'Seven' in heaven locally

At first glance, it would not seem a big deal that jockey Jason Lumpkins and trainer Bernie Flint are on the threshold of setting records at Turfway Park.

But, after taking into account that Turfway, in Florence, Ky., lost most or all of 15 programs to weather-related cancellations this winter, their impending feats are especially impressive.

Flint sent out Lethal Secret to win the second race Wednesday night, giving him 40 wins at a meet that began Jan. 1. That ties Turfway's single-meet record set by John Parisella in 1996. Meanwhile, Lumpkins rode two winners Wednesday, giving him 103 for the meet, just six behind the track record set two years ago by Kris Prather.

"We have had a big meet," said Flint, the all-time leading Turfway trainer who has wrapped up his 17th title at the track. "Even with all the problems up here, we were still able to get some things done."

The Turfway meet runs through Thursday, after which action on the Kentucky circuit shifts to Keeneland for a 15-day spring meet. If neither Flint nor Lumpkins had broken any records by the feature race Saturday, they figure to have a good chance then. They will team up with heavily favored Seven Four Seven in the final stakes race of the meet, the $50,000 Fairway Fun.

Seven Four Seven, a 5-year-old mare owned by Sam Pollock, has already won the Likely Exchange and Wintergreen at the meet. Flint said he considered the $100,000 Lady Hallie at Hawthorne Saturday for Seven Four Seven, but the mare is such a proven entity at Turfway, where she is based, that he was not tempted by the larger purse.

"You don't have to ship, and she obviously favors this track," Flint said.

Seven Four Seven is a Kentucky-bred eligible for the entire purse - the Fairway Fun, like most Turfway stakes, actually is worth $40,000, with another $10,000 in Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund bonuses - and she will have opportunities in the near future to compete for larger sums.

"There are some spots over at Keeneland that we'll take a close look at," Flint said.

Perhaps the top challenger to Seven Four Seven in the 1 1/16-mile Fairway Fun is Reason to Talk. First post for the 12-race Saturday card is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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