10/28/2021
Billingsley Ford Open Futurity
Open Level 4 Co-Champion—Casey Deary and Live N On A Prayer
One glance at Live N On A Prayer’s blueblood pedigree, and it’s no surprise to see Casey Deary on his back in a win photo. Deary has shown both sides of Live N On A Prayer’s pedigree to great success—sire In Like Flinn boasts lifetime earnings of $187,000, and dam Americasnextgunmodel is a blue-hen producer with lifetime earnings herself of $289,000.
Deary rode the young standout to his first big win with a 222 at the SWRHA Futurity, tying for the Level 4 Championship with Pierre-Luc Phaneuf.
“This c**t is a really good loper. He has a lot of natural rate and draw like his sire, but he’s got the really great qualities that his mother had,” Deary said. “He has that foot-speed in the turn and a really cool style running and stopping.”
Surprisingly, Live N On A Prayer got behind in training this year but is catching up to speed.
“He had a small muscle tear on his hip, so we rested him like the vet said and he’s all healed up now. I missed a few months through the summer on him,” Deary said. “The time that I missed, I had to put back together on the road. I showed him two-handed at Tulsa, showed him in Vegas and had a bobble there, and took him to Congress and got hung up in a rollback. He prepared really well last week at home and this week here, he showed really well for me.”
Deary says it’s immensely helpful for all involved to have such a talented team of assistant trainers to help give all the horses he has in training a chance to show.
“It puts my customers in a really good spot, too. They know there aren’t just three spots [for the NRHA Futurity]—there are six, nine or 12. There’s a good chance those horses are going to get shown,” Deary said. “The whole group, between Josh, Caleb, Katie, Hannah and Sarah, they work really well together and are supportive of each other. I try to make sure all those guys get a chance to show, too.”
He thanked his wife, Nicole Deary, in addition his farrier and veterinarians that keep the horses healthy. "There are so many people to thank. It truly takes a village," he said.