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These totals exclude the West Virginia Breeders' Classics XXXVII card scheduled for Oct. 'The quality of the Charles Town Oaks fields have been exceptional, and we feel making the Oaks the richest 3-year-old filly stakes race in the country will continue that positive momentum for years to come.'Ĭharles Town's 2023 stakes schedule features 24 races worth an even $4 million in total purses. 'We're incredibly pleased with the business results of the last three Charles Town Classic programs and look forward to ramping up the card this August,' said Charlie McIntosh, Charles Town's director of racing operations.

Since moving the Charles Town Classic and Oaks to the same card in 2020, the blockbuster program has produced three of the four largest single-card handles in track history, with the two largest coming in 20.

The other unrestricted stakes-the Russell Road and Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon-remain at $250,000. In addition to the Charles Town Oaks (G3), one other unrestricted stakes race on the Classic night undercard-the Robert Hilton Memorial for straight 3-year-olds-received a purse hike to $350,000. The Jeff Runco trainee will be pointed to the Charles Town Classic again in 2023, looking to improve on that second-place performance under Charles Town's reigning five-time leading rider, Arnaldo Bocachica. While unable to match the win of fellow West Virginia-bred Runnin'toluvya, David Raim's Muad'dib continued a trend of success for local runners in the Classic by finishing second last year before pulling off a repeat of his own in the Sam Huff West Virginia Breeders' Classic. The grade 1-winning Bill Mott trainee will look to add to his resume this Saturday in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park. For the first time since local hero Researcher won the first two editions of the Charles Town Classic, 2022 saw a repeat winner of the track's signature event, as Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector pulled off the feat in wire-to-wire fashion under Luis Saez.

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