Churchill Downs: Turallure breezes at Keeneland for Firecracker

Turallure, the heavy favorite for the Grade 2 Firecracker Handicap on the closing-day card here Sunday, tuned up for the one-mile turf race by breezing a half-mile Tuesday over the Keeneland Polytrack in 49.60 seconds for trainer Charlie Lopresti.

Turallure will be making his first start since finishing seventh as the 2-1 favorite in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic on the May 5 Kentucky Derby undercard. Lopresti said he now believes that “in hindsight, we probably came back too quick from the Maker’s” 46 Mile, the April 13 race in which Turallure was narrowly beaten in his first start in five months. “He really ran hard that day.”

Turallure will carry high weight of 122 pounds in the $150,000 Firecracker. Other probable starters from a large nominations list include Guys Reward, 118; Mister Marti Gras, 117; Seruni, 117; El Commodore, 116; and Scotus, 116. Entries will be drawn Thursday.