Flashy Gal a tepid favorite for Friday turf mile feature

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Saving the best for last is a strategy infrequently employed by racing-office staffs, but with happy hour likely to be in full swing on the final Friday of the 12-day September meet, Churchill Downs has opted to use the best of 10 races as a nightcap.

A $41,000, second-level turf allowance going one mile closes out the card that has a first post of 2:45 p.m. Eastern. Lukewarm favoritism on the morning line goes to Flashy Gal, but it won’t be known until the sun dips low and last post of 7:19 comes around whether she will be the actual public choice.

Flashy Gal is trained by Wayne Catalano, who is a major participant in Kentucky this fall, having the most starts here so far at this meet (20) while making plans to be extremely active at the upcoming Keeneland meet.

“We’re here to run,” said an upbeat Catalano, whose health continues to improve after his scary bout with pneumonia this summer.

Flashy Gal will be reunited with jockey Julien Leparoux, who guided the Smart Strike filly to an impressive two-back triumph over the Churchill course when going through her first allowance condition in June.

The only other allowance on the Friday card, a $39,000, first-level mile for 2-year-olds, directly precedes the feature as race 9 (post 6:49). It, too, has no clear favorite, with the top contenders in a field of nine being Rod McLeod, Indict, Eagle, and Handy Candy.

KEY CONTENDERS

Flashy Gal (Last 3 Beyers: 80-83-84)

◗ She didn’t have the best of trips before rallying belatedly to be a decent fourth in her first crack at this second-level condition at Saratoga in a Whitney undercard race in which the runner-up (Keening) wheeled back to win.

◗ Catalano continues to excel, both percentage-wise and in return on investment, at Churchill and elsewhere in a wide variety of categories, including those that apply here: 31- to 60-day layoffs, turf races, routes, and allowances.

Faerie Queene (Last 3 Beyers: 72-49-81)

◗ She didn’t have any apparent excuse when failing to fire after a nice stalking trip for this same condition at Kentucky Downs, but her first-level triumph over this course on the Kentucky Derby undercard remains a benchmark she’d do well to achieve again.

High Wire Kitten (Last 3 Beyers: 76-75-63)

◗ This Ken and Sarah Ramsey homebred was good enough to knock out her first two conditions by the completion of her 2-year-old season, and all she has done since then is compete in stakes, so this drop into the allowance ranks apparently equates to welcome class relief.

Seeking Treasure (Last 3 Beyers: 74-78-86)

◗ This Chicago invader is one of four in here entered for a $62,500 claiming option and rates the best chance of that group in light of how she ran off the television screen in an Arlington romp in early August.