CT: Teachintherelease dominates Funkhouser Memorial
Ted Black- November 16, 2025
Saturday’s final extension of the $75,000 Randy Funkhouser Memorial for senior West Virginia runners who covered the distance of three one-mile turns and one-eighth looked like Teachintherelease and all the others.
An impressive 14-length winner of the $300,000 West Virginia Sam Huff Breeders’ Classic in his previous start, 5-year-old Teachintherelease was riding an increasingly impressive four-race win streak.
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In fact, Teachintherelease would become the overwhelming 1-9 favorite with only one other horse, 2024 Sam Huff Classic hero Runaldo, in single figures at 7-1. Furthermore, bridge jumpers loved Teachintherelease so much that he raked in $196,530 in show bets out of a total of $216,463.
His supporters were not worried for a moment.
When the gates opened on the Randy Funkhouser’s latest renewal, Paymengold broke the best of them all by a distance, gaining the early advantage through the far turn the first time, learning the release just on his outside. But another long shot, Lord of Cork, missed the odds-on pick that entered the stretch first time, while Bail Is Denied also got involved, prompting Teachintherelease’s rider Carlos Lopez to take back rather than get involved in a three-horse duel.
Paymengold maintained the advantage through the clubhouse turn and was still briefly ahead after six furlongs had passed in 1:14.94. But Teachinthelrelease easily edged past him with three furlongs to spare, opening up a decisive lead in the blink of an eye.
Teachintherelease went seven lengths clear with a furlong to go and rode home wrapped to win by 5 ½ lengths in 1:55.28. The time was noticeably slower than his performance of 1:52.67 over the same distance in the Classic.
“I knew the three [Paymengold] had speed and was going to go to the lead,” Lopez said. “But I was a little surprised when the eight [Denis of Cork] passed us by. But I just let my horse relax and he settled down. Then when I moved him along the back starting gate, he did it easily. He was by far the best.”
Teachintherlease, a five-year-old Windsor Castle gelding trained by Stephen Murdock for owner Robert Cole, Jr., earned his third stakes of the year and now owns five wins from six season attempts and 15 wins and nearly $580,000 collected from 33 career outings. After finishing second in his season debut in July, Teachintherelease has now won five straight and is the clear favorite for postseason honors as champion West Virginia-bred older male and horse of the year.
“I don’t see how anyone can take it away from him now,” Cole said. “He has won the last two big races for older horses here. He has speed and tonight he showed that he can also take a little back.”
Next? Most likely the $100,000 Robert Manfuso Memorial Stakes on Dec. 20 at Laurel Park.
“This horse does everything so easily,” Murdock said. “He has a lot of natural early speed, but he can move very quickly and do it with ease. That’s how he trains. He’s a joy to train. I can’t wait to see how he does in Maryland. I think he might even be better on the big track.”
One race earlier, in a one-turn allowance for state-breds, Pork Chop Pete (Arnaldo Bocachica) lived up to his role as 3-5 favorite when he found his best stride around the back, was swept into command at the far turn and then broke free late from stablemate Pleasenthanku for a three-length score. Pork Chop Pete, a four-year-old Golden Years gelding trained by Javier Contreras for owner-breeders O’Sullivan Farms and Alex Kazdan, earned his second victory in five season attempts and now owns a 7-6-1 slate and nearly $195,000 collected from 16 career outings after taking the 4 1/2 furlongs in 52.28.
One race earlier, in a one-time allowance/optional $20,000 that claimed a stripe for state-breds, Little Roo Roo (Denis Araujo) forged a mild 5-2 charge as he broke well to duel with sophomore Moonlit Notion (Larry Reynolds) down the back and through the far turn before outsmarting his younger rival in the final 100 meters to score by three parts of a length. Little Roo Roo, a five-year-old Limehouse gelding owned and trained by Mike Jones, Jr., earned his second victory in twelve season attempts and now owns twelve victories and nearly $360,000 collected from 37 career outings after completing the 4 1/2 furlongs in 52.47 as the third choice in the compact, fully shortened field of four.
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