Salcombe looks sharp for feature

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Dad knows best the kind of racing he prefers, and if he's like most dads, he will be appreciative of what Churchill Downs has in store for him Sunday. That's when no fewer than five rich allowance races have been carded as a purposeful way to give thousands of horseplayers the kind of Father's Day gift no one else can give.

Only three claiming races are on the 10-race Sunday card at Churchill, where races 2, 5, 7, 8, and 9 carry allowance conditions that figure to give the day a potent flavor of classy racing. The token feature, the ninth, carries a $52,900 purse for second-level allowance runners on the grass, and it's one of a handful of races on the card with considerable depth and wagering allure to it.

, who ventured all the way from Southern California last month to easily win an entry-level turf allowance, is back at Churchill after having returned home in the interim for Wally Dollase. Off that sharp last win, and with Pat Day riding again, Salcombe should be a solid favorite in a full field of 3-year-olds and upward in the 1 1/8-mile feature.

In the other allowance races Sunday:

* Teenage Temper, who gave David Fortner his first career win as a trainer, is one of three logical contenders in a $49,100, first-level allowance (race 2). Bella Bianca, who scratched from a similar spot Thursday, and Fly Away Angel also figure well in the 1 1/16-mile race.

* Day rides for leading trainer Dale Romans on Justice For Auston in race 5, a $55,500 turf sprint that should be hotly contested from flagfall to finish. Justice for Auston, entered off a sharp triumph in his seasonal debut last month, drew a favorable outside post and should be prominent from the outset in a field that also includes contenders Are You Down, Testify, and Founding Chairman.

* Outlaw Kid, Zuni Gold, and Colonial Reign are all entered off sharp last races and figure strongly in race 7, one of the more interesting wagering events of the day, a $49,100, first-level turf route.

* The three inside fillies - Shari's Gold Sole, Reef, and Dazzle Me - should take the bulk of the wagering action in this $51,700, second-level sprint (race 8) for fillies and mares.

Two maiden special-weight races also are on tap for Sunday, when first post is 1:15 p.m.

After Sunday, Churchill goes dark for two days before action resumes Wednesday.