Lucky 7 carryover highlights Thursday card

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The post-Kentucky Derby portion of the Churchill Downs spring meet starts Thursday following a five-day break with at least a couple of new twists – aside from the stands being far more desolate than they were last weekend, of course.

One is a first post of 5 p.m. Eastern on Thursdays, which will be in effect through the end of the meet, June 27. Thursdays with late posts essentially replace Fridays, which had started at 2:45 during the last few spring meets. With the exception of two night cards in June, post time for all other days for the duration of this meet will be 12:45.

The other is a parting gift from Derby bettors in the form of the new Lucky 7 gimmick, a seven-race wager with a 10-cent increment. The carryover to Thursday is $55,290 after no solo winners were sold Saturday – a familiar catch for players who have chased similar one-winner-takes-all jackpots at Gulfstream Park and other tracks.

The Lucky 7 sequence for Thursday runs from races 2-8, with race 7 serving as the nominal feature as the lone allowance of the card. It’s a $52,000 first-level main-track route which drew a well-matched field of nine older horses. Saa Mi, Eton Blue, and Wry figure to vie for favoritism.

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Post time for the feature is 8:09, with the eighth and last race set for 8:39.

KEY CONTENDERS

Saa Mi (Last 3 Beyers: 89-78-81)

◗ Chestnut colt had blinkers back on when making his second start of the year last month at Keeneland, a solid performance that resulted in a field-high 89 Beyer as the runner-up behind a superior Phipps Stable homebred.

◗ Trained by Brendan Walsh, he comes favorably drawn in the rail post with Shaun Bridgmohan taking the call.

Eton Blue (Last 3 Beyers: 83-77-80)

◗ First start for a tag proved key last out for this Whitney homebred gelding, who led every step of the way on the Coolmore Lexington undercard at Keeneland after going just 1 for 14 in his prior outings. His confidence duly boosted, he’s back in the allowance ranks and appears to fit well with this kind.

Wry (Last 3 Beyers: 84-78-73)

◗ From the family of On Fire Baby, he outran his odds in a big way on closing day at Oaklawn Park when checking in second at 21-1 at this same allowance level.

Peej (Last 3 Beyers: 83-82-76)

◗ Illinois-bred gelding has done most of his racing on turf or synthetic, although his only score came here last November in a maiden race.