LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Though he got beat a nose, Balnikhov acquitted himself quite well in his U.S. debut when beaten by the highly regarded Sumter in the $100,000 Singletary Stakes at Santa Anita five weeks ago. If Balknikhov takes a step forward, that should put him right in the mix in a competitive renewal of the Grade 2, $500,000 American Turf Stakes for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on Saturday at Churchill Downs. From eight races in France as a 2-year-old, Balnikhov won three, two on synthetic and one on turf. Billy Koch’s Little Red Feather Racing, Sol Kumin’s Madaket Stable, and Andrew Molasky’s Old Bones Racing purchased Balnikhov privately over the winter and sent him to Phil D’Amato in California. As European horses are wont to do in their first starts here, Balnikhov broke poorly in the Singletary, advanced along the inside under Juan Hernandez, tipped outside, and just lost a bob to Sumter, the 3-5 favorite who was winning his third straight race. Sumter, trained by Richard Mandella, has been sidelined. “He had trained like a really nice horse coming into that race,” D’Amato said of Balnikhov. “He surprised me how much tactical speed he had in that race. I like how he finished. Spacing-wise this is a nice race for him to come into.” Balnikhov’s lone win on turf came over soft ground in France. That might come into play as rain was forecast Friday into Saturday. :: Kentucky Derby Headquarters: Get the latest news, info on contenders, past performances, picks, and more  Manny Franco rides Balnikhov from post 5. Kumin’s Head of Plains Partners owns probable American Turf favorite Sy Dog. This son of Slumber has won all three of his starts, including the Central Park Stakes last fall at Aqueduct and the Grade 3 Transylvania last month at Keeneland on April 8. “Second race off the layoff, it’s a quick turnaround,” said Graham Motion, trainer of Sy Dog. “He wasn’t off very long. I gave him a little break in December because we didn’t want to take him to Florida. Everything we’ve asked him to do he’s handled really well.” Motion was happy to be able to get Irad Ortiz Jr. to ride him for a second straight race. Sy Dog’s other two wins came with Luis Saez and Jose Ortiz aboard. Portfolio Company won his debut last summer at Saratoga before finishing second in both the Grade 3 With Anticipation and Grade 2 Pilgrim. He set a quick pace, but faded when finishing eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last Nov. 5. This is his first start since. “It would have been nice to get him started earlier in the year, but he took a little extra time to get ready,” said trainer Chad Brown. Main Event was a sharp front-running winner of the Cutler Bay Stakes over a speed-favoring Gulfstream Park turf course on April 2 for trainer George Weaver and jockey Jose Ortiz. From a limited sample size, the new turf course at Churchill Downs seems to be favoring front-runners. :: Get Kentucky Derby Betting Strategies for exclusive wager recommendations, contender profiles, pedigree analysis, and more Red Danger and Smokin’ T were second and third behind Main Event in the Cutler Bay, but each won on turf at Gulfstream during the winter. Coinage beat Main Event a neck in the Palm Beach Stakes at Gulfstream on March 5, then came back to run third behind Sy Dog in the Transylvania. Red Run won the Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston in January and didn’t run again until April 2 in the Jeff Ruby Steaks, where he finished eighth, beaten 17 1/2 lengths. Trainer Steve Asmussen said Red Run “has worked twice on the turf here and looked great over it.” Dowagiac Chief, Royal Spirit, and Stolen Base all return to turf after running fourth, fifth, and seventh, respectively, in the Jeff Ruby. Dowagiac Chief won the Black Gold Stakes on turf at Fair Grounds on March 5. Royal Spirit won his maiden on turf and was beaten a neck by Grand Sonata in the Grade 3 Kitten’s Joy at Gulfstream. Stolen Base has two seconds and a third from four turf starts. The American Turf goes as race 9 (3:40 p.m.) on the 14-race Kentucky Derby card.