Casey has trio for West Virginia Futurity

Trainer John Casey and owner Kristy Petty hold a strong hand in the $50,000 West Virginia Futurity at Charles Town on Saturday night.

Casey trains three of the five entrants in the seven-furlong race for West Virginia-bred 2-year-olds, including odds-on favorite Hear the Chatter and second choice One More Time. Petty owns them both.

Casey’s third horse in the race is Too Much to Do, whom he also owns.

Casey is the breeder of Too Much to Do and One More Time. Petty bred Hear the Chatter.

Hear the Chatter is the top 2-year-old at Charles Town. He has won four of five starts and three straight stakes: The Henry Mercer Memorial and Vincent Moscarelli Memorial for statebreds and the open Tri-State Futurity. His average winning margin in those races is more than 4 1/2 lengths.

Casey is also the trainer, owner, and breeder of the extraordinary 7-year-old mare Down Town Allen, who surpassed $1 million in earnings Nov. 15. A winner of 25 of 41 starts, Down Town Allen has won 14 straight races at Charles Town dating back to June 2012.

Key Contenders

Hear the Chatter (Last 3 Beyers: 77-76-69)

◗ His career-best 77 Beyer Speed Figure is 12 points higher than One More Time’s best figure, which is far superior to anyone else’s in the field.

One More Time (Last 3 Beyers: 64-65-64)

◗ Has faced Hear the Chatter three times. He was third in the Mercer and second in both the Moscarelli and Tri-State.

Silver Majesty (Beyer: 43)

◗ Although his Beyer doesn’t compare to the top pair, he scored a front-running, seven-length victory in his debut for trainer John McKee, and his potential is difficult to measure.

◗ His win came at 4 1/2 furlongs, and this will be his two-turn debut.