Sunday is West Virginia Day at Mountaineer, and the day is loaded with two major stakes races, four turf events and healthy field sizes across the board. Weather conditions point to fast and firm conditions on Sunday, and first race post time is 5:00PM ET.

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Here are four horses that caught my eye on the card – they’re horses that I’ll target in the 20% Win Boost and in my multi-race wagers.

Race 2 (5:25PM ET)
My Pick: #1 Tarhe (9/2)

There is plenty of speed signed on for this one-mile turf event, with favorites Couth, Moreau and Great Escape all employing forward styles. Assuming those three stay in the race, I think this is ripe to be won by someone coming from just off, and who better to do it than 3-time turf winner #1 TARHE? Mountaineer’s leading turf rider, Charlie Oliveros (9 wins in 28 starts) is aboard, and they just teamed to win Tarhe’s first local race by nearly six-lengths on July 6.

Race 6 (7:05PM ET)
My Pick: #2 New Age Bad Girl (12/1)

This six-year-old mare is just 5-for-29 lifetime, but take note that she is a perfect 2-for-2 on the Mountaineer sod. She won allowance races over this course last summer – both in blowout fashion – and subsequent tries to get back on the turf on June 8 and June 29 of this year were washed off. Trainer Shane Meyers and jockey Ricardo Feliciano have won at a 40% clip at Mountaineer the last two years (8-for-20).

Race 7 (7:40PM ET) – West Virginia Governor’s Stakes
My Pick: #1 Not This Boy (3/1)

The assumption is that #8 Hit Show, the defending champ of this race and the reigning Dubai World Cup winner, will be extremely well backed in this softer spot. That might leave us a price on #1 NOT THIS BOY for William Cowans and Luis Saez. He’s advantageously drawn on the rail and his early pace should allow him to get a jump on closers like Hit Show. Plus, all the key rivals – Hit Show (#8), Cornishman (#6) and Heroic Move (#9) – are stuck in outside posts, which should afford Saez some early options. The 1 1/16-mile distance should suit him better than his top rivals, as well.

Race 8 (8:15PM ET) – Grade 3 West Virginia Derby
My Pick: #2 East Avenue (8/5)

While I’ll try to beat the favorite in the Governor’s, I’ll side with the favorite in the West Virginia Derby. #2 EAST AVENUE (pictured) flashed early brilliance as a 2yo, and has rediscovered his top form after forgettable races in the Breeders’ Cup and Risen Star. Beaten just a nose in the Blue Grass in April, he ran a better-than-it-seems 8th in the KY Derby and found his friends while winning the G3 Matt Winn at Churchill in mid-June. I think this was the next spot they picked coming out of the Matt Winn, and they get a little lucky as Chunk of Gold and McAfee, 2nd and 3rd in the Ohio Derby, appear his biggest threats. He is simply a better horse than those two, and should have no problem dispatching them on Sunday.

Good luck on West Virginia Derby Day at ‘The Mountain’!