Prince of Wales Stakes winner DUKE OF LOVE, owned by MyRacehorse.com and trained by Josie Carroll, posted a gritty win in the Grade 3 West Virginia Governors’ Stakes worth $200,000 at Mountaineer Park on Sunday evening. The Ontario-bred four-year-old ridden by Luis Contreras was always close to the pace over a wet dirt track that was listed as good. The son of Cupid – Tell the Duchess by Smart Strike engaged Surly Furious while on the rail in the stretch and edged ahead to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:42.39 for 1 1/16 miles.
It was a huge win for the Canadian classic winner who went on hiatus last fall after fading in the Breeders’ Stakes on turf. He had two races at Woodbine this season on Tapeta but showed he loves a traditional dirt surface with his 9-to-1 upset win at Mountaineer. Carroll’s partner Charlie Nash saddled the colt who was an $85,000 purchase by Myracehorse.com as two-year-old in training.
Duke of Love, bred by Dave Whitford, Patrick Costello, Tom Zwiesler and Caldara Farm, has four wins from 12 races and earnings of $443,817. Tell the Duchess is owned by Laura Krausakaite in Ontario.
DUKE OF LOVE ($19.00) battled down the lane with Surly Furious to win by 3/4's and take the $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s Stakes (G3) at @mtrgaming. This Josie Carroll trainee, owned by @MyRacehorse, ridden by Luis Contreras, is a 4yo colt by Cupid (@coolmoreamerica)! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/2aL9kQBVHb
— FanDuel Racing (Formerly TVG) (@FanDuel_Racing) August 7, 2023
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