Happy-hour card kicks off weekend racing

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The extent of one’s happiness during happy hour might be directly related to how one is doing at the windows. And when the lone allowance on a 10-race happy-hour card is run Friday at Churchill Downs, it will be late in the day, with opportunities to win some happiness fading in the dusk.

First post Friday is 2:45 p.m. Eastern, meaning the ninth-race feature will be run at 6:58, just when some nine-to-fivers are just getting their weekend rolling at Churchill. The good news is that the feature is a solid wagering event, with no clear-cut favorite and a handful of viable contenders in the mix.

A first-level restriction and a $39,000 purse are conditions under which an oversubscribed field will race 1 1/16 miles on turf. Franklin, a Padua Stables homebred, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for Rosie Napravnik and Mike Maker, but quite a few among the opposition appear similarly capable.

This is the first of two happy-hour cards at the 12-day September meet; the second is set for Sept. 26. Next Friday, Sept. 19, will be the last Downs After Dark (6 p.m. post) program until the fall meet in November.

KEY CONTENDERS

Stroll to Victory (Last 3 Beyers: 79-68-70)

◗ A four-plus-month layoff for this promising 3-year-old colt is an obvious question mark, but a favorable inside draw and a strong series of workouts make a winning return quite possible. “He had a minor setback, but we think he’s right and ready to go,” said trainer Ken McPeek.

◗ McPeek is gearing up for a big fall with stakes horses such as Golden Ticket, War Dancer, Pangburn, and Tapit’s World.

Mr. Chow (Last 3 Beyers: 84-55-83)

◗ Hidden away at Highpointe near LaGrange, Ky., this turf-bred (by English Channel) colt hasn’t been seen since eking through his maiden condition on closing weekend of the spring meet. Trainer Thomas Humphries shows nice returns on investment from limited opportunities with layoff ($4.84) and allowance ($3.50) horses.

Vigorish (Last 3 Beyers: 78-82-77)

◗ Another colt by English Channel, he shows steady upgrades in the Beyer Speed Figure department after having taken 11 tries to win a maiden race. He isn’t much for winning, but he does have top jockey Corey Lanerie named and tends to pay his way with minor placings.

Franklin (Last 3 Beyers: 79-77-72)

◗ This nicely bred son of Smart Strike notched his lone career triumph over the local turf on opening night of the spring meet and was competitive in two subsequent attempts over grass, albeit against slightly lesser company at Ellis Park.

Victory Colors (Last 3 Beyers: 69-71-62)

◗ This gray gelding’s 1-for-16 career mark hardly encourages, but he is a price possibility (12-1 on the morning line) considering how he’s been there or thereabouts since being claimed by the underrated Michelle Lovell.