F Five's versatility may come in handy in H. Allen Jerkens Handicap

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Brian Lynch has gotten off to a quick start during the Gulfstream Park Championship meet with three wins from his first eight starters, including Skyro in an overnight handicap on the Tapeta course here last weekend. He hopes the trend will continue when he sends out F Five against defending champion Value Engineering in Saturday’s $100,000 H. Allen Jerkens Handicap.

The Jerkens is carded at two miles on the turf but with rain in the forecast here all weekend it stands a good chance of being switched to the Tapeta and decided at 1 5/8 miles, just as last year’s renewal was. A surface switch could play a huge factor in the outcome as the majority of the field doesn’t have experience on a synthetic track.

F Five has proven to be a versatile sort for Lynch, having captured his career debut on dirt and a pair of allowance races on turf while winning at distances ranging from six furlongs to 1 3/8 miles. Lynch is hoping the added distance and the likely switch to the synthetic track are questions F Five can answer Saturday.

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F Five is coming off a 10th-place finish when making his graded stakes debut in the River

“Some turf horses take to the synthetic, others don’t, you really don’t know until they try it, although obviously it would open up some more avenues for us with him if he does,” Lynch said. “And I certainly don’t mind the race being cut back to a mile and five-eighths since he’s never been past a mile and three-eighths to this point.”

City on Nov. 11 at Churchill Downs, with Lynch a bit disappointed his horse didn’t kick on a little better at the end.

“Jimmy [Graham] decided to take him back that day and when they quickened at the end, he didn’t go on with it,” Lynch recalled. “He appeared to give up down there on the inside, which I didn’t like.

“The plan here is to put him on the lead and see how he goes from there. I think if he can relax on the front end, it would be to his advantage, especially stretching out in distance like he will be.”

F Five will carry 121 pounds, including jockey Luis Saez, three less than starting highweight and likely favorite Value Engineering, who is one of three horses trainer Mike Maker entered in the Jerkens along with Shawdyshawdyshawdy and Catch the Party.

Value Engineering had no previous experience over a synthetic track before rallying to a 1 1/4-length victory in the 2022 Jerkens. He followed that effort with a second-place finish in the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight and a victory in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida when back to his preferred surface, the turf, later in the meet.

Value Engineering was given the summer off before returning from a five-month layoff to finish seventh returning to the synthetic for the second time just two weeks ago at Turfway Park.

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Shawdyshawdyshawdy finished behind Value Engineering when fourth in the McKnight and sixth in the Mac Diarmida here last winter while with trainer Jorge Abreu. He was subsequently transferred to Maker’s barn and has made only one start since, finishing a non-threatening ninth in Keeneland’s Grade 3 Sycamore on Oct. 13. The Jerkens would be his first try over a synthetic track in 22 lifetime starts if the race comes off the grass.

McLovin is already proven at two miles, having won the John Forbes Memorial over a yielding course at that distance at Far Hills in his last start Oct. 21. McLovin was trained by Rodolphe Brisset for that race but has since returned to his former conditioner, Arnaud Delacour, for whom he won a pair of races, at Tampa Bay Downs and Keeneland, early in his 4-year-old campaign. Like the majority of the others in this lineup, McLovin has never raced on a synthetic surface.

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