PETTY PAIR TOP WEST VIRGINIA FUTURITY
Frank Vespe- October 30, 2020
Trainer Kristy Petty will have two chances to earn her first stakes win in Saturday’s $50,000 West Virginia Futurity. But she’ll have to contend with a four-headed attack from John McKee.
The seven-furlong Futurity, for two-year-olds, is carded as the sixth race on an eight-race Saturday card at Charles Town Races. Post time for the card is 7:00 p.m., with the Futurity slated to go off just after 9:30.
Petty will send out morning line favorite Juba Did It (5-2) and Just Gets Better (4-1). Both are homebred geldings by Juba, the popular young sire who in 2020 leads all West Virginia stallions by mares covered.
Juba Did It absolutely obliterated a state-bred maiden special weight field October 17 over the strip. Under Antonio Lopez, the gray or roan gelding sped to the early lead and kept increasing his advantage, winning the one-turn dash by seven lengths in 53.05 seconds for 4 ½ furlongs.
Lopez has the return mount.
Unlike his stable mate, who won at first asking, it took Petty’s other entrant, Just Gets Better, five tries to graduate. He finally did so October 24 with a three-length score in a 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight test. Gerald Almodovar is named.
McKee’s quartet of runners includes three fillies and a gelding, all homebreds by his stallion Fiber Sonde. Fiber Sonde is the state’s leading sire and has seen 41 mares this year – second-most, behind Juba’s 56, in the state.
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The gelding, Youthinkthatsfunny, looks to be the top of the group and is 7-2 on the morning line. He’s never been worse than third in four career starts, and his two wins include a dominant score in the Vincent Moscarelli Memorial three weeks back on West Virginia Breeders Classics night. That night he pressed the pace, took command with just less than a half-mile to go, and drew away to win by three.
Reshawn Latchman has the mount.
McKee’s trio of fillies includes the place and show horses from the West Virginia Triple Crown Nutrition Breeders’ Classic, as well as the seventh-place finisher from that same race.
Theladyistrue (5-1) was the show horse that day after having won the Rachel’s Turn Stakes over the strip September 19. She’ll have Fredy Peltroche in the irons.
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Shutupn’kissme (5-1) led for a long way in the Triple Crown Nutrition before settling for second, a length behind That Kenney Kid. She also was second in the Rachel’s Turn and has a win from three starts. Wesley Ho is named.
And Lock Down Time (6-1) was an even seventh as the favorite in the Triple Crown Nutrition. Carlos Marrero will ride.
Bernie the Gambler (15-1), trained by Ollie Figgins, III for Naomi Long, rounds out the field.
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