West Point has two for Thursday allowance feature

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Rain clouds were forecasted to hover in this area for much of the week, putting turf racing in jeopardy when the final four-day race week of the Churchill Downs spring meet begins with a twilight Thursday program.

Three straight allowances (races 5-7) on an eight-race card that starts at 5 p.m. Eastern will serve as highlights. The last of those is the richest, and the only one scheduled for the grass. But even if wet conditions force it to the main track, the $101,000 third-level race might still hold together well.

A couple of would-be key players in the 1 1/8-mile feature, Cullum Road and Bourbon Resolution, are likely scratches regardless of surface, since both raced here over the weekend. If the race remains on turf, then West Point Thoroughbreds and trainer Christophe Clement have the likely favorite in Devamani, a French-bred gelding seeking a third straight victory while in peak form.

“Chris wanted to avoid stakes racing in New York with him, at least for the moment,” said West Point spokesman Jeff Lifson. “This condition isn’t available very often, in New York or anywhere, and this made a lot of sense from a timing perspective. Chris will ship, and he was looking for a good spot. Hopefully we found it.”

West Point also is a co-owner of another race 7 entry, My Boy Jack, best known for his fifth-place finish as the second wagering choice behind Justify in the 2018 Kentucky Derby. Trainer Keith Desormeaux, frustrated by two subpar efforts this spring on the dirt by My Boy Jack, is seeking a different avenue for success for the 4-year-old colt by spotting him on grass.

“Keith is basically saying, ‘Let’s see if we can’t shake this up a little bit,’” said Lifson.

If the race is transferred to the dirt, a couple of stand-ins, Hawaakom and Casino Star, would draw in as main-track-only designates. Both have a backlog of big efforts over dirt, with Hawaakom showing a bankroll of nearly $1.1 million from 53 starts and Casino Star having won during Breeders’ Cup week here last fall for Tom Van Berg.

Both of the preceding allowances Thursday are $97,000 first-level races. Race 5 is a wide-open route matching nine 3-year-olds and upward, while race 6 has Hallawallah, Take Charge Angel, and Irish Mischief as likely favorites in a field of 10 3-year-old filly sprinters.

All three allowances are part of the 20-cent Single 6 (races 3-8), which offers a carryover jackpot of $180,971.

One other race is scheduled for the grass – race 4, a $95,000 maiden-special sprint for 2-year-old fillies.