LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The sun shines bright on the River City, or so say the local forecasters. A nasty wintry mix fell on this region in midweek, but the weather folks were optimistic that conditions would improve so as to allow the Grade 3, $100,000 River City Handicap to be run Saturday on the Churchill Downs turf as scheduled. Most turf racing was canceled this week at Churchill, where the turf course has been under duress following heavy usage during Breeders’ Cup weekend and subsequent intermittent rain. Huge divots were flying Wednesday when one turf race was run, after which two more were switched to the main track. Then came all-night sleeting Wednesday into Thursday, leading to further cancellations. By Saturday, however, all should be okay for the River City, the only one of 11 races scheduled for the turf. A field of eight older horses, including two each from the prodigious Brad Cox and Mike Maker barns, will go 1 1/8 miles under the Churchill lights in the 10th race. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern, with the feature going at 5:36. Mr. Misunderstood, with Florent Geroux riding from post 3 for Cox, likely will come favored in what will be his last race for at least a few months. The 4-year-old gelding has won 10 of 15 career turf starts and comes off a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland. He will carry 121 pounds as the race highweight, conceding one to six pounds to his opponents. “We were kind of in limbo with him after the Shadwell,” Cox said. “We were going to give him a break, but he’s trained so well out of it that we thought we’d run him one more time. We’ll send him to the farm for 45 to 60 days after this. I expect him to run big, given the way he’s moving and feeling.” Cox, again in the race for leading trainer at his hometown track after going 1 for 26 to start the 21-day fall meet, also will saddle Big Changes (post 5, Julien Leparoux), who takes a five-race win streak into his first start in graded company. “Obviously, he’s never been better,” Cox said. Maker, who won the 2017 River City with Shining Copper, will send out the uncoupled duo of Oscar Nominated (post 4, Tyler Gaffalione) and Sir Dudley Digges (post 8, Corey Lanerie). Both bring credentials of note – Oscar Nominated is a multiple graded winner who has earned $1.5 million, easily highest in the field; while Sir Dudley Digges, 3 for 4 over the Churchill turf, achieved racing immortality as winner of the 2016 Queen’s Plate at Woodbine. One other viable contender is Postulation (post 2, Brian Hernandez Jr.), although the 6-year-old gelding also was cross-entered for Saturday by trainer Michael Matz in the Red Smith at Aqueduct. The balance of the River City lineup is Master Merion, Team Colors, and Flatlined. This will be the 41st running of the River City, which was first run in 1978. The race often has been held during Thanksgiving week over the last 20 years, including five of the last six, but again was shifted for this year. Ontrack fans should know that traffic around Churchill will be heavier than normal at certain times Saturday because of the college football game between North Carolina State and Louisville at nearby Cardinal Stadium, where kickoff is set for 12:20.