Half Heaven might just keep going

Half Heaven might be making her final career start Saturday at Turfway Park in the Likely Exchange Stakes, or she might not. The 5-year-old mare was purchased at auction last November with the idea of perhaps having her bred in the spring. "But if she runs big again Saturday, she might stay in training," said her trainer, Dale Romans.

If she runs like she has in her last two starts, racing fans indeed could be seeing more this year of Half Heaven, who was a game winner of her most recent start, the Dec. 9 My Charmer Stakes, which was her first since the New York-bred mare was bought by Stronach Stable and turned over to Romans.

The Likely Exchange is the first of two $50,000, one-mile stakes to be run Saturday on a 12-race program at Turfway in Florence, Ky. The second is a makeup of the WEBN Stakes, which was postponed last weekend when Turfway canceled because of cold weather.

Half Heaven, with Miguel Mena to ride, will break from post 3 in the Likely Exchange, which drew 14 fillies and mares but will be limited to 12 starters. Before the My Charmer, Half Heaven also captured the River Memories at Woodbine in late October, getting up in the final yards.

Other logical contenders in the Likely Exchange include Ella Belle, Pine Shelter, Miss Wellspring, and Miss Mambo.

The WEBN drew the same core lineup of 3-year-olds as last Saturday, although this time it drew 13 entries, a few more than last week, bumping Cobrador onto a one-horse also-eligibles list.

Joe Got Even, a Stephen Got Even colt who has run three straight mid-80 Beyer Speed Figures for Keeneland-based trainer Phil Sims, is the likely favorite in the WEBN, which directly follows the Likely Exchange as the 11th race. Mena, who through Wednesday held a 33-32 lead over apprentice Alonso Quinonez atop Turfway's winter-spring standings, has the mount on Joe Got Even.

Other prime contenders include Loose Leaf, who goes turf-to-Polytrack for trainer Ken McPeek after spending the last two months in South Florida, and Carnacks Choice, who narrowly defeated Joe Got Even in their last meeting, the 6 1/2-furlong Turfway Prevue on Jan. 6.

With the postponement, the WEBN now comes three weeks before the next race in Turfway's series of 3-year-old preps, the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial on March 3.