Unforgotten appears formidable

Unforgotten looks like the most probable winner on Friday night's card of six stakes worth $1.5 million at Delta Downs. She will start in the $100,000 Treasure Chest, which is one of four undercard stakes that support the Grade 3, $750,000 Delta Jackpot and the Grade 3, $500,000 Delta Princess.

Unforgotten comes into the Treasure Chest, a one-mile race for fillies and mares, off a runner-up finish to Leah's Secret in the Grade 2 Chilukki at Churchill Downs on Nov. 2. She was beaten just a half-length at 21-1, and following that race Leah's Secret won the Grade 2 Top Flight at Aqueduct.

In Unforgotten's two starts prior to the Chilukki, she placed in a pair of Grade 3 races, the Gardenia at Ellis and the Kentucky Cup Distaff at Turfway.

"She's really coming along nice," said Dallas Stewart, who trains the 4-year-old Unforgotten. "She's a half-sister to Hot Storm, who made almost a million dollars, and is getting better as she's getting older. She ran a tremendous race last time, and you know, she's won over the track there."

Unforgotten captured the $100,000 Gulf Coast Classic at Delta in March. She used stalking tactics in that race, and could again get a nice setup in the Treasure Chest behind a host of front-runners, including multiple Grade 2 winner Rolling Sea.

Honest Pursuit leads Orleans

Kent Desormeaux has the mount on Unforgotten, and he also will ride the Stewart-trained Honest Pursuit in the $50,000 Orleans, a seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies. Honest Pursuit was third to Grade 3 winner Baroness Thatcher in a Keeneland allowance in her last start Oct. 11. The race was her first in five months, and she can move forward Friday when she makes her stakes debut.

"Hopefully, we'll get black type on her quickly," said Stewart. "We've always had high hopes for her."

Honest Pursuit is by Storm Cat and out of the Grade 1-winning mare Honest Lady, making her a half-sister to this year's Grade 1 Forego winner, First Defence.

Her chief rivals include the stakes-placed fillies Adhsilver and Dubit.

Forty Grams favored in Delta Mile

Stewart will also attack the other two undercard stakes, with Smokeyjonessutton set to run in the $100,000 Delta Mile and Georgetown in the $50,000 Sam's Town.

Smokeyjonessutton could start as third choice behind Forty Grams and Miss the Prom, who each earned triple-digit Beyer Figures in their last starts. Forty Grams won an $80,000 optional claimer going a mile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 12, with a career-best 101 Beyer. Missed the Prom was third in the $200,000 Evangeline Mile, which went in track-record time. For his effort, he earned a Beyer of 100.

The two horses are front-runners, and Smokeyjonessutton could get a decent pace to chase in the Delta Mile one start after dueling and finishing third in an allowance at Churchill. He will be looking for his first stakes win Friday.

"He's been a little bit of a hard luck horse," said Stewart. "His race before, he had got cut off at the three-eighths pole and stumbled. In his last race, he was stuck inside and he prefers to be outside. We're thankful he's made over $300,000, and we hope for a breakthrough race for him."

Desormeaux has the mount, and will also be aboard Georgetown in the Sam's Town, a seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds who have not won a stakes. The horse to beat is Coach Ryan, who in his last start was second to Forty Grams in the optional claimer at Churchill.