One last chance for older dirt horses to claim a marquee victory in 2023 comes Friday in the $600,000 Clark Stakes Presented by Norton Healthcare at Churchill Downs. The Grade 2 race will not change any Eclipse Awards ballots, but it could showcase a major threat for the biggest winter tests in 2024, the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes, Saudi Cup, and Dubai World Cup.

1. Straight Arrow (8-1 morning-line odds): Comes in off a sharp win in the Empire Classic Stakes for New York State-breds. Looks to be in career-best form but will face his toughest test in this field.

JOCKEY: Florent Geroux; TRAINER: Mike Dini

2. First Mission (3-1): Trainer Brad Cox liked this 3-year-old’s chances in the Preakness Stakes until an injury knocked him out of the classic. Returned six months later with a game allowance win and his sharp workouts since then indicate he’s poised for a big effort here.

JOCKEY: Luis Saez; TRAINER: Brad Cox

3. Il Miracolo (4-1): Three-year-old has blossomed  with a string of competitive efforts in graded stakes. In his first try against older horses, he was second by a head in the Grade 2 Hagyard Fayette Stakes at Keeneland. If he takes a step forward off that, he’ll be a major player.

JOCKEY: Tyler Gaffalione; TRAINER: Antonio Sano                                                  

4. Gasoline (5-1): Caught fire last time out, winning by more than five lengths in a Churchill Downs allowance race. Displayed some promise early in his career and cannot be ignored here. 

JOCKEY: Flavien Prat; TRAINER: Todd Pletcher

5. Trademark (6-1): Didn’t fire in the Hagyard Fayette Stakes but was in great form before that. Put in a sharp blowout for this race and is a candidate to bounce back with a strong effort.

JOCKEY: Fernando De La Cruz; TRAINER: Victoria Oliver

6. Film Star (5-1): Ran competitively enough in Grade 2 stakes, finishing fourth in the Forty Niner Stakes and second in the Woodward Stakes. Matches up nicely with most of the field and should not be ignored. 

JOCKEY: Jose Lezcano; TRAINER: Linda Rice

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7. Giant Game (12-1): Was a distant second to Gasoline in the allowance race and has yet to show he can be a factor at this Grade 2 level.

JOCKEY: Martin Garcia; TRAINER: Dale Romans

8. Happy American (20-1): Was a rallying third in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes in July, but he’s a toss out after two weak efforts in his last two tries.

JOCKEY: Declan Cannon; TRAINER: Neil Pessin

9. Stage Raider (12-1): Half-brother to Justify was no factor in the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and faces a tough task here from this post position.

JOCKEY: Brian J. Hernandez; TRAINER: Cherie DeVaux

10. Blue Devil (10-1): Was a rallying third in the Lukas Classic Stakes at 14-1 and will be a contender off his best try. Getting the outside post did not help his cause.

JOCKEY: Javier Castellano; TRAINER: Jeff Hiles

THE PICK: First Mission

LIVE LONGSHOT: Trademark

SUPERFECTA: 2-5-3-6