But first, while it won't have any impact on voting for year-end Sovereign Award honours, a lucrative payday might come to pass as he competes against nine others in the high-profile $1-million Delta Jackpot Stakes at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana.
The fledgling late-season two-year-old race features some lofty rivals and potential contenders for the 2004 Kentucky Derby. The 1 1/16-mile race will be available to watch and wager at many simulcast outlets. The field lines up at 10:52 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on TRN, The Racing Network Canada.
Perfect Moon, a two-time graded stakes winner, is the 5-2 morning line favourite. Judiths Wild Rush, who breaks from post five, is the 3-1 second choice.
The Jackpot's purse is the second richest for a two-year-old race this year, only behind the $1.5 million for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Judiths Wild Rush, a son of Wild Rush, is three-for-three. He decimated his competition in his latest effort, a 10-length thrashing in the Display Stakes on November 15 at Woodbine.
Local fixtures, jockey Dino Luciani and trainer Scott Fairlie, call the shots with "Judith." The former expects a decent effort from the barn's stable star on Friday.
"You never know what you're going to hook," said Luciani, "but if he can handle the tighter turns, he'll run a really good race. He's a serious racehorse. He's still a little green, but every time I put a leg over him, I find something else that impresses me."
On Saturday, Judiths Wild Rush will compete against A Bit O'gold and Smoocher, winners of the Coronation Futurity and Grey Breeders' Cup Stakes, respectively, for the Juvenile Sovereign Award.
