first seven furlongs and pulled away to 15-length victory in the $200,000 West Virginia
Governor’s Stakes (L) at 1 1/16 miles on the West Virginia Derby undercard Sunday at Mountaineer.

Ridden by John Velazquez for trainer Victoria Oliver and owners BBN Racing and
Bowen Thoroughbreds, Bracket Buster broke sharply from post two and dueled with
Neoequos from post 1 from the start of the race and down the backstretch. After a
brief inside bid by Mogul nearing the far turn, the top pair put space on the rest of the
field.

Bracket Buster, who paid $6 to win as the slight choice, cleared Neoequos nearing the
top of the stretch and continued strong to the finish. Warp Nine closed well for second,
with Neoequos third.

Time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:44.05.

Velazquez, who was aboard Bracket Buster when he broke his maiden as a 2-year-old
at Keeneland in 2024, said he wasn’t surprised by his performance. “He was very good
tonight,” Velazquez said.

Oliver earlier said the Mountaineer stakes was one of the options for the Vekoma
colt’s return, primarily because of the distance and the two turns.

“Fortunately, we made the right choice,” Oliver said. “He ran fantastic.”

When asked if the way Bracket Buster won was a surprise, Oliver said: “Yes, because
he was coming in off a long layoff. No, if I he had had a race under him before this one.”
Bracket Buster, who was second in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes last year, now has four
wins, two seconds and one third in 12 starts for earnings of $908,706.

Bracket Buster was bred in Kentucky by David Baxter from the Dance With Ravens mare Spring Dance. He was a $425,000 25% purchase by Bowen Thoroughbreds at the 2025 Keeneland Championship Sale.