Finnick the Fierce leads Derby trail candidates in Churchill allowance

Saturday’s fifth race at Churchill Downs came up short as far as entries are concerned but is chock full of storylines -- especially in light of recent defections from the 2020 Kentucky Derby trail.

A field of five 3-year-olds will face the gate in allowance optional claiming company going 1 1/16 miles on the main track. An event for non-winners of three lifetime races, it includes two horses that have already tried Derby preps, while another could be moving toward the trail.

Necker Island drew the rail and will be making his first start since a fifth-place finish in Churchill’s Matt Winn (G3), a race that was added to the reconfigured official Derby prep race series.

A winner of two of three career races in Louisville, the Hard Spun colt co-owned by Sagamore Farm and trainer Stanley Hough also finished fifth in the Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct and Swale (G3) at Gulfstream Park earlier this year.

Finnick the Fierce drew the No. 5 post. Trained by Rey Hernandez and co-owned by the trainer and Arnaldo Monge, the one-eyed Dialed In gelding finished third in one division of the Arkansas Derby (G1) in his latest effort.

Employing a plodding running style highlighted with a strong late run, Finnick the Fierce also ran second in his most-recent start at Churchill Downs. He finished behind Silver Prospector in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) last November, one spot ahead of Tiz the Law.

Art Collector (No. 4), formerly trained by Joe Sharp and a winner in his first start from the Tommy Drury barn, was considered a potential Derby contender earlier this year. But he was unable to make it to the track until mid-May.

An impressive winner of a seven-furlong sprint at Churchill Downs on May 17 over Chad Brown-trained Toledo, Art Collector stretches out to 1 1/16 miles for the first time since finishing seventh in last year’s Bourbon (G3) at Keeneland in October.

Trainer Brad Cox will have Shared Sense going from turf to dirt, as he finished sixth in last month’s War Chant at Churchill Downs. The only other time the Street Sense colt tackled Saturday’s distance, he finished second but was placed first after Blackberry Wine was disqualified from a maiden special weight win at Churchill last November.

Rounding out the field is John’s Rock (No. 2), a winning-favorite in his latest effort -- a one mile optional claiming affair at Turfway Park in March.