Will WV Futurity clarify the local 2yo scene? * The racing world

Charles Town’s commitment to two-year-old state-bred horses has been a bit of a muddle this year. It’s not at all certain that Saturday’s $75,000, seven-furlong West Virginia Futurity will clear the picture.

On the girls side, C’Mon Eileen dominated the John McKee Memorial, but fell to Edy’s Flame in the West Virginia Triple Crown Nutrition Breeders’ Classic. That runner in turn finished third behind Maskedandmummed in the James and Eleanor Casey Memorial Stakes on November 1.

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Among the boys, Gurney Halleck rallied to narrowly win the Henry Mercer Memorial Stakes, but then chased Tricks R for Juba without result in the Vincent Moscarelli Memorial on WVBC night.

For those of you keeping score at home, that’s five bets and five different winners.

Saturday’s compact field of five horses includes three fillies and two males and one horse with a previous stakes win.

That one is Maskedandmummed, one of two Ron Sigler trainees in the field and the 9-5 favorite in the morning line of her victory in the James and Eleanor Casey Memorial on November 1. The Candygram filly pressed the early pace of Truth and Justice, who is also here, before rocketing away in the late stages to win by two lengths, with Truth and Justice two ahead of the rest.

In total, Maskedandmummed has two wins from six starts to go with earnings of $81,473.

Two of Maskedandmummed’s defeated rivals from the Casey Memorial are back to try their luck. Truth and Justice set the pace (4-1) before succumbing late while still in second place. Trained and owned by Cynthia McKee, she has one win and has over $48,000 in her bank account from six starts.

The other Sigler trainee, B’s Wild Candy (9-2), was still a girl entering the Casey Memorial and ran credibly to fourth place. Eleven days later she returned and destroyed a maiden special weight field by a dozen lengths as the 3-5 favorite. She returns on Saturday for her third start in three weeks.

Perhaps the most promising of the group is the Capo Bastone gelding Yolo Manolo. Javier Contreras’ trainee, 2-1 on the morning line in the Futurity, showed plenty of early speed to win by 2 ¼ lengths at the first ask on October 30. The field was well spread that day and his winning time, 52.24 seconds for 4 ½ furlongs, was slightly faster than older runners who managed it two races later.

Yolo Manolo, a half-brother to solid veterans Pork Chop Pete, a sharp winner here on November 15, and Bella Mela, will attempt two turns for the first time and it will be hard to deny if he can successfully stretch.

Noble Ruling (5-1), trained by Tim Grams, rounds out the field. He was a winner on the second question, finishing fifth and fourth in two stakes attempts.

The West Virginia Futurity is the last deployment of the year in Charles Town. It is considered the seventh race in an eight-race schedule, and post time for the card is 7 p.m. The entries are below.