Dirt sprint, turf route headline Thursday card
Two good allowances, races 7 and 8, headline Thursday’s nine-race program at Fair Grounds.
Race 7, a second-level allowance carded for six furlongs on dirt, drew only six entrants, but all of them have hit at least 80 on the Beyer Speed Figure scale, and the Brad Cox-trained Supremacy got a 92 Beyer in his most recent start. That race wasn’t actually recent at all, having come May 1 in a first-level Churchill Downs allowance sprint, but Supremacy has been working steadily at Fair Grounds for his comeback and should deliver a representative performance.
Starburst could make the lead on a main track that often has carried inside speed this meet, while Snow House, Santa Cruiser, and Super Comet have plausible paths to victory.
Race 8 also has a basic second-level allowance condition (it’s open to $40,000 claimers) and drew 10 horses entered to run about 1 1/16 miles on turf, as well as another horse entered for the main track only.
The temporary turf rail will be set at 27 feet for grass racing this week, and with the rail out closers have dominated during this racing season. The pick to rally and win at a price is Fenwick Station, a 10-1 shot on the morning line and a solid second in a similar spot Nov. 25, his first race back from a 17-month layoff.
