Eagle Speed a bit light on Beyers

Eagle Speed figures to draw heavy support when he goes for his third consecutive stakes victory in the West Virginia Futurity on Saturday night at Charles Town. Based on Beyer Speed Figures, however, Eagle Speed is only the third-fastest runner among six 2-year-olds in the first division of the split stakes.

Each division of the seven-furlong West Virginia Futurity carries a purse of $25,000 and is restricted to juveniles who are West Virginia-bred and sired by West Virginia-registered sires.

In race 7, Eagle Speed, a Penn National-based gelding trained by Clovis Crane, received a 50 Beyer for his neck victory in the split Tri-State Futurity three weeks ago and a 56 for his half-length score in the $90,000 Vincent Moscarelli in mid-October. That puts him behind Dahlgren Hall and Glorious Appearing, who have both broken 60 at least once.

Dahlgren Hall, trained by Jeff Runco, was beaten a half-length by Eagle Speed on Oct. 14, but ran a full second faster than Eagle Speed did in the first division of the 6 1/2-furlong Tri-State Futurity, winning by two lengths with a 63 Beyer.

Glorious Appearing, one of two fillies in the first division, dominated the Golden Gull in mid-September and finished a half-length behind the winner in the juvenile fillies stakes on West Virginia Breeders Classics Night. She earned 64 Beyers in those races, both at 4 1/2 furlongs. She will be racing around two turns and beyond 4 1/2 furlongs for the first time in the West Virginia Futurity.

The second division, which goes as race 9, came up softer. The likely favorite is Fancy Dan, who was second in both the Moscarelli and the Dahlgren Hall's division of the Tri-State Futurity, in which he earned a 59 Beyer.

The only horse who has run within 10 points of Fancy Dan on the Beyer scale is Pretty Good Rhythm. An off-the-pace runner, Pretty Good Rhythm finished a length behind winner Fancy Dan in the 6 1/2-furlong Dr. Benner and was badly beaten by Fancy Dan in the Moscarelli. Most recently, Pretty Good Rhythm was second in a first-level allowance at seven furlongs.