11-time turf winner Mr. Misunderstood begins comeback Thursday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mr. Misunderstood was last seen during the 2018 fall meet at Churchill Downs, rallying to win the Grade 3 River City for his 11th victory from 16 career turf starts.

As the final week of the 2019 spring meet begins at this historic track, Mr. Misunderstood will make his eagerly awaited return to action in the featured event Thursday.

“We hope he returns to his old self and this race will kick-start his year,” said Staton Flurry, who owns Mr. Misunderstood, a 5-year-old son of Archarcharch.

Trainer Brad Cox had considered the Grade 2 Wise Dan here June 15 as the comeback spot for Mr. Misunderstood before waiting a bit longer, gambling that a $104,000 allowance with hybrid conditions would fill. It did, getting a field of six for turf, plus a main-track-only designate in Hawaakom, who most likely will scratch, given that the local forecast throughout this week calls for no rain and high temperatures around 90.

Mr. Misunderstood, listed as a 4-5 morning-line favorite following his seven-month layoff, will break from post 2 and will be ridden by Florent Geroux in the 1 1/8-mile feature, which goes as the second of eight races. The Kentucky-bred gelding enters off nine local works since late April.

If he is to be upset, the most likely perpetrators are Profiteer, Soglio, or even a second Cox entry, Big Changes, although none sport the caliber of credentials that Mr. Misunderstood brings to the table. He’s a multiple stakes winner who, assuming he runs well, soon will leave with the rest of the locally based Cox runners for the Saratoga meet, which starts July 11.

First post is 5 p.m. Eastern, with the feature going at 5:29 p.m. Because of the short field and heavy favorite, the race was excluded from the Single 6 wager, which spans races 3-8. The Single 6 jackpot carryover stands at $294,725, with a mandatory disbursement set for Saturday, closing day of the 38-day spring meet.

Three consecutive allowances are part of the Thursday sequence.

Race 5, a $97,000 first-level mile for 3-year-old fillies, could have Grandezza as a lukewarm choice in a field of 11 off a sharp maiden score for Dallas Stewart.

Race 6, a $97,000 first-level turf route for 3-year-old colts and geldings, drew an oversubscribed lineup in which Irish imports Avigale and Red Island figure as major contenders for their respective Southern California-based trainers, Jeff Mullins and Phil D’Amato.

Race 7, a $99,000 second-level race for 3-year-olds and upward at seven furlongs, also drew more than the 12-horse limit. It’s about as wideopen as a race can get, as illustrated by the fact Magic Tapit is listed as the program favorite at an inordinately high 5-1.

The eighth and last race, for maiden-claimers at 1 1/8 miles, is set for 8:23 p.m. Eleven races will be run here Friday and 12 on Saturday.