by Jeff Apel

Grade 3 winner Joey P. will scale back to 4 1/2 furlongs on Saturday in the $200,000 Charles Town Dash Handicap.

The Charles Town Dash is one of four stakes races that will be contested during the inaugural Sprint Festival at the Charles Town, West Virginia, track. The stakes feature a combined purse value of $500,000.

Joey P., a John Petrini homebred trained by Ben Perkins Jr., has never started in a race shorter than 5 1/2 furlongs during an accomplished career that includes 14 wins from 29 starts and $751,918 in earnings. Joey P. has made six starts in 5 1/2-furlong races and posted three wins, including victories at Monmouth Park in the 2006 Longfellow Stakes and ’07 Decathlon Stakes.

Joey P. will carry high weight of 121 pounds and concede between three and eight pounds to nine challengers three years old and older. Multiple stakes-placed winner Pete’s Wonder and Lacewell, who eis unbeaten in four career starts at Charles Town, were also entered.

Lacewell is unbeaten in three career races over 4 1/2 furlongs, including a victory in an allowance/optional claiming race on May 2 at Charles Town in his previous start. Michael Beck will replace Scott Lake as the trainer of the Souvenir Copy gelding.

Pete’s Wonder enters off a runner-up finish in the Karl Boyes Memorial Northwestern Pennsylvania Stakes, a 5 1/2-furlong race on June 1 at Presque Isle Downs. Anthony Dutrow trains the Three Wonders colt for owner Michael Dubb.

Three additional stakes that are part of the Sprint Festival are $100,000 events for three-year-olds.

The Lady Charles Town Stakes for fillies and the West Virginia Sprint Derby both will be contested over 4 1/2 furlongs. A full field of ten, plus two also-eligible entrants, was entered in the Red Legend Stakes, a seven-furlong race.

Jeff Apel is a Thoroughbred Times assistant daily news editor