Back in allowance company, Northern Invader has to deal with Herchee

In a standard third-level turf route allowance with a $100,000 claiming option, the conditions of the featured seventh race Thursday at Churchill Downs, Northern Invader would come up an odds-on favorite.

The last time he faced allowance foes, in a second-level race two Aprils ago at Keeneland, Northern Invader won easily. He comes off four graded stakes starts, and after losing the Grade 3 Tampa Bay on Feb. 1 by less than one length, his first outing since July, Northern Invader set the pace and held relatively well for fourth last month in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile. Carl Spackler, a world-class grass miler, won that race in a romp.

But the presence of Herchee makes this a tough race for the class level and makes Northern Invader something less than a Thursday lock.

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Northern Invader is a 5-year-old with 13 starts. Herchee is a 4-year-old with just six starts, and from the look of his first start this season, a pasting of second-level turf allowance foes at Keeneland, Herchee still has room to grow.

Herchee debuted last June at Churchill in a turf route, won his first two starts, then finished a somewhat troubled second to the high-level performer Brilliant Berti in a Kentucky Downs stakes. In the Bryan Station last October at Keeneland, he got too much of an overheated pace and held well for third, then was over the top finishing sixth Nov. 23 in the Commonwealth at Churchill.

“He was a tired horse when I ran him in November,” said Helen Pitts, who trains Herchee for 100% Racing. “At Kentucky Downs he dug deep, at Keeneland he dug deep. The freshening did him a world of good.”

Herchee has attributes of a very high-class turf miler –good speed but a relaxed way of going. At Keeneland, under Edgar Morales, he sat just behind a 45.33-second half-mile, accelerated in upper stretch to a three-length lead and won by that same margin.

“I don’t want to say I was shocked, but to perform like that first time back,” Pitts said. “Edgar rides him beautifully. He gets himself in a spot and switches off.”

Pitts cross-entered Herchee in Saturday’s Arlington Stakes but is more likely to start the Twirling Candy gelding Thursday. Higgins Boat, drawn one spot outside Herchee in post 11 and a horse with credentials of his own to contend, figures to go forward and press Northern Invader, drawn in post 8, on the lead. There’s not a lot of other true speed coming from the inside posts, and Morales ought to be able to slide over and establish a decent position. He’ll have to tackle Northern Invader and fend off closers like What Say Thee. Second start into what could be an interesting campaign, Herchee might be up to that task.

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