Kid Bourbon on the improve for Friday feature

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Friday’s $51,000 optional-claiming feature drew a field of 11 going a mile on the main track, led by the steadily improving Kid Bourbon and New York-bred Blewitt, who is one of two Todd Pletcher trainees in the race along with Mac Jagger.

Kid Bourbon is coming off a 3 1/2-length maiden special weight victory at a mile on Dec. 5 at Aqueduct. The 4-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid launched his career finishing third in a six-furlong dash here 11 months earlier and has moved forward from a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint in each successive start, culminating with the 89 he earned on graduation day.

Blewitt owns a decided edge in experience over Kid Bourbon, having won 3 of 7 starts while worse than second just once. But he has been idle since finishing second behind Expert going a mile under entry-level allowance conditions April 6 at Aqueduct. Blewitt, who earned a career-best 90 Beyer last out, has not missed a beat in the morning prepping for his return at Palm Beach Downs, with a pair of bullet five-furlong works at the training center last month.

Mac Jagger is another returning from a long vacation, having been away since finishing off the board against first-level allowance foes here in December 2018. He will be making his first start for Pletcher on Friday as well as his first since being gelded last winter.