Stephen Foster runs through Effinex

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The buzz of Kentucky Derby weekend can never be replicated, but Churchill Downs has done a commendable job of refining its Saturday night Downs After Dark programs so as to recapture at least a fraction of the magic. Six weeks after Nyquist won the 142nd Derby, that party vibe will return Saturday night when five graded stakes worth a total of $1.1 million are run.

Effinex, the winner of the Grade 1 Clark Handicap under the lights here last fall, is back from his native New York as a clear-cut favorite in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap, the highlight of an 11-race card. Six older horses will oppose Effinex in the $500,000 Foster, which goes as the eighth race. First post is 6 p.m. Eastern, with the Foster set for 9:39. TVG2 will have live coverage.

Jimmy Jerkens is the trainer of Effinex, a 5-year-old horse whose rise in the handicap ranks took a steep upturn for owner Tri-Bone Stables when he finished second to American Pharoah in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last fall at Keeneland. Not long after Effinex won the Oaklawn Handicap on April 16 to increase his career bankroll to $2.68 million, Jerkens circled the 1 1/8-mile Foster on his calendar, attracted by the timing, distance, and that it’s a Win and You’re In event toward the BC Classic on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita.

“It fits our schedule with him just right,” said Jerkens.

Effinex, with Gary Stevens substituting for regular rider Mike Smith, will carry 122 pounds in spotting his rivals four to seven pounds. Several of those opponents spent the winter at Fair Grounds becoming quite familiar with one another: Majestic Harbor, Eagle, and International Star all met in three straight stakes at the New Orleans track, with Majestic Harbor and Eagle further reprising their rivalry on the Kentucky Oaks undercard by running one-two in the Grade 2 Alysheba.

Majestic Harbor got a perfect trip under Corey Lanerie as the 13-1 winner of the Alysheba, while the stretch-running Eagle was up in the final strides to get second, 2 1/2 lengths behind. Eagle, a 4-year-old Will Farish homebred, had a prerace blowout here Monday, breezing a half-mile in 49.60 seconds.

“He’s pretty much been on a steady schedule,” said trainer Neil Howard.

The other starters in the Foster are Bradester, a speedy 6-year-old who has flashed occasional brilliance in earning more than $750,000 for trainer Eddie Kenneally; Are You Kidding Me, making his 27th career start for Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield but only his second on dirt; and El Kabeir, the winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes here in 2014 and a program scratch from the Met Mile at Belmont Park last Saturday.

The Stephen Foster, named for the songwriting legend who penned “My Old Kentucky Home” before his 1864 death, is carded as the fourth of five consecutive stakes and is a key link in numerous multirace wagers, most notably the 20-cent Single Six (races 6-11). The other stakes are the Grade 3 Matt Winn (race 5), Grade 2 Fleur de Lis (race 6), Grade 2 Wise Dan (race 7), and Grade 3 Regret (race 9).

Between-race activities on a busy night will include the presentation of the engraved Derby trophies to Nyquist’s connections and an appearance by Wise Dan, the two-time Horse of the Year (2012-13) who will be paraded in the paddock prior to the race renamed in his honor.

The forecast for Saturday night calls for no chance of rain and temperatures cooling steadily from a daytime high of 90.

This is the 35th running of the Foster, which was part of Horse of the Year campaigns for Black Tie Affair (1991), Saint Liam (2005), and Curlin (2008).

KEY CONTENDERS

Effinex, by Mineshaft

Last 3 Beyers: 106-100-104

◗ Jerkens has been very satisfied with the forward training moves of Effinex since the Oaklawn Handicap, with the last of five breezes over the Belmont training track coming late last week.

Majestic Harbor, by Rockport Harbor

Last 3 Beyers: 102-93-99

◗ This Paul McGee-trained 8-year-old ran a huge one for Gallant Stables in the Alysheba, padding his credentials as a millionaire and Grade 1 winner (2014 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita).

Eagle, by Candy Ride

Last 3 Beyers: 99-101-96

◗ His two-back triumph in the Grade 3 Ben Ali at Keeneland was visually and tactically impressive and explains why he was well backed in the Alysheba, in which he once again finished with great energy.

Bradester, by Lion Heart

Last 3 Beyers: 100-91-94

◗ His inside draw (post 2) and the lack of much opposing speed would seem to make him and jockey Joe Bravo a legitimate danger to try to steal off on the front end.