected.”
Despite the four straight facile scores, Walters insisted he would only consider the Grade 2, $750,000 Charles Town Oaks for three-year-old fillies here on August 28 after carefully reviewing the long list of nominees and hardly ruled out trying older, state-bred foes that night in the $75,000 Sadie Hawkins at the same, two-turn distance of seven panels.
“It doesn’t cost anything to nominate, so I’ll take a look at the list when it comes out and go from there,” Walters said. “I know there are going to be some really good ones nominated to the Oaks, so I’ll just have to look and see. The Sadie Hawkins is also that night, and then she will probably try the Cavada on Breeders Classics night.”
Walters did acknowledge one advantage At a Premium might possess.
“But the Oaks is definitely a possibility,” Walters added. “It’s right here on our home track, and there are not too many chances to run for that kind of money anywhere. I imagine some really nice ones will ship in from out-of-town for the race. But sometimes those horses don’t always handle the smaller track.”
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