Triple Crown Alum Bourbonic Leads West Virginia Derby

A Triple Crown competitor will battle two last-out stakes winners when seven 3-year-olds compete in the $500,000 West Virginia Derby (G3) Aug. 7 at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort. Calumet Farm's Bourbonic, winner of the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack in April, will take on a softer group after being outrun when competing in two of three legs of the Triple Crown. He meets JIL Stable's Mr. Wireless, winner of the Indiana Derby (G3) at Indiana Grand, and Twin Creeks Racing Stables' Warrant, who captured the Texas Derby at Lone Star Park in late May. Bourbonic, a son of the recently deceased Bernardini, ran 13th in the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and fifth in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) in his last start June 5. The Todd Pletcher trainee has since recorded four workouts at Belmont Park. "Bourbonic has trained well since the Belmont Stakes," said Pletcher. "He needed a little freshener, and he has responded." Though beaten more than 15 lengths in the Belmont, he chased elite competition that has been productive in follow-up starts. Victorious Essential Quality took the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) July 31 at Saratoga Race Course, and Belmont runner-up Hot Rod Charlie returned to cross the wire first in the July 17 TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park, only to be disqualified by track stewards for causing interference. Eric Cancel picks up the mount on Bourbonic, replacing the injured Kendrick Carmouche. Mr. Wireless, a Kentucky-bred gelding by Dialed In, is 3-for-5. He narrowly won a pair of races in the spring at Oaklawn Park, then finished second behind Warrant in the Texas Derby. His Indiana Derby was a breakthrough race, resulting in a 3 3/4-length margin of victory. Regular jockey Ramon Vazquez returns in the saddle Saturday for the 3-year-old's first attempt running 1 1/8 miles. "Everything has gone really well since his last start," trainer Bret Calhoun said. "He's improving and steadily getting better. It seems like we're never getting to his bottom—he has a lot of stamina." Calhoun won the 2019 West Virginia Derby with Mr. Money, who, like Mr. Wireless, entered the race in top form. The latter is the 9-5 morning-line favorite. Warrant, the 5-2 second choice on the morning line, is one of two Brad Cox-trained entrants, the other being Robert LaPenta's Kinetic Sky (6-1). Florent Geroux rides Warrant, while Joe Talamo is on Kinetic Sky. The West Virginia Derby, not run in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions and logistical issues with shippers from out of state, is the eighth race on a nine-race Saturday afternoon program. Post time is 5:35 p.m. ET. Attendance is limited to 1,500 under COVID-19 safety measures, and Mountaineer recommends fans prepurchase tickets on its track website due to restricted capacity. The card includes the $200,000 West Virginia Governor's Stakes (G3) and five $75,000 stakes. Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's Sprawl, third last out in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, breaks from the rail in the West Virginia Governor's Stakes under Talamo for trainer Tommy Drury Jr. FAS Racing's Colonelsdarktemper, Lawrence Cordes' Mighty Heart, and Michael Hui's Exulting are prominent entries in the seven-horse, 1 1/16-mile dirt race.