Casey team takes aim at meaningful win in Casey Memorial

James W. Casey and his son, John Casey, have a special incentive to win Saturday night’s $50,000 feature at Charles Town.

The Eleanor Casey Memorial, a seven-furlong, two-turn race for West Virginia-bred 2-year-old fillies, is named in honor of James’s wife and John’s mother. Eleanor Casey died at 74 in July 2005; she had a heart attack shortly after falling and breaking her hip on the track when a loose horse came her way during morning training hours.

The father-and-son team ran one-two in the 2012 running of the stakes, with James W. Casey winning with the favored Queen’ldaball and John Casey’s filly Landon Did It finishing second. A year ago, James Casey’s filly Charitableprincess was second, and John Casey’s horse, Jacky’s Notion, was fourth.

James W. Casey on Saturday will send out the favored Scottish Denis, who has been freshened since winning the 6 1/2-furlong Triple Crown Nutrition on West Virginia Breeders’ Classic Night in early October.

John Casey will saddle Fancy and Fast, who remains a maiden after seven starts; she is coming off the best race of her career, however, missing by a neck going 6 1/2 furlongs in a maiden race Nov. 16.

The two most intriguing challengers are Lady Bearoness, who stretches out after launching her career with back-to-back daylight wins going 4 1/2 furlongs, and Unaquoi, who has won three of her last four starts since late August.

Casey Memorial, Race 7

KEY CONTENDERS

Scottish Denis, by Denis of Cork
Last 3 Beyers: 51-43-46

◗ Handled two turns as the 2-1 favorite while stretching out in the Triple Crown Nutrition on Oct. 8. Her only loss came when she was fourth behind Unaquoi in the 4 1/2-furlong Rachel’s Turn in mid-September.

Lady Bearoness, by Bullsbay
Last 2 Beyers: 54-55

◗ She has the two best dirt Beyer Speed Figures in the field. The question is whether she can run just as well going two turns.

Unaquoi, by Gattopardo
Last 3 Beyers: 66-44-49

◗ Switches back to dirt following a career-best performance in wiring nine opponents in a turf sprint at Laurel. Flashed high speed and faded when she tried two turns two months ago.

Kathleen Elizabeth, by Fiber Sonde
Last 3 Beyers: 45-48-44

◗ Only a length behind Scottish Denis in her lone try beyond 4 1/2 furlongs, but she regressed when she went back to an ultra-short sprint last time out. Gets a new rider in Christian Hiraldo.

Fancy and Fast, by Charitable Man
Last 3 Beyers: 47-36-36

◗ She was a nonthreatening fifth at 62-1 in the Triple Crown Nutrition but showed marked improvement in her most recent start.