West Virginia

Jubawithatwist faces older in West Virginia Breeders' Classic

Published

1 year ago

October 12, 2024

Jubawithatwist faces older in West Virginia Breeders' Classic

The showdown between defending Sam Huff West Virginia Breeders’ Classic winner Coastal Mission and the up-and-coming 3-year-old Jubawithatwist will have to wait for another day. Trainer Jeff Runco opted to point Coastal Mission to the Grade 3 Forty Niner Stakes in New York.

So, the stage will belong to Kristy Petty’s Jubawithatwist, as the talented son of Juba headlines a full field of ten with four alternates in this year’s renewal of the richest race for West Virginia-breds on the 38th annual West Virginia Breeders’ Classics card.

Click here for Charles Town entries and results.

The ten-race program features nine WVBC events along with one other West Virginia-restricted stakes race, with over $1 million in purses up for grabs Saturday evening. The night will also feature a mandatory distribution of the Charles Town 6-12 jackpot that currently sits at $42,146, along with an early and late Pick 5, with the former covering the first five races on the card, and the latter covering the final five contests.

Jubawithatwist returns to state-bred competition after a respectable fourth in the Robert Hilton Memorial on Charles Town Classic and Oaks night against open competition. Petty says her charge exited that race in good order, and is ready to roll on Saturday night.

“He came out of that race well and he’s been whinnying and really feeling himself in the mornings, so he’s coming into the race great,” said Petty. “He’s just all racehorse.”

The Sam Huff will not be Jubawithatwist’s first time around three turns at Charles Town. He passed his first test at the configuration with flying colors in a June 27 allowance race, a race that gives Petty plenty of confidence going into Saturday’s contest.

“That really has been nice to know that he shouldn’t have any issues with the distance. But I told him he’s still going to have to have his running shoes on.”

Jubawithatwist’s regular pilot Gustavo Larrosa has the call on the 3/5 morning line favorite.

While Runco will be leaving the defending champion West Virginia-bred in the barn, he will still be represented by the second and third choices on the morning line in Runaldo and two-time Breeders’ Classic winner Muad’dib. Runaldo is coming off a career best 88 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form in his most recent effort on Aug. 17th. He will have the services of Arnaldo Bocachica.

Muad’dib famously started his career winning his first ten races and twelve of his first 13, but has just four wins from his last 13 starts. The son of perennial top West Virginia stallion Fiber Sonde has kept top company, and will be ridden by Grade 1-winning jockey Angel Cruz.

I’m the Money Man, Lieutenant Brown, Juba’s Notion, Espresso, Remys Showtime, Late in the Game, and Sargent Kobe round out the remainder of the body of the field from the rail out, with Summoning Denis, Jungle Beast, Bad Lineage, and Moon Fall the four runners on the also-eligible list should there be any defections from the body of the race. The Classic will go as race 8 on the 10-race program, with a post time of 10:32 p.m. EDT.

Post	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last Start / Next Start	HRN
1	I’m the Money Man Windsor Castle Advertisement	0.00	Ronald Sigler Denis Araujo	1st, MNR ALW (08/13/2024-R4)	15-1
Last Race	1st, MNR ALW (08/13/2024-R4) Advertisement
2	Lieutenant Brown Mikimoto’s Mojo	0.00	Michael E. Jones Jr. Carlos Eduardo Lopez	4th, CT ALW (09/14/2024-R8)	30-1
Last Race	4th, CT ALW (09/14/2024-R8) Advertisement
3	Muad’dib Fiber Sonde	5.92	Jeff C. Runco Angel Cruz	2nd, CT ALW (09/19/2024-R7)	6-1
Last Race	2nd, CT ALW (09/19/2024-R7) Advertisement
4	Juba’s Notion Juba	4.12	John A. Casey Reshawn Latchman	3rd, CT ALW (09/19/2024-R7)	15-1
Last Race	3rd, CT ALW (09/19/2024-R7) Advertisement
5	Espresso Juba	0.00	Keith A. Brown Victor Rodriguez	9th, CT ALW (07/19/2024-R5)	12-1
Last Race	9th, CT ALW (07/19/2024-R5) Advertisement
6	Remys Showtime Fiber Sonde	0.00	Armonte Craig Keimar Trotman	4th, CT AOC (08/24/2024-R4)	30-1
Last Race	4th, CT AOC (08/24/2024-R4) Advertisement
7	Jubawithatwist Juba	0.00	Kristy Petty Gustavo Larrosa	4th, Robert Hilton Memorial S.	3-5
Last Race	4th, Robert Hilton Memorial S. Advertisement
8	Runaldo Creative Cause	0.00	Jeff C. Runco Arnaldo Bocachica	1st, CT AOC (08/17/2024-R7)	5-1
Last Race	1st, CT AOC (08/17/2024-R7) Advertisement
9	Late In The Game Denis Of Cork	3.79	Ronald Sigler Antonio Lopez	1st, CT ALW (09/19/2024-R7)	10-1
Last Race	1st, CT ALW (09/19/2024-R7) Advertisement
10	Sargent Kobe Kobe’s Back	0.00	Michael E. Jones Jr. Fredy Peltroche	2nd, CT CLM (09/21/2024-R9)	50-1
Last Race	2nd, CT CLM (09/21/2024-R9) Advertisement
11	Summoning Denis Denis Of Cork	0.00	Kristy Petty Wilfredo Santiago	6th, CT AOC (08/17/2024-R7)	30-1
Last Race	6th, CT AOC (08/17/2024-R7) Advertisement
12	Jungle Beast Golden Years	4.45	Javier Contreras Juan M. Nunez	6th, CT AOC (09/19/2024-R6)	15-1
Last Race	6th, CT AOC (09/19/2024-R6) Advertisement
13	Bad Lineage Juba	0.00	Lawrence Perry Jr. Fredy Peltroche	2nd, CT ALW (09/27/2024-R7)	30-1
Last Race	2nd, CT ALW (09/27/2024-R7) Advertisement
14	Moon Fall Tapwrit	0.00	Michael E. Jones Jr. Christian Maldonado	2nd, CT CLM (09/26/2024-R8)	50-1
Last Race	2nd, CT CLM (09/26/2024-R8) Advertisement

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West Virginia

Final Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Cincinnati

Published

6 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Final Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Cincinnati

Every game is extremely important from here on out for West Virginia, but tonight’s matchup with Cincinnati is one they cannot afford to drop. The Bearcats are one of the weaker teams in the league, and with Kansas on deck, it’s one Ross Hodge and Co. have to get.

Do they get the job done? Here are our picks for tonight’s contest.

Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 64, Cincinnati 59

With or without Brenen Lorient (concussion protocol), I believe West Virginia is the better team, especially at home. Sure, they looked overwhelmed last Friday in Ames against Iowa State, but they won’t be the last team that gets the belt to the backside from the Cyclones.

The one area that has been problematic this season defensively for the Mountaineers has been on the perimeter. We saw Milan Momcilovic knock down eight triples on just eight attempts a handful of days ago. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great shooter and made some highly contested shots, but it’s been a recurring issue for WVU all year.

The good news? Cincinnati isn’t built to beat you shooting from range. Coming into this game, they ranked 263rd nationally in three-point shooting, hitting just 31.6% of their shots. Couple that with the fact that Cincinnati is somehow a worse free-throw shooting team than West Virginia by a full five percentage points, and you get a fairly confident pick from me in the Old Gold and Blue.

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 67, Cincinnati 66

West Virginia has remained perfect inside Hope Coliseum, and the unblemished home record will likely be intact when the Mountaineers host Kansas on Saturday.

West Virginia has struggled and is enduring a five-game losing streak against Power Four opponents after falling to Iowa State to open the Big 12 Conference. Although the Mountaineers did notch a win against Pitt at home, for the lone win against P4 competition.

Cincinnati is in a similar situation, although the Bearcats’ start to the season can be summed up in a 64-56 loss to Eastern Michigan. The absence of senior guard Jizzle James for the first ten games for personal reasons, coupled with Brazilian perimeter shooter Lucas Atauri and returning forward Jalen Haynes absent from the line up have caused early issues.

The Bearcats proved they could compete with one of the best teams in the country after a seven-point loss to Houston on Saturday.

West Virginia will need to tighten up its perimeter defense against James and Day Day Thomas – both are shooting over 40% from three, while WVU senior guard Honor Huff will have to work a little harder to find his spot from deep against one of the best three-point defenses in the league.

The game will be a defensive battle, which favors the Mountaineers at home. WVU may be without senior starting forward Brenen Lorient, but the comfy confines of the Coliseum and the crowd will lift the Mountaineers down the stretch for the 67-66 win.

West Virginia

Transfer portal: Former Oklahoma QB Michael Hawkins headed to West Virginia

Published

18 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Transfer portal: Former Oklahoma QB Michael Hawkins headed to West Virginia

Former Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. has committed to West Virginia, ESPN reported.

Hawkins and his brother Maliek Hawkins, a cornerback, are both expected to play for Rich Rodriguez in Morgantown next season.

Hawkins played in nine games across two seasons for the Sooners. He threw for 950 yards and nine touchdowns. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Maliek Hawkins has four seasons of eligibility left. He had previously been a top recruit himself.

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West Virginia

Mountaineer Heritage Season offers a chance to hunt like our ancestors – WV MetroNews

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Mountaineer Heritage Season offers a chance to hunt like our ancestors – WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — This week, West Virginia hunters will get a chance to try hunting the way the original Mountaineers did it. The Mountaineer Heritage season is open from Thursday through Sunday.

The season allows hunters to use only primitive implements. Sidelock or flintlock muzzleloading rifles or pistols are the only firearms allowed. In-line muzzleloaders are not legal for the Heritage Season nor are scopes. Archery enthusiasts are allowed only long bows or recurve bows. You’re compound bow will have to hang on its hook for this time.

“It’s a special season and it’s kind of an all encompassing big game season,” said Vinnie Johnson, Biologist with the West Virginia DNR.

The season enables hunters to kill a deer, bear, or turkey provided they hunt with one of those primitive firearms or bows. The season started several years ago and has become a big hit with sportsmen for a variety of reasons. For some it cuts the monotony of cabin fever and gives them a chance to get back into the woods well after hunting season. The season also enables hunters to go after big game with snow on the ground which doesn’t always happen during the regular fall seasons.

The snowfall could potentially make killing a bear less likely, but not always.

“It really depends on where you’re at,” Johnson explained in a recent edition of West Virginia Outdoors. “Some of our areas that are heavy bear country, there’s still a good opportunity you’re going to see a bear.”

The bumper crops of mast across the West Virginia landscape this year will also keep bears out of hibernation longer. The sunshine and warm weather forecasted into the weekend may also be a plus for keeping bears active and moving in the upcoming season.

“If there’s food on the landscape, they’re gong to be out moving around. They go into their dens when there’s no food left and they need to reserve for the remainder of the winter season,” he added.

Killing a big buck may be tricky. Some have already started to drop antlers. The season allows for either sex, but for those who have already killed two bucks from this past fall’s hunting seasons, you cannot kill another buck. If a hunter shoots an antlerless buck, which turns out to be a buck that already dropped antlers, hunters can check that as an antlerless deer.

Turkeys are also legal. Unlike deer, turkeys and bears, do not count against the bag limit from last year. However, hunters to need to have their 2026 hunting license. Although a lot of the purists like to not only hunt with an old time rifle, they also like to dress the part and will go into the woods wearing buckskins. Primitive garb or not, modern safety is still the rule and since it’s a firearms season for deer, you’ll need to wear blaze orange.

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