HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – There have been a lot of developments since Hymn made his last start, and all of them point him out as a chief contender in the featured ninth race on Friday at Oaklawn Park. Hymn is part of a field of 11 in the first-level allowance for 4-year-olds and up at six furlongs. The competitive group includes the Grade 3-placed runners Innovator and Risk It, and notable Beyer Speed Figure earners Master Mule and Tap Me a Song. But a good deal of attention will center on Hymn, who in his last start March 1 finished a close fourth in a nonwinners-of-two-lifetime allowance sprint that has become a key race. It went in a blazing 1:08.76 and the winner, Zero Sugar, has since returned to win a second-level allowance at Oaklawn with a Beyer Speed Figure of 96. Faust, who ran third March 1, came back to take a conditioned allowance at Oaklawn in his next start, with a Beyer of 93. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Hymn, meanwhile, has been gelded since the race, according to trainer Ron Moquett. “He has ability,” Moquett said. “He’s been terribly inconsistent with staying in the bit, and it’s not from fatigue. It’s from lack of focus. “When you have the physical attributes he has and the ability, you’d like to think he’d mature into a horse that would jump up and become a graded stakes kind of horse. But he hasn’t done it in a timely manner that was going to make that a priority, so we decided we’d geld him.” Moquett hopes the change helps Hymn, a 4-year-old who races for Fleur de Lis Stables, William Sparks, and Bret Jones. “We’re trying to help him reach his potential,” Moquett said. “We know he’s a good-looking horse with a lot of ability and he has the athleticism, so hopefully we can start getting the consistency so he can move forward. “Having said that, this is not an easy race. We ran last time against some really tough horses, a lot of them came back and ran really well, fast times and good races. This race is the same kind of deal. You look up, and even the horses that have been running for a tag are running big, fast numbers.” Rafael Bejarano has the mount on Hymn from post 5. “I’m just going to tell [Bejarano], ‘Get in a comfortable position,’ ” Moquett said. “He’s fast enough to go to the front if he wants to. He’s shown versatility to where he can do whatever the recipe calls for – if we can get him to just stay focused.” Tap Me a Song earned a Beyer of 94 for a $50,000 starter-allowance win last out at Oaklawn. The number ranks as this field’s co-highest last-race Beyer. Tap Me a Song shares the 94 with Master Mule, who won his last start. Eli’s Promise was second in a $50,000 claiming race last out and is one of two five-time winners in the race alongside Run Jalen Run. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.