Scottish Man scores upset in WV Futurity
Scottish Man was a 12-1 upset winner of the West Virginia Futurity at Charles Town Races with Jose Montano up for James Casey. Photo by Coady Photography.
by Frank Vespe
Two-year-old Scottish Man didn’t show much in his first two career starts, finishing fourth and fifth in a pair of 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight tests at Charles Town.
Fortunately for him — and for owner-breeder-trainer James W. Casey — the races for juveniles have gotten longer, and now Scottish Man’s future is looking quite a bit brighter.
Dismissed by bettors at 12-1 in Saturday’s $50,000 West Virginia Futurity at Charles Town Races, Scottish Man rallied to post a 1 3/4 length victory in the fixture. It was Scottish Man’s second win in two tries around two turns at the oval and considerably muddied a division that was looking pretty cut-and-dry.
Entering the contest, the Ollie Figgins trainee Burnin Ring O Fire looked to be the dominant player in the division. He had won all three of his starts to date, including scores in the Vincent Moscarelli Memorial on West Virginia Breeders Classics night and in September’s Henry Mercer Memorial. Bettors liked what they’d seen enough from Burnin Ring O Fire to make him the 2-5 post time choice.
But in the Futurity, Burnin Ring O Fire, who tracked the early pace, could manage only a mild response when the running got serious. He did no better than fourth, beaten by 5 1/2 lengths and disappointing bettors.
Meanwhile, Scottish Man, sluggish early, was content to watch the early action from the rear under Jose Montano. He trailed the leader, longshot Not for Sonde, by five lengths after an opening quarter-mile in 23.50 seconds. Nearing the second turn, Scottish Man launched a bid while wide, circling the field on the turn to grab the lead near the quarter pole and cruising home to a clear victory.
Midday Man, the 6-5 second choice, stalked the pace, led very briefly before ceding the advantage to Scottish Man, and held second, a length ahead of 41-1 outsider Hard Being Me. Burning Ring O Fire was fourth, and Not for Sonde completed the order of finish. Running time for seven furlongs on a fast main track was 1:27.73.
Scottish Man paid $26.60 to win and topped an exacta worth $32.10 for a buck. With the heavy favorite out of the money, Scottish Man paid $15.40 to show, and third-place finisher Hard Being Me returned $41.20 on a two-dollar show wager.
Scottish Man is by Charitable Man out of the My Boy Adam mare Scottish Punch. He is a half-brother to the stakes winner Scottish Denis, who most recently ran second in the West Virginia Breeders Classic Distaff. He was bred by James W. Casey, who trains the horse for his own Taylor Mountain Farm operation. Scottish Man has now won two of four career starts with earnings of $55,926.
