Heading into the final stakes race on the calendar at Charles Town for 2023, the latest edition of the $50,000 West Virginia Futurity for West Virginia-bred two-year-olds, so much of the attention was focused on rivals Jubawithatwist and King Kontie that both would eventually be sent postward as 4-5, though Jubawithatwist was the very slight favorite.

Jubawithatwist, hero of the West Virginia Vincent Moscarelli Memorial Breeders Classic by 1 ½ lengths over King Kontie six weeks earlier, would attract $131 more in win wagers than King Kontie in a pool of nearly $33,000.

The two met for the fourth time Saturday, and Jubawithatwist and King Kontie had finished in a dead-heat in the Henry Mercer Memorial in September. The betting public could barely separate them for their final meeting as juveniles.

When the gates opened in the latest renewal of the West Virginia Futurity, King Kontie and regular rider Fredy Peltroche broke alertly and cleared to command through the clubhouse turn, while Jubawithatwist bullied his way through to occupy the stalking position in second through the turn. Longshots Gold Creations, Candy for Juba and Makani were reserved well off the early tempo and basically never threatened the top pair. In fact, Makani, dismissed as the longest price on the board at 41-1, would eventually garner the show spot.

As he done in their two most recent meetings, King Kontie led the way down the backside and into the far turn where Jubawithatwist and jockey Gustavo Larrosa would gradually make their presence felt. In eerily similar circumstances to the Moscarelli Memorial, Jubawithatwist was clearly traveling best of all approaching the furlong pole, and the choice drew clear in the lane to score by 5 ¾ lengths while stopping the timer in 1:26.16 for the seven furlongs.

A juvenile son of Juba owned and trained by Kristy Petty and bred by the late John A. Casey, Jubawithatwist notched his third straight stakes tally, remained perfect in four local outings, and concluded his freshman campaign with four wins and nearly $150,000 banked from six outings. King Kontie, as he had done in the Moscarelli, settled for second for trainer Ollie Figgins, III and owner-breeder Ray Pennington, III.

“I knew the other horse had a little more early speed than my horse, but I wanted to be close to him down the backside,” jockey Gustavo Larrosa said. “He was really going pretty easy down the backside, and then I asked him a little bit on the far turn. I had so much horse underneath me. I thought he would be better with a little more distance. He’s a real nice horse.”

In fact, that has proven to be the case. Jubawithatwist dead-heated in the 4 ½-furlong Mercer Memorial, but in now three meetings at longer distances, Jubawithatwist has emerged ahead of his rival. In the five-furlong Hickory Tree at Colonial Downs, finished a half-length in front of King Kontie though both were well behind winner Going Up. In the 6 ½-furlong Moscarelli, the margin was 1 ½, and now going seven furlongs, it was nearly a half-dozen.

Petty acknowledged that this would be the final start of the season for Jubawithatwist, who is heading back to her farm in Charles Town in the shadow of the famed Taylor Mountain Farm once owned and operated by the late James W. Casey and Eleanor Casey. With four wins from six starts under his belt this year, Jubawithatwist has earned a vacation until next spring.

“He’s been really good these last two starts,” said Petty, who mentioned that his full brother, likely to be named Dad’s Number One Helper, will turn two in January. “When they’re this good, you hate to stop with them. But there’s really nothing else for him around here now through the winter. He’ll go back to my farm and then we’ll look for some races for him next year. But he’s a real nice horse, and all of my Jubas deserve a little break.”

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