Avanzare's consistency might be key to puzzle

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Five years after the first Downs After Dark program took place June 19, 2009, at Churchill Downs, the fans still are turning out in droves, especially the younger demographic perennially targeted by racetrack brass everywhere.

Handicapping-wise, they bring a steep learning curve, which is sometimes problematic in getting them to congregate anywhere near the betting windows, but they also bring insatiable thirsts and really liven up the place. On balance, it’s a terrific vibe.

The greenies hesitant to place a wager can take comfort in knowing that even hardened horseplayers often have a difficult time turning their racetrack wisdom into a profit, and so it will be again Friday night with a 10-race card. The featured race, the eighth, is a third-level, $56,000 turf allowance and one of those head-scratchers that could get its winner from just about anywhere. Avanzare, never worse than second in six career starts, wouldn’t be that bad a choice in the field of nine.

“I guess they could do worse,” said Tom Proctor, who trains Avanzare for car dealer John Youngblood and bloodstock agent Donato Lanni. “His form does look good, even to somebody who doesn’t really know what they’re looking at. I mean, he’s run good every single time.”

Proctor said from Chicago this week that he “always thought Avanzare could run, but the question is how far up the class ladder can he go? He’s run through a couple of conditions already, so we’ll just keep trying him until he stops knocking them out.”

Avanzare, with Leandro Goncalves to ride, will break from post 5 in the 1 1/8-mile feature. The 4-year-old gelding, coming off a May 11 victory in a second-level turf allowance here, has been favored in all but one of his starts and figures to be among the choices once again Friday night.

His main opposition could come from King David (post 7, Robby Albarado), a Grade 1 winner as a 3-year-old, and Kalamos (post 8, Shaun Bridgmohan), a classy Juddmonte Farms homebred.

The first post Friday is 6 p.m. Eastern, with the feature being run under the lights at 9:50. General admission after 4 p.m. is $10. Two other allowances (races 6 and 9) also are on tap. The 10th race, a maiden special sprint, is set for 10:57. HRTV will have coverage throughout the night.

Attendance here last Saturday night for Downs After Dark was 21,671, roughly triple what Churchill officials say they get for a typical daytime card on a Saturday. Attendance last year for the June 20 Downs After Dark card was 20,034, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect a similar number.