Concord Pt. wins WV derby

Associated Press

CHESTER, W.Va

Favorite Concord Point led wire-to-wire and won the $750,000 West Virginia Derby by a length on Saturday.

Bob Baffert-trained Concord Point ran the 1 1-8 mile dirt track at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort in 1:51.1. Martin Garcia, who rode Lookin at Lucky to wins in the Preakness and Haskell Invitational, was aboard Concord Point and held off a challenge from Exhi down the stretch.

Concord Point won for the fourth time in six career starts and paid $3.60, $2.80 and $2.40 in the Grade 2 race for 3 year olds.

Todd Pletcher-trained Exhi, a winner at Turfway Park in March and the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland in April, finished second and returned $4.40 and $3. Third-place Nacho Friend was more than eight lengths behind Exhi and paid $3.40.

Hambletonian

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.

The stretch drive of the $1.5 million Hambletonian for 3-year-old trotters unfolded in slow motion for winning trainer Jimmy Takter.

It only took Muscle Massive 28 2/5 seconds to edge past Lucky Chucky, the 3-2 favorite for a half-length victory. For Takter, it went on much longer.

“All my feelings were gone. It felt like that last quarter of a mile took five minutes for me,” Takter said.

It was well worth the wait.

Takter got his second win in the trotting classic. Driver Ron Pierce got his third Hambletonian victory.

The time was 1:51 for the one mile, the second fastest in the 85-year history of the stakes. Muscle Hill set the mark of 1:50 1/5 last year.

Muscle Massive got his fourth victory in eight starts this season.