NEW ORLEANS – Flashlight and Wireless Future, who ran in Grade 3 turf races at this meet, loom as serious contenders in the featured optional-claiming turf race Thursday at Fair Grounds. The race, the third on a 12-race card, drew seven horses for turf, plus three runners entered for the main track only. The distance will be about 1 1/16 miles unless the surface is switched to dirt, in which case it would be run at the exact distance. Flashlight, a 6-year-old horse trained by Mike Maker, is coming off a loss by a head to Chip Leader at a similar class level Feb. 8. A bump at the break and a wide trip hampered Flashlight, who has worked four times since that race. Two starts back, Flashlight finished fourth in the Grade 3 Col. E.R. Bradley Handicap, 1 3/4 lengths behind the winner, Chocolate Ride. Four starts back on Nov. 15, Flashlight finished second in the Grade 3 Tropical Turf Handicap at Gulfstream Park West. Wireless Future, a Tom Amoss trainee, chased Chocolate Ride twice at this meet. On Feb. 20, Wireless Future finished eighth in the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Handicap, 4 1/4 lengths behind the winner, Chocolate Ride. On Nov. 27, Wireless Future finished third in an optional-claiming race won by Chocolate Ride. Wireless Future finished second on turf in the Dueling Grounds Derby last year. On Jan. 15 at Fair Grounds, Wireless Future led all the way at this level in a race switched from turf to dirt, and he could be the pacesetter Thursday. He might be pressed early by Lewis Vale, who finished second in a second-level optional-claiming race Feb. 20 for trainer Mike Stidham. If the surface is switched to dirt, then main-track-only entrant Freestyler would be tough to beat. Trainer Joe Sharp also entered Freestyler for the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap on Saturday. ◗ The ninth race, a first-level optional-claiming turf race at about 7 1/2 furlongs, drew a full field of 10 3-year-olds, plus six also-eligible entrants. Legitimate contenders include Wild Man, who finished a close sixth in the Keith Gee Memorial with a rough trip; Vittorioso, coming off two solid performances in turf sprints; and possible longshot Lomcevak, who made a strong late run to defeat maidens at about a mile in his only turf start. If the surface is switched to dirt, Call the Colonel would bear watching. In a two-turn victory against maidens here Feb. 12, Call the Colonel defeated Creator by 2 1/2 lengths. Creator finished second in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes last Saturday.