Zip Start lukewarm fave in contentious My Sister Pearl
Two 2026 WVBC winners among 11 entered
The Biz
November 12, 2026
Three stakes winners and a pair of stakes-placed runners are among several to make Saturday’s $75,000 My Sister Pearl Stakes at Charles Town an intriguing affair.
The 1 1/8-mile contest for West Virginia-bred fillies and mares, carded as the seventh race with a 10:02 p.m. post time, has drawn 10 runners, plus one also-eligible. Several have spent much of the season knocking heads in the state’s stakes and allowance ranks.
Indeed, the race includes four horses who ran in last month’s $112,000 West Virginia Cavada Breeders Classic at seven furlongs and four more who competed in the $67,000 West Virginia Roger Ramey Breeders Classic Distaff at the My Sister Pearl distance of nine furlongs.
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Start with the latter. Among those runners are Juba’s Parade, Skie’s Music, and Jeannette the Jet, who finished in that order in the Distaff October 10. The first two figure to be major players again here.
Juba’s Parade, a 6-year-old daughter of Juba trained by Wade Sanderson, led throughout that contest before holding off Skie’s Music by three-quarters of a length. It was her third victory of 2026 and pushed her career earnings to $384,950 from 11 wins in 44 starts.
The Ramey win was particularly encouraging given her record at Saturday’s distance: two wins and a second from four attempts at nine furlongs. She is the only runner in the field with a win at the trip. Wilfredo Santiago, aboard for the Ramey victory, returns Saturday.
Skie’s Music, meanwhile, will look to turn the tables for owner-trainer Tim Collins. The 4-year-old daughter of Hoppertunity was favored in the Ramey but had to settle for second after rallying from well off the pace. She finished more than eight lengths clear of third-place Jeannette the Jet.
Fredy Peltroche retains the mount on Skie’s Music, who also finished third in the Sadie Hawkins Stakes in August.
Petty Perfect has unfinished business of her own in the My Sister Pearl. The Kristy Petty trainee finished second to The Sky Is Falling in last year’s renewal after setting the pace, ultimately beaten 2 3/4 lengths.
The 5-year-old Candygram mare has won eight times and earned $284,801, all at Charles Town. She won the Cavada Breeders Classic last fall and has been competitive in several stakes this season, finishing a slightly troubled third in this year’s Cavada behind Zip Start and Edy’s Flame.
Most recently, Petty Perfect finished second to Edy’s Flame in an October 28 allowance. With Santiago, who had ridden her in four straight, opting for Juba’s Parade, J.D. Acosta, who was aboard in the ’25 Cavada, has the mount from the rail.
Zip Start, trained by Jeff Runco, enters off arguably the field’s most impressive recent stakes performance. The 4-year-old Upstart filly relaxed off a lively pace before rallying from eighth to win the Cavada by three lengths October 10, defeating several rivals she will meet again Saturday.
That victory followed a third-place allowance finish and a runner-up effort in the Sadie Hawkins. Zip Start has won six of 17 career starts and earned $272,786. Arnaldo Bocachica will ride.
The intriguing newcomer to the older stakes ranks is God’s Pride, a 3-year-old daughter of Upstart also trained by Tim Collins.
God’s Pride has won four of eight career starts and comes off a 10 1/2-length allowance romp October 29, earning a career-best 83 Beyer Speed Figure. Previously, she finished second to the ultra-talented At a Premium in the West Virginia Lottery Breeders Classic, earning an 82 Beyer.
Those are the two highest recent Beyer figures among the leading contenders, though God’s Pride will be trying three turns for the first time. Moises Santaella has the assignment.
The remaining entrants include Lona Lee, Jeannette the Jet, Shewonttalktome, Somesugarnspice, and Bully’s Notion. Zero Degrees is also eligible.
MY SISTER PEARL STAKES ENTRIES
1 – Petty Perfect – J.D. Acosta – Kristy Petty – 6-1
2 – Juba’s Parade – Wilfredo Santiago – Wade Sanderson – 4-1
3 – Bully’s Notion – Jacqueline Davis – Lyn Venham – 30-1
4 – Zip Start – Arnaldo Bocachica – Jeff Runco – 5-2
5 – Shewonttalktome – Reshawn Latchman – Ronald Sigler – 30-1
6 – Skie’s Music – Fredy Peltroche – Timothy Collins – 9-2
7 – Lona Lee – Antonio Lopez – Kristy Petty – 12-1
8 – Jeannette the Jet – Jeiron Barbosa – Jeff Runco – 15-1
9 – God’s Pride – Moises Santaella – Timothy Collins – 3-1
10 – Somesugarnspice – Grant Whitacre – Elizabeth Meehan – 30-1
11 – Zero Degrees (AE) – Jose Y. Diaz – Joseph Pyke – 30-1
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