Undercard stakes part of challenging pick four

The tone will be set for the balance of the Runhappy meet at Kentucky Downs when four stakes culminate a frenetic Saturday opener at the turf-only track in south-central Kentucky. Three supporting races will surround the featured Tourist Mile in an all-stakes pick four (races 7-10) that’s sure to get fans excited about their chances to hit a lick.

Those secondary features are the $250,000 One Dreamer, for fillies and mares who have not won a stakes this year, and a pair of $500,000 races for 2-year-olds, the Juvenile Fillies and Gainesway Farm Juvenile.

There is no pool guarantee for the pick four, which is scheduled to start at 3:38 p.m. Central with the One Dreamer, but it’s worth noting that handle on the same sequence last year was $230,850. Here’s a quick rundown of the supporting features:

One Dreamer (race 7)

Limari has been defeated as an odds-on favorite in her last two starts, but it’s not as if the 4-year-old filly has forgotten how to win. She was badly compromised by poor starts in turf stakes at Churchill Downs and Indiana Grand after flashing terrific early speed in winning each of her four prior races.

“We’ve worked hard with her since the Indiana race,” said Brad Cox, who trains Limari for the Don Alberto Corp. “I’m confident she’ll be back to her old self Saturday. Hopefully she’ll break alertly and then settle down on or near the lead without any trouble.”

Limari, with Florent Geroux riding from post 9, is the 5-2 program favorite for the One Dreamer, a mile and 70-yard race that drew a field of 10.

Among the chief threats to Limari are a trio exiting the Aug. 4 Ladies Turf Preview at Ellis Park: Classy Act (second), Smart Emma (third), and Stave (fifth as the favorite).

The male counterpart to the One Dreamer is the $250,000 Old Friends, which will serve as the feature on Thursday, the second day of the meet. The One Dreamer is named for the 1994 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner.

Juvenile Fillies (race 9)

Some handicappers see races for 2-year-olds as little more than guessing games, given their lack of established form, and that might well be the case with both the Juvenile Fillies and its counterpart for 2-year-olds of either sex, the Juvenile. Byron King, the new oddsmaker for Kentucky Downs, has listed 7-2 favorites for both seven-furlong races.

Fly So Pretty fills the favorite’s role in the Juvenile Fillies, although several others also could draw similarly strong tote play. A last-out Saratoga maiden winner despite a brutal trip, the daughter of Sky Mesa represents owner-breeder Tracy Farmer and trainer Mark Casse, who teamed to win the Belmont Stakes in June with Sir Winston.

“The difference between good horses and really good horses is the really good ones can overcome it when things don’t go perfect,” said Casse. “She still has a lot to prove to show how good she is. But she’s shown already that she can overcome adversity, and I think that will be a big factor.”

In all, 15 are entered in the Juvenile Fillies, although only as many as 12 can start. Fly So Pretty, with Tyler Gaffalione to ride, drew post 12.

Five starters in the main body are last-out maiden winners at Ellis, including Jezebel’s Kitten for Cox and Lemon Scat for Dale Romans.

Juvenile (race 10)

Our Country is pegged as the 7-2 program choice but surely will be scratched after finishing fourth Wednesday in the With Anticipation at Saratoga, leaving Are You Kitten Me (4-1) as next in line.

Trained by Mike Maker, Are You Kitten Me was good enough to win a two-turn maiden race over the Saratoga turf in his only start. Gaffalione has the mount from post 5.

Other major players in a wide-open group include Memorable, already a veteran of the stakes ranks for Steve Asmussen; The Gray Blur, a maiden winner on the Arlington Million undercard for Chris Davis; Doc Boy, a romping last-out maiden winner at Laurel Park for Mike Stidham; Peace Achieved, an easy Ellis maiden winner after Casse fitted him with blinkers; and Night Time and Beyond Gone, both making their grass debuts after showing promise on the dirt.

As with the Juvenile Fillies, 15 are entered but only 12 can run. With Our Country coming out, an Asmussen maiden, Silver Prospector, would seem to rate the best upset chance of the three also-eligibles.