Girls Know Best will flaunt her speed in loaded field for Franklin County Stakes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Eddie Kenneally didn’t even bother to say hello when answering the phone.

“They’re all in there, aren’t they?” he asked immediately.

Since he has a vested interest in the Friday feature at Keeneland, the Grade 3 Franklin County Stakes, Kenneally knew full well the answer. Lacking many other graded opportunities, virtually every horse in the region of recent accomplishment in the filly-mare turf-sprinter niche is entered, including the Kenneally-trained Girls Know Best, an integral part of a full field of 14.

Even with her 12-for-22 record, Girls Know Best is no standout in this 23rd running of the $150,000 Franklin County, a 5 1/2-furlong turf race that anchors a 10-race card. Other major players in the division, such as Morticia, Oleksandra, A Little Bit Me, and Painting Corners, are but a sampling of the stakes winners who will load into the gate.

In all, 16 are entered, with the also-eligibles, La Dame Blanche and Takes These Chains, possibly replacing Hotshot Anna and Goldwood. Hotshot Anna, the two-time winner of the Grade 2 Presque Isle Masters, will scratch if an allowance race fills for her Sunday, while trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. said early this week that Goldwood was only 50-50 to travel here from his New Jersey base. If she does start, Goldwood would be a major threat, having amassed a five-race win streak, all in stakes.

Girls Know Best, a sharp winner of a Sept. 15 Churchill Downs allowance that marked her first start in more than eight months, will break from post 11 and is likely to be among the early goers in a field jammed with early speed.

“I’d rather be outside speed than inside speed with the way this shapes up,” Kenneally said. “The mare came back really good off the long layoff, and we were very happy to see her win the way she did. She’s coming into this in great form.”

With the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint being run this year at Santa Anita at five furlongs – as opposed to 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course – both Girls Know Best and Morticia are under consideration for that Nov. 2 race, but only in case of a huge effort Friday.

“She’d really have to tell me we ought to send her,” said Rusty Arnold, who trains Morticia. “Otherwise, yes, this is her last race.”

Morticia (post 3, Tyler Gaffalione) has been a mainstay in turf-sprint stakes for nearly three full seasons now. The 5-year-old mare showed no signs of slowing down in winning her last start, the Sept. 7 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint, earning a career-high 97 Beyer Speed Figure.

The late-running Oleksandra (post 2, Joel Rosario) has won 3 of her last 5. Trained by Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale, Oleksandra won the Smart N Fancy at Saratoga in August.

A Little Bit Me (post 8, John Velazquez) won the Unbridled Sidney during Kentucky Derby week at Churchill Downs, while Painting Corners (post 12, Javier Castellano) won the Daisycutter in July at Del Mar.

The Franklin County, named for the county situated just northwest of Keeneland, is carded as the ninth race. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern, with the feature set for 5:30 as part of a late pick four (races 7-10) with a $200,000 pool guarantee. Mostly sunny skies and a high of 81 are in the forecast.