Cold temperatures expected heading into Sunday card

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With rain in the forecast Saturday and temperatures predicted to dip into the 20s that evening, the Churchill track-maintenance crew will have a busy Saturday evening and Sunday, regularly harrowing the main track to keep it from freezing.

Even Sunday afternoon won’t provide the maintenance crew with much of a warm-up as the National Weather Service is calling for a high temperature of only 36 degrees, albeit under sunny skies.

As for the racing itself, it is not one of the better weekend cards of the meet, with short fields in the first three races and the featured ninth race a modest non-winners-of-three, $60,000 allowance for older fillies and mares at a mile.

Hone In, second Oct. 29 at Keeneland in a seemingly superior second-level allowance, might start as a tepid favorite over entry-level allowance winner Manahatta and stakes dropper Calypso Beat.