Questions surround all seven in allowance

CHICAGO - On pedigree alone, there is no reason He's a Hunk can't win the featured fourth race on Thursday at Arlington. The race is at 1 1/16 miles, and although He's a Hunk hasn't raced around two turns, he's by Breeders' Cup Classic winner Awesome Again and out of a mare by the influential stallion Flying Paster. Everything says route - except his history.

But handicappers looking for a clear picture might be looking here in vain. The featured fourth, for second-level allowance horses, has no clear-cut favorite, no obvious winner. Just seven horses in varying shades of gray.

Two are from the barn of trainer Brian Williamson, who is in the midst of a good meet and a good year. Williamson was instrumental in the development this season of Straight Line, who last weekend won the Ack Ack Handicap at Churchill Downs.

No Straight Line here, but there are two other Williamson-trained horses, Dress for Success and Yesterday Evening, who race as a coupled entry. Dress for Success hasn't been seen since he stumbled badly and dumped jockey Chris Emigh on June 5 at Arlington. Wednesday, Dress for Success gets jockey Seth Martinez, while Emigh - aboard many of Williamson's winners this meet - ends up on Yesterday Evening. But Yesterday Evening also has missed a couple of turns, his last start having come Sept. 10, and he was absent from the work tab from Sept. 28 through Oct. 15. Both horses also step up from statebred to open company.

And three more horses also have been resting. Kahok crushed Fairmount Park allowance horses in his last start, on Aug. 30, but nevertheless appears the least likely winner. Troupe has been off since April 27 and might be in need of a start to shake off rust, while Restless Mon hasn't been out since Aug. 25. Restless Mon has done his best work at Hawthorne, and after a series of outside posts is well drawn on the inside. But his work tab also is light, and the horse might not be ready to win Thursday.

That leaves Rubialedo and He's a Hunk, and questions of distance and ability. Rubialedo won an entry-level allowance Oct. 1, but climbs the class ladder to take on more advanced opponents. Is that more or less appealing than He's a Hunk's lack of experience racing around two turns? He's a Hunk has been competitive in second-level allowance sprints, and a sharp break Thursday could carry him to the lead - and an overdue victory.