Hitechnoweenie will try to pair wins in stretchout

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Just in case you were wondering, the filly Hitechnoweenie was named partly for her dam and partly for the administrative assistant to her owner, Peter Callahan.

“I’ve always thought she had kind of a funky name,” said trainer Ken McPeek, “but what really matters is she can run.”

Hitechnoweenie, a last-out winner of a third-level optional claimer at Churchill Downs, has been entered for an optional-claiming tag of $62,500 when she essentially drops in class in the eighth and featured race Friday at Churchill. She has Chris Landeros named to ride again and is well drawn in post 1 for the 1 1/16-mile race.

Hitechnoweenie is a 4-year-old filly sired by the late Harlan’s Holiday. Callahan, a semi-retired publisher who formerly had an ownership interest in Daily Racing Form , bought her as a yearling for $37,000. Her dam, Hi Tech Honeycomb, won six races, including a non-graded stakes, and nearly $280,000. She was trained by McPeek throughout her career.

“The owner says his secretary is a technical wizard, like, ‘High-techno,’ that she can make dinner at home while she’s still at work,” said McPeek.

Hitechnoweenie is one of eight fillies and mares in what would be the highlight of a 10-race card. Churchill canceled Wednesday because of a frozen track and unseasonable cold, and there were few signs as the week unfolded that conditions would be much better by Friday. The projected high for Friday was just 38, preceded again by freezing overnight temperatures.

First post Friday is 12:40 p.m. Eastern, with the eighth set for 4:07.

KEY CONTENDERS

Hitechnoweenie (Last 3 Beyers: 81-71-81)

◗ Hitechnoweenie stretches out from a 1 3/4-length victory going seven furlongs.

“She ran awfully well last time,” said McPeek. “We tried to get her in another allowance spot, but none of them filled, so we settled on this. She’s really on her game right now and needs to run.”

Lunar Surge (Last 3 Beyers: 83-79-62)

◗ This late-running gray filly has been a model of consistency, having finished third or better in all but one of her 13 starts, when she was fourth.

◗ It is somewhat unusual for trainer George Weaver to run one here, as opposed to his home New York circuit, but the bottom line is she fits well.

Distorted Music (Last 3 Beyers: 79-81-77)

◗ This nicely bred chestnut has been carefully managed by Chris Block from the outset, with her races generously spaced – surely for some physical reason.

◗ She’s been very effective once she’s made the starting gate, although this stretchout to two turns with such a light 2014 foundation shapes up as a demanding task.

Call to Action (Last 3 Beyers: 71-65-71)

◗ She has moved from one high-profile barn to another and now resurfaces after two-plus months for Ken and Sarah Ramsey and Mike Maker, who claimed her for $40,000.

◗ Maker shows a 23 percent strike rate with first-time claims in 2013-14.

◗ The filly has never been higher than 5-2 odds in seven career starts while favored in five of those.