East Avenue is fresh off a short break when he pursues a second consecutive graded stakes win in the West Virginia Derby (G3) Aug. 3. The $400,000 contest drew eight 3-year-olds to race 1 1/8 miles on the main track at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort.
A homebred Medaglia d'Oro colt for Godolphin and trained by Brendan Walsh, East Avenue is almost two months removed from his previous start, a victory in the June 8 Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs. In the 1 1/16-mile race, Luis Saez guided East Avenue to the front, and the colt held firm for a half-length win over Burnham Square.
East Avenue is 1-1-0 in four starts this year in his 3-year-old campaign, with his runner-up being a nose loss to Burnham Square in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. Prior to the Matt Winn Stakes, East Avenue finished eighth in the 19-horse Kentucky Derby (G1).
East Avenue's victory in the Matt Winn was his first since he captured in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) last fall at Keeneland.
"Well, we just backed off him a little bit after the Matt Winn because we felt that he had a busy spring campaign, and we wanted to give him a little bit of downtime," Walsh said. "As a comeback race, this was it, just the timing of it was good, and it's a grade 3 for $400,000. It was appealing enough in itself, and I think it'll help us. It'll help us to decide where we go from here."
In seven starts, East Avenue has been most effective when showing speed and controlling the pace. All three of his wins have come in front-running fashion. Luis Saez rides the 8-5 morning-line favorite.
"We know we won't change anything up too much," Walsh said. "And let him do his thing, and hopefully it'll be good enough."
Another competitor from the Kentucky Derby, ninth-place Chunk of Gold, also races in the West Virginia Derby, pegged as the 5-2 morning-line second choice, starting two spots outside East Avenue in post 4.
Owned by Terry Stephens and trained by Ethan West, Chunk of Gold, a son of Preservationist, ran second in the June 21 Ohio Derby (G3) at Thistledown. Since breaking his maiden on debut, he has been second in four of five races, including in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and Risen Star Stakes (G2), both at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
West adds blinkers to Chunk of Gold's equipment for Sunday evening's race, the eighth race on the card at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Behind Chunk of Gold in the Ohio Derby was McAfee, who finished third. Entered as a main-track-only competitor in the Aug. 1 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T), he could alternatively race in the West Virginia Derby if Friday's race remains on the turf.
This spring, Thorpedo Anna's Cloud Computing half brother was runner-up in the May 10 Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack. All four of McAfee's starts this year have been in graded competition.
Entering the West Virginia Derby on the upswing is Brotha Keny, who made his graded stakes debut in the July 5 Indiana Derby (G3), finishing third. Brotha Keny is 2-0-2 in six starts in 2025 after going 0-1-0 in three races last year as a juvenile.
Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort, Sunday, August 3, 2025, Race 8Entries: West Virginia Derby (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Gone Boy (KY) Luis Negron 118 Juan C. Vazquez 30/1 2 2East Avenue (KY) Luis Saez 120 Brendan P. Walsh 8/5 3 3Brereton's Baytown (KY) Marshall Mendez 118 Paul McEntee 20/1 4 4Chunk of Gold (KY) Jareth Loveberry 118 Ethan W. West 5/2 5 5McAfee (KY) Emmanuel Esquivel 118 Richard E. Dutrow, Jr. 3/1 6 6Brotha Keny (KY) Joseph D. Ramos 118 William E. Morey 5/1 7 7Extradition (KY) Rocco Bowen 118 Jason DaCosta 15/1 8 8Just a Fair Shake (KY) J.G. Torrealba 118 Daniel J. McKenzie 12/1
