CT: Contentious group set for Original Gold
Last two Cavada winners among the hopefuls
The Biz
May 29, 2026
Trainer Cynthia McKee’s Overnight Pow Wow enters Saturday night’s $75,000 Original Gold at Charles Town as the mare to beat, but a deep and accomplished field of West Virginia-bred fillies and mares ensures the seven-furlong stakes will be anything but straightforward.
The race includes the last two winners of the West Virginia Cavada Breeders’ Classic in Overnight Pow Wow and Petty Perfect, near-$500,000 earner The Sky Is Falling, and some youngsters on the rise.
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A five-year-old daughter of Fiber Sonde, Overnight Pow Wow has built one of the strongest local résumés in training. She owns 11 wins from 20 career starts, all over the Charles Town strip, and has consistently held her form against stakes and allowance company alike. After winning a March allowance in gate-to-wire fashion, she returned with a game runner-up effort in April when narrowly denied late after setting the pace throughout. Drawn on the rail with her customary early speed, she figures once again to control the tempo from the outset.
Several rivals, however, bring credentials strong enough to threaten the favorite. Zip Start, from the powerful Jeff Runco barn, may be the most intriguing alternative. The lightly raced four-year-old won three of six starts last year, including the Sylvia Bishop Memorial and the West Virginia Lottery Breeders’ Classic, and also tackled graded foes in the Charles Town Oaks and open runners in the Safely Kept. Her lone start this season may be better than it looks on paper after she clipped heels leaving the gate and never became involved. With a clean trip, she appears poised for a major effort.
Petty Perfect also returns with a strong body of work. The Kristy Petty trainee captured the Cavada Breeders’ Classic last fall and has repeatedly run well against this same group. She finished second in the My Sister Pearl Stakes behind The Sky Is Falling and owns the tactical style that often plays well at seven furlongs at Charles Town. Though her seasonal debut over a sloppy track in April was only even, it came after nearly six months away from the races and should serve as a useful prep.
The Sky Is Falling remains one of the field’s most accomplished runners despite an uneven start to her 2026 campaign. Last year she put together a superb season that included victories in both the Sadie Hawkins Stakes and the My Sister Pearl Stakes, using a devastating late rally to win each. Her last two races have lacked that same punch, but the Jeff Runco trainee still owns perhaps the strongest closing kick in the field and would benefit from a contested early pace.
Among the others, Skie’s Music may be sitting on a breakthrough performance. The four-year-old has had a strong start to the season, winning two allowance races before a solid third-place finish in her latest outing. She has developed into a consistent late-running type and could pick up pieces if the pace becomes contentious.
Jubaslilballerina and Juba’s Parade both bring extensive local stakes experience and enough back class to factor underneath. Jubaslilballerina exits a solid runner-up finish in allowance company and has previously won around two turns, while Juba’s Parade owns nine career victories and captured an allowance in February before facing tougher company in recent starts.
Others entered include Shewonttalktome, Somesugarnspice, Xanthe, Thelastsay, and Lil Miss Honkytonk. The latter two are also-eligible.
The Original Gold appears likely to hinge on pace and positioning. Overnight Pow Wow looks certain to be sent hard from the rail, while several others possess enough tactical speed to ensure honest fractions. If the favorite shakes loose early, she may prove difficult to reel in. But if the tempo becomes heated, proven closers like The Sky Is Falling or improving runners such as Zip Start and Skie’s Music could make things very interesting in the stretch.
ORIGINAL GOLD STAKES ENTRIES
| Post | Horse | Odds | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
| 1 | Overnight Pow Wow | 3-1 | Latchman R | McKee Cynthia E | Beau Ridge Farm LLC |
| 2 | Shewonttalktome | 12-1 | Araujo D V | Sigler Ronald G | Casey’s Legacy LLC |
| 3 | Zip Start | 4-1 | Bocachica A | Runco Jeff C | Coleswood Farm, Inc. |
| 4 | Skie’s Music | 5-1 | Stokes J | Collins Timothy M | Timothy M. Collins |
| 5 | Somesugarnspice | 12-1 | Whitacre G | Meehan Elizabeth E | Elizabeth E. Meehan |
| 6 | Jubaslilballerina | 12-1 | Larrosa G | Sigler Ronald G | Casey’s Legacy LLC |
| 7 | Petty Perfect | 9-2 | Acosta J D | Petty Kristy | KP Racing Stables LLC |
| 8 | Juba’s Parade | 10-1 | Santiago W | Sanderson Wade S | Regulator Racing Stable |
| 9 | The Sky Is Falling | 8-1 | Barbosa J | Runco Jeff C | David M. Raim |
| 10 | Xanthe | 20-1 | Lewis J M | Lane Scott J | Gerasimos Moschonas |
| 11 | Thelastsay | 5-1 | Santaella M | Brown Ronney W | Kenneth L. Brown |
| 12 | Lil Miss Honkytonk | 20-1 | Lewis J M | Collyer Jamie D | Iyacyas Racing LLC |
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