The Grade 3, $250,000 Red Smith Handicap on Saturday is the last graded turf stakes of the New York season, and in view of some recent rainy weather, it probably will be contested over a non-firm course with considerable give in the ground. The 1 3/8-mile race brings together a field of nine for the turf, along with one dirt-only entrant. Shug McGaughey, who captured three consecutive editions of the Red Smith with Imagining (2013) and Boisterous (2011 and 2012), sends out the 5-2 morning-line favorite, Mr Speaker. A Phipps homebred like Imagining and Boisterous, Mr Speaker has multiple stakes wins, including the inaugural Belmont Derby Invitational last year and the Sept. 19 Commonwealth Cup at Laurel Park. The 4-year-old colt by Pulpit comes off a fast-closing third in the Knickerbocker at Belmont, for which he earned a lifetime-best Beyer Speed Figure of 98. :: Bet the Red Smith Handicap with DRF Bets and get FREE access to this article and all of DRF Plus, including Aqueduct selections, video, and real-time analysis. Mr Speaker will tote the top weight of 122 pounds. “He trained very well and ran well at Laurel, and the same kind of goes for [the Knickerbocker],” said McGaughey. Kaigun ships in from Canada for trainer Mark Casse. Although still looking for his first win of the year, he appears to be in top form after fourth-place finishes in the Woodbine Mile and Canadian International, both of which earned him 101 Beyers. Last year, Kaigun also ran a 101 in finishing second in the 1 1/4-mile Manhattan – his only prior New York appearance – and won Grade 2 stakes at seven furlongs and 1 1/16 miles. “He can do anything,” said Casse. Holiday Star, who recently won Keeneland’s Sycamore Stakes for the second straight year, has a history of running well on rain-soaked turf, including a lifetime-best 95 Beyer in taking the 2014 Sycamore on soft ground. Two starts back, Holiday Star finished second in the John’s Call Stakes on a Saratoga course that jockey Edgar Prado said was too firm for him, according to trainer Graham Motion. “This horse is really consistent,” said Motion. Trainer Chad Brown has dominated this circuit’s graded grass stakes this fall and sends out Mr Maybe, who is fresh off a big win over optional-claiming company in his first start for Brown. Other contenders include Charming Kitten, a close second as the favorite in the Sycamore last out, and St. Albans Boy, who won the Laurel Turf Cup two weeks ago. A longshot possibility is Iron Power, whose only prior start over the Big A course was a front-running win with a career-best 102 Beyer last November. Great Dancer and War Dancer also were entered for turf. Catron was entered for dirt only. The Red Smith is the seventh of nine races and the second leg of a late pick four with a $200,000-guaranteed pool. Post time for the Red Smith is 3:20 p.m. Eastern.