There can be no encore this weekend. Not this weekend, not next weekend, not until the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Flightline brought down the house in the Pacific Classic while raising the bar for excellence on the track to a level we haven’t seen in . . . who knows know long. Decades? The only number this Saturday close to the Beyer Speed Figure that Flightline earned, 126, is the number of entries at Kentucky Downs, home of the huge, inscrutable field. It’s supposed to rain, and things could get messy, but the Euro-style course in the middle of nowhere takes center stage for this Weekend GamePlan. Turf Cup Surprised to see Gufo pop back up in the entries so quickly, and it’s a positive sign that ace horseman Christophe Clement sees fit to run his charge back so soon after the Sword Dancer. Surprised, too, to see Gufo listed as the 7-5 favorite in the Turf Cup. Sure, on paper and recent form he is a better horse than Arklow, but Arklow four times now has run well over this exceedingly quirky course, one that might not suit Gufo, who has plenty of his own quirks. Arklow at age 8 looked about the same as ever returning from an extended vacation July 31 at Saratoga and finishing a solid second behind the capable Rockemperor, and you’d better believe Arklow’s season has been geared around this $1 million contest. I’d take him over Gufo, but in the end settled on a different, longer-priced 8-year-old – Red Knight. Rain could easily soften the Kentucky Downs course for this card, which would make the Turf Cup a real rematch of 2020, when Arklow beat Red Knight by a couple lengths on soft ground. Since that race, Arklow has achieved much more than Red Knight, but Red Knight’s long-layoff comeback run last out at Colonial was an eye-opener. :: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now! Making his first start for trainer Mike Maker, Red Knight was brought back from an 11-month absence in the 1 1/2-mile Colonial Cup, and while his 91 Beyer from that performance won’t be competitive here, a number that accounts for ground loss would look far better. Red Knight was stuck out four paths from the rail with no cover the entire third turn, yet after sucking all that air in a race he should have needed, he comfortably outfinished Another Mystery, a competent 1 1/2-mile horse in his own right and part of this field. Equally encouraging is Red Knight’s workout pattern since his comeback: He was back breezing two weeks after the Colonial start and has logged four interim works, including a fast five furlongs on dirt. Maker has four entrants here. Temple will be the lowest price among them, but I don’t think he truly stays this trip, while Keystone Field should play the role of rabbit. Maker for years has shown a knack for winning rich races with old, long-distance turf horses. Red Knight can be the latest such case. Ladies Sprint Campanelle will be favored in the Ladies Sprint, but I doubt her win odds will be as low as they should, and she is a rock-solid anchor single in late multi-race wagers at Kentucky Downs. Campanelle, to little fanfare, has put together the strongest overseas record of any American horse ever. She won a Group 1 in France at age 2, won a Group 1 via disqualification at age 3, and nearly won the Group 1 Platinum Jubilee in June despite a tough trip. Everything went wrong before the Prix Maurice de Gheest in July 2021. Campanelle just didn’t stay two turns in the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, and her defeat last fall at Keeneland came down to trip. Campanelle always fires, she’ll love this longer sprint distance, and rain only helps her already excellent chances Saturday. :: Visit the Del Mar Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies and more. Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf There’s a good chance of rain Friday night into Saturday at Del Mar, and I think that helps Havana Angel in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. The French import has a blowout maiden win over soft ground and was a creditable third last out over a good-soft course after setting the pace in a straight-course Group 3. The two that beat her there are at least decent, and where rain helps Havana Angel, it might hinder the two Phil D’Amato-trained favorites, Comanche Country and Thebestisyettobe. The latter raced over very quick ground winning her debut in Ireland and the former is subject to Euro-bounce after an eye-catching stakes win last month at Del Mar.