Fair Grounds: How to bet the Duncan F. Kenner S.

A well-matched field of eight will dash 5 1/2 furlongs on the Fair Grounds turf in Saturday’s $100,000 Duncan F. Kenner S. The Michelle Lovell-trained #5 Just Might has rolled home to victories in six of his last seven races overall, including a wire-to-wire tally in the Richard Scherer Memorial S. on the course most recently. By Justin Phillip, the chestnut has compiled a lifetime 9-3-4-1 line at Fair Grounds, and his current form is the best it has ever been.

Duncan F. Kenner Wagers

• $5 superfecta key 5 with 2, 3, 7 ($30)
• $1 superfecta 2, 5, 7 with 2, 5, 7 with 2, 3, 5, 7 with 2, 3, 5, 7 ($12)

Colby Hernandez will be in the stirrups atop the six-year-old gelding, and the pair figures to be forcing the tempo from the break with the other main pace player in the cast to his inside. The race goes through the surging Kentucky-bred.

The Steve Asmussen-trained #2 Cowan returns to the lawn, where he registered some excellent results in the past, including a second in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) at Keeneland behind the brilliant Golden Pal. By Kantharos, the four-year-old colt has raced himself back into shape following a pair of tries in the Middle East last spring, and I expect him to come charging down the lane on Saturday for Joel Rosario.

#7 Manny Wah lacks the grassy experience that his major rivals possess, but the Will Take Charge six-year-old has left a fine impression of himself from two lifetime runs on the sod for conditioner Wayne Catalano. The chestnut won this race last season in his turf bow, and he rallied to be a smart second off a long layoff last time out. The defending champ will move forward in his second off the shelf with Corey Lanerie.

I believe that the turf sprint will come down to this trio, but I will also include #3 Classy John for the lower rungs of the vertical exotics. The six-year-old son of Songandaprayer is a stakes winner on the surface and owns two graded placings sprinting on the lawn, so he can’t be ignored despite his troubled third against Cajun-bred foes most recently. The dark bay will show improvement while stalking the pace from the break under Brian Hernandez, Jr.