Special to the Journal/Jeff Gibson Jockey Jareth Loveberry celebrates Chunk of Gold’s win in the West Virginia Derby on Sunday night at Mountaineer.

NEW CUMBERLAND, W.Va. — Chunk of Gold, wearing blinkers for the first time, capitalized on a poor start by heavily favored East Avenue and led from start to finish in the $400,000 Grade III West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Casino, Resort & races on Sunday.

Trained by Ethan West for owner Terry Stephens, Chunk of Gold won for the second time in his seven-race career after collecting three second-place finishes in graded stakes. He was the second choice at 2-1 in a field of eight in the 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds.

“Winning this race means a lot,” said Jareth Loveberry, who has ridden the Preservationist colt in his last five starts. “I rode at Mountaineer from 2009-2014. I met Ethan (West) here and we’ve known each other for 12 years. It’s also my birthday today, which makes it extra meaningful.

“He’s a very honest horse that tries every time. I was planning to be close early in the race, but when East Avenue didn’t make the lead, we took his spot.”

Chunk of Gold nursed a one-length lead over McAfee and Just a Fair Shake for more than six furlongs, then opened his lead turning for home to win by 4 1/4 lengths in 1:50.97 on a fast track. McAfee captured second, while Brotha Keny rallied well for third. East Avenue was fifth. The winner paid $6.80.

“It was fantastic,” West said of the colt’s performance. “All the credit goes to Jareth. He rode a great race. We had hoped to be close early, so we added blinkers to get him to be more responsive. But after the start, Jareth basically walked the dog.”

“It’s exciting,” said Stephens, who had a large group on hand for the race. “He has run very well in graded stakes and it’s nice to see him win one. I’m happy for the horse, the trainer and all the connections. I’m very proud.”

Chunk of Gold has now earned in excess of $680,000.

Hit Show wins

Hit Show, who earned $6.9 million earlier this year for winning the Group I Dubai World Cup, successfully defended his title in the $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s Cup at 1 1/16 miles in a field 0f seven, but it wasn’t easy.

Though the 5-year-old Candy Ride horse was the morning-line favorite, Not This Boy, fresh off an allowance victory at Churchill Downs, dropped to 3-5 as the pool closed versus 7-5 for Hit Show. The pair hooked up on the far turn of the 1 1/16-mile race and battled through the stretch, with Hit Show winning by a head in 1:43.63.

Brad Cox, trainer of Hit Show, won his fifth West Virginia Governor’s Stakes.

Wathnon Racing’s Hit Show, who rated in fourth until making his move heading into the far turn, was ridden by Florent Geroux, who was aboard last year at Mountaineer and for the Dubai World Cup.

“He’s a tricky horse to ride, which makes it harder,” Geroux said, noting timing the horse’s move is important. “He’s doesn’t draw away from horses, but I still thought I had (Not This Boy) measured.”

Zimmer Ridge Ranch’s Not This Boy, ridden by Luis Saez for trainer Doug Cowans, broke on top from post one and set a measured pace while unchallenged. When the 4-year-old Not This Time gelding was hooked by Hit Show, he dug in and fought to the wire.

Cowans said being on the inside of the duel may have hurt Not This Boy’s chances, but when asked what he thought of the performance, he said: He’s good.”

Jokestar finished third, 7 1/2 lengths behind Not This Boy.

Hit Show, now 10-for-20 and a winner of six graded stakes, is the only horse to have won the Governor’s Stakes in back-to-back years. M B Sea won the race in 2005 and 2007.

Total wagering for the nine-race program at Mountaineer was $2.49 million, up 36% from last year and the second-highest figure since 2015.