Where’d the WV Breeders Classics winners come from?
From homebreds to recent claims
Frank Vespe
October 11, 2026
It may be true, as trainer Jeff Runco said Saturday evening, that it’s getting tougher and tougher to buy a good West Virginia-bred, what with the declining foal crop generally and, in recent years, the passing of prominent local breeders like John McKee and James Casey.
But Runco managed to come up with a pair of winners on Saturday night’s 40th West Virginia Breeders Classics card, and of course, others did, too. So where did those horses come from?
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Owner-trainer Ronney Brown found one way around the conundrum: he claimed Thelastsay for $20,000 back in February. On Saturday night, the five-year-old Fiber Sonde mare was up in the late stages to win the 4 ½-furlong 1/ST Bet for fillies and mares, her fifth victory in the last six outings in Brown’s barn.
Actually, though, she cost Brown a bit more than the $20,000 purchase price; she had not been nominated to the Breeders Classics by her breeder, which meant Brown had to supplement her in for 10% of the purse.
“My intention all year was to try to run in this, and then then they called me and said, ‘Well, you’re not eligible.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’” Brown recalled. “Nobody paid the nomination fees on it, and I said, ‘Well, you know what, what is 7500? I’m going to be the favorite in the race. I have to go.’”
Thelastsay wasn’t the only winner to have changed hands at the claimbox. Roger Ramey Distaff winner Juba’s Parade also was a $20,000 claim by trainer Wade Sanderson and Regulator Racing Stable in July 2025.
In Saturday’s contest, she zipped to the front under Wilfredo Santiago and kept finding more, holding off the late bid of favored Skie’s Music to win by three parts of a length for her second career stakes win and first since 2024.
One of the ways Runco has adapted is with homebreds. Ryan’s Run, his three-year-old Russell Road winner is an example of that and was one of six homebreds to win on the card. That roster included the two ultra-impressive three-year-old winners in Ryan’s Run and At a Premium, Sam Huff Classic winner Jubawithatwist, Onion Juice champ Dorado, two-year-old Crystal Veil, and Dash for Cash winner Life Is Daily.
Ryan’s Run, a son of Runhappy, bred by Runco and his wife Susan’s Coleswood Farm Inc., earned a career-best Beyer speed figure of 99 while devastating his rivals.
“It’s what we were hoping for, but they’re a solid group tonight,” Runco said afterwards. “There was a couple horses have been really stepped up their game last couple races. So you know what? I didn’t think there was any cakewalk, but he ran great.”
At a Premium, trained by David Walters for owner-breeder Jill Daniel and Michael Miller, had won her first four starts with ease before finishing second by a half-length in the Grade 2 Charles Town Oaks. She became the third next-out winner, from four to run back, from that contest with her three-length win Saturday.
“The eight [God’s Pride] came up on her quickly. That was not on paper for me to see,” Walters said. “But she didn’t get by her, and when [jockey Jeiron Barbosa] asked her, you know, she opened up quite well the last 70 yards.”
At a Premium improved to five-for-six in her career.
Two of the card’s winners were purchases, one via auction. That was the John Salzman, Jr.-trained and -owned Call Me Micky J. A Sharp Azteca colt, Call Me Micky J., named in honor of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, cost Salzman $20,000 at last fall’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic yearling sale. He was bred in West Virginia by O’Sullivan Farms LLC.
Last night he won for the third time in six career outings and improved to 2-for-2 over the strip.
“He ran good,” Salzman said. “He just does everything right. He’s such a classy horse.”
After Call Me Micky J. won at first asking at Laurel Park in May, Salzman tried his luck in the Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs and then in a pair of stakes, one short on dirt and one long on turf, at Colonial Downs. None of those efforts was much to write home about, but facing off against West Virginia-breds in his two most recent starts, he’s found his mojo.
All of which goes to show: it’s never easy to find a good horse, but a good eye, a few bucks, and a little luck can take you all the way to the winner’s circle.
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