It’s been four years since Colonelsdarktemper won the West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park. On Saturday, he returns to the scene of his career-defining victory when he takes on six rivals in the Grade 3, $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s at 1 1/16 miles. The Governor’s is one of seven stakes on the West Virginia Derby card. Claimed for $25,000 by Joe Sharp out of a winning seasonal debut at Churchill, Colonelsdarktemper then won his next two starts by a combined 13 1/4 lengths. “He’s done everything we’ve asked of him so far,” Sharp said. “Off the numbers he’d run, we decided we wanted to try a little deeper water and Mountaineer was an attractive place for us because he won the West Virginia Derby there.” :: Get DRF Betting Strategies for exclusive analysis and wager recommendations from our expert handicappers. Sprawl gets class relief after finishing a pace-pressing third behind Whitney-bound Maxfield in the Grade 2 Stephen Foster. “I’m not convinced Maxfield isn’t the best in the country right now,” said Sprawl’s trainer, Tom Drury, who believes that his 4-year-old colt’s newfound tactical speed is due to maturity. “He seemed like he was getting himself out the back door. I don’t know it’s anything we’ve done as much as he had some time off and I think he matured a little and just had a chance to catch up.” All three of Sprawl’s wins have come at the Governor’s distance. “All three races going 1 1/8 miles, he was in front at the eighth pole,” said Drury. “I’m hoping that this little bit of a turnback might work to his advantage.” One of the marquee names on the entire card is dual Canadian classic winner Mighty Heart. The 4-year-old Dramedy colt defeated Sprawl in the Blame two back, then wired the Grade 3 Dominion Day at Woodbine. Stakes-winner Bourbon Calling makes his second start of 2021 after facing three next-out winners in the Kelly’s Landing. “He just took a little longer to come back this year,” said trainer Ian Wilkes. “The other reason was that I couldn’t get a race for him.” Wilkes feels the two-turn route won’t pose a problem. “As he got older, he wants to run longer,” Wilkes said. “Early on, I would run him short, that’s all he wanted to do.” Trainer Mike Maker and owner Michael Hui have made a great team, enjoying success with the likes of Zulu Alpha. They reclaimed 8-year-old stakes-winner Exulting for $7,500 over the winter and were rewarded with three wins and a stakes placing from five starts after stretching the Tapit gelding out in distance. “We claimed him with two ideas,” said Maker. “If he was done racing, Michael Hui was going to retire him. But we also felt his best game was a route of ground.” Speaker’s Cup Sharp and Maker send out the two favorites in the $75,000 Speaker’s Cup at 1 mile and 70 yards on turf. Multiple stakes-winner Logical Myth drops out of a seventh-place finish in Saratoga’s Grade 3 Forbidden Apple. Sharp believes the class relief will help the Data Link gelding. “He had a great winter at Fair Grounds,” Sharp said. “The water got a little deep when we came back up north. We took a shot last time. These open stakes, non-graded, that’s the kind of horse he is.” Monarchs Glen, a Group 3 winner in England as a 4-year-old, was claimed by Maker for Hui and WSS Racing for $62,500 over the winter. Now 7, the Frankel gelding seeks a hat trick after capturing the Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial at Indiana Grand. “He’s a horse we claimed with the idea of stretching him out to 1 1/2 miles,” said Maker. “That didn’t work out, but we turned him back and he’s run two very good races for us.” Secretary of Stat Trainer Ben Colebrook had a very good reason for scratching Club Car out of last week’s Alma North at Pimlico and running her Saturday in the $75,000 West Virginia Secretary of State for fillies and mares going six furlongs. “We didn’t want to take on Hello Beautiful at her home track,” he said. Hello Beautiful won the Alma North at 1-10 odds with a 91 Beyer Speed Figure. Colebrook isn’t too concerned about the inside post with Club Car, the favorite in the Secretary of State. “I think she’s going to come from out of it, so I don’t think it’s a big concern,” Colebrook said. “I think we’ll let the speed go and get her to the outside. There looks on paper to be some pace.” Club Car doesn’t show a workout since July 19. “Early on in her career, she was so talented in the morning, but I never saw the same filly in the afternoons,” Colebrook said. “I don’t work her as much and I don’t let her work as fast. We’ve seen that helps her in the afternoons. She has a little more punch.” Indiana-bred Shy Money is the only other stakes-winner in the field. President’s Cup Sharp and Maker square off again in the $75,000 President’s Cup for fillies and mares at 1 mile and 70 yards on turf. Catch a Bid stretches out in distance after a runner-up effort at Belmont. “Kentucky Downs is our ultimate goal for her,” Sharp said. “We’re trying to dodge some of the heavyheads and cut her back in distance at Kentucky Downs in September.” Evil Lyn has won two stakes for Maker since being claimed for $40,000 last year. “We were thinking about selling her at the end of the year, so we’re just trying to pick the races where she’d be most competitive,” Maker said. Senator Robert Byrd Memorial Mount Travers is the 7-5 morning-line favorite in the $75,000 Robert C. Byrd Memorial at six furlongs. Sharp claimed Mount Travers for $50,000 on June 26 off his sheet numbers. “He looked like a good dirt horse, a closing sprinter,” Sharp said. Dark Oak and Big Money Mike also should factor. Chairman’s Cup Trainer John Ortiz won last week’s Challedon at Pimlico with Mucho and hopes for another stakes score when he sends out multiple stakes-winner Hollis as the program favorite in the $75,000 Chairman’s Cup at 4 1/2 furlongs.