Louie the First looks to rebound while dropping in class in Friday’s $15,000 claiming feature over six furlongs at Emerald Downs. The Blaine Wright trainee was the narrow winner of a maiden race June 29 in a deceptively good effort. He broke slowly and was soon crowded and steadied. Rather than collect himself and make the most of the battle brewing up front, Louie the First immediately joined in and eventually bested them. It was seven weeks between that winning return and his next appearance Aug. 17 in an allowance event. Louie the First was beaten to the lead by eventual winner Gunnin for Gold and then backed up to finish last of six. “All we can do is toss out his last race and hope that this class level suits him better,” Wright said. Friday’s class reduction should agree with Louie the First, who earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 52 in his recent defeat. The highest last-out Beyer among Friday’s field is that of Lucky Code, who earned a 61 figure when fourth, beaten 5 1/4 lengths, in $25,000 claiming company Aug. 25. Considering that Louie the First earned a Beyer of 58 in just his second career start and first since Sept. 3, 2023, he can be expected to improve considerably with the additional experience. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. A Scott Freeman trainee, Lucky Code has struggled since joining the ranks of winners, reaching the trifecta only in a July 26 race at this distance and class level at Emerald. In his favor are three Beyers of 61, 63, and 64, earned in as many sprints this year. Just one other entrant in Friday’s race has ever attained a 60 Beyer. Rhodesia, trained by Jill Sorrano, is the only other runner in the field to have earned a Beyer of 60 or above. Most recently he finished third, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, in a $25,000 claiming race going one mile Aug. 11 earning a 56 Beyer. In addition to Louie the First, other sophomores entered and bringing the potential for sudden improvement include K R Rules, Conrad Meadows, and Pharoahs List. K R Rules and Pharoahs List each hail from the barn of Frank Lucarelli, with K R Rules exiting two poor efforts since a June maiden win. Pharoahs List won a maiden race by 5 3/4 lengths on Aug. 9 before finishing last versus $25,000 claiming company Aug. 25. Conrad Meadows is trained by Jose Navarro and most recently finished sixth, beaten 3 1/4 lengths, in a race over 870 yards on Aug. 18 at Emerald Downs. Del Mar shipper Vilified landed in the local barn of Justin Evans and worked in sharp fashion over the Emerald strip last month. Completing the field is Night to Remember, a gelding who didn’t win for the first time until Aug.20, 2023, when he was a 5-year-old. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.