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Whitmore won the biggest sprint race Nov. 7, 2020, at Keeneland, but Nashville won the fastest.

Now, more than 13 months after setting a 6-furlong track record on that Breeders' Cup undercard, lightly raced Nashville is scheduled to launch his comeback in an allowance sprint Friday afternoon at Oaklawn for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and co-owners WinStar Racing and China Horse Club.

“It's just kind of a starting point,” WinStar President/CEO and racing manager Elliott Walden said Wednesday morning. “We want to get a race in him and see where we are. It looks like a good spot. There's some competitive horses in there and it will give us a good barometer.”

Nashville is among seven horses entered in the 5 ½-furlong eighth race, which has a $102,000 purse. Probable post time is 3:46 p.m. (Central). Nashville, to be ridden for the first time by Florent Geroux, drew the rail and is the 7-5 program favorite.

Nashville hasn't started since suffering his first career loss in the $300,000 Malibu Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds Dec. 26, 2020, at Santa Anita. Charlatan, who captured the first division of the $500,000 Arkansas Derby (G1) earlier that year at Oaklawn, won the 7-furlong Malibu, with Nashville finishing fourth, beaten 8 ¼ lengths.

“It's been a long road,” Walden said. “Sometimes, horses make you wait.”

Walden said Nashville had a small ankle chip removed following the Malibu. After resuming training last May, Walden said the 4-year-old son of Speightstown – Breeders' Cup Sprint winner and champion sprinter in 2004 – came up “a little off behind” and he was sent home.

“Nothing major, but had a couple of starts and stops this year,” Walden said, adding Nashville returned to Asmussen Sept. 10 and “hasn't missed a beat since then.”

Nashville has a long string of workouts at Churchill Downs and a half-mile maintenance breeze Monday morning at Oaklawn in advance of his comeback. Also entered in Friday's race are multiple stakes winner Mr. Jagermeister, the speedy Firecrow and Hollis, an allowance winner at 5 ½ furlongs last April at Oaklawn. Nashville dazzled in his first three career starts, winning by a combined 24 ¾ front-running lengths.

“You're always concerned about a layoff, but Steve knows how to handle these horses,” Walden said. “He said he's ready. Just looking forward to getting him back.”

Nashville posted Beyer Speed Figures of 91 for an 11 ½-length debut victory in September 2020 at Saratoga, 103 for a 9 ¾-length first-level allowance victory in October 2020 at Keeneland and 102 for a 3 ½-length victory in the $125,000 Perryville Stakes for 3-year-olds about a month later at Keeneland.

Under perennial Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr., Nashville won the Perryville in a track-record 1:07.89 after setting fractions of :21.54 for the opening quarter and :43.87 for a half-mile. The surface was fast. Oaklawn-raced A.P. Indian set Keeneland's previous 6-furlong track record (1:08.43) in the $250,000 Phoenix Stakes (G2) in 2016.

Roughly four hours after the Perryville, the first race on the card, seven-time Oaklawn stakes winner Whitmore captured the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) to secure an Eclipse Award as the country's champion male sprinter. Whitmore's winning time over a fast track was 1:08.61.

“We debated whether to go into the Breeders' Cup off of two starts,” Walden said. “Just felt like it was not a fair thing to do, to run a 3-year-old against top sprinters and older horses that had more experience and everything, so we opted for the path of least resistance. But after he ran, and ran so fast, I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you there was a hint of: 'I wish we had run in the Breeders' Cup Sprint that day.' ”

Nashville has won 3 of 4 lifetime starts and earned $175,200. He was purchased for $460,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

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Horses of racing age headlined Tuesday's penultimate session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, which was led by the $525,000 purchase of Hidden Scroll, a 4-year-old graded stakes performer by Hard Spun, by Fergus Galvin, agent for Marc Detampel.

Consigned by WinStar Racing, agent for Juddmonte Farms, Hidden Scroll has competed in graded stakes company at Belmont, Oaklawn and Gulfstream. He is out of the Empire Maker mare Sheba Queen and from the family of Group 1 winner Etoile Montante, Grade 2 winner Starformer and 2020 stakes winner Flavius.

WinStar Racing was the session's leading consignor with sales of $1,644,000 for 27 horses. For Juddmonte, WinStar also sold Delaware, a 4-year-old son of Frankel who was third in Saturday's Artie Schiller at Aqueduct. Steven W. Young, agent, bought Delaware, who is a half-brother to French stakes winner Environs and from the family of Group/Grade 1 winner Proviso.

As agent for Detampel, Galvin was the session's leading buyer, spending $555,000 for two horses. Another purchase was the winning 5-year-old First Defence gelding Vanbrugh, also consigned by WinStar for Juddmonte, for $30,000.

On Tuesday, Keeneland sold 216 horses for $5,697,700, for an average of $26,378 and a median of $10,000.

Cumulative sales through nine sessions are $149,709,700 for 1,984 horses, for an average of $75,459 and a median of $28,500.

ELiTE, agent, consigned five of Tuesday's 10 highest-priced horses. Leading the group was Maryland-bred stakes winner Miss J McKay, a 3-year-old daughter of Hangover Kid, who sold to Jackson Farms for $300,000. A stakes winner of $210,053, the filly is out of Ballykiss, by Street Boss, and from the family of Grade 2 winners Crowned and Best of Luck and Grade 3 winners Betty Lobelia and Lady Horseowner.

Eddie Kenneally, agent for William K. Werner, paid $275,000 for the supplemental entry Edgemont Road, a 4-year-old Speightstown gelding who was third in Keeneland's Lafayette on the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup undercard. Team V LLC consigned Edgemont Road, who is out of Swaythisaway, by Scat Daddy. His family includes champion Rhythm, Grade 1 winner Frost Giant and sire Not For Love.

Shepherd Equine Advisers, agent for Larry Hirsch, spent $180,000 for Catch a Bid, a 4-year-old stakes-winning daughter of Real Solution consigned by ELiTE, agent. She is out of the winning Elusive Quality mare Elusive Champagne and from the family of Grade 1 winner Nereid and Grade 3 winner Belong to Sea.

T&C Horse Farms purchased Moral Reasoning, a 3-year-old stakes-placed daughter of More Than Ready, for $175,000. Consigned by ELiTE, agent. she is out of Alhucema, by Aldebaran, and from the family of Group 1 winner and sire Karakontie, European highweight East of the Moon and Group 1 winner and sire Kingmambo.

David Ingordo, agent, paid $150,000 for the supplement Growth Engine, a 4-year-old Tapit gelding consigned by ELiTE, agent. An allowance winner at Monmouth in his most recent start, on Sept. 19, Growth Engine is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Pyro and a full brother to Grade 3 winner War Echo. He is out of the Wild Again mare Wild Vision.

ELiTE, agent, also consigned Abuse of Power, sold to Preferred Equine, agent for Lindy Farms, for $120,000. A 3-year-old filly by Karakontie out of Oblivious, by Cozzene, Abuse of Power is a half-sister to stakes winner Street Storm.

The session's top-priced weanling was a colt from the first crop of Mo Town sold to P & B Stable for 65,000. Consigned by Mulholland Springs, agent, he is out of Supplement, by Sky Mesa and from the family of Grade 3 winners Thatlookonyourface, Dark Nile and Lou Brissie.

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