Future Is Now Seeks Repeat Victory in Franklin Stakes

Turf sprinter Future Is Now has barely stubbed a toe since the 5-year-old daughter of Great Notion won the Franklin Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland a year ago. Now the R. Larry Johnson homebred is back in the Bluegrass for a repeat in the $400,000 5 1/2-furlong stakes Oct. 12 for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up and arrives at Keeneland having followed a well-worn path. In 2024, trainer Michael Trombetta raced Future Is Now in the Intercontinental Stakes (G2T), Caress Stakes (G3T), and listed Smart N Fancy Stakes (all 5 1/2-furlong turf sprints at Saratoga Race Course) ahead of the Franklin, getting a win, a third, and a win in them, respectively. This year, Future Is Now ran second in the Intercontinental and won the Caress and Smart N Fancy. She has three wins and a second since last year's Franklin, getting her third stakes win in the Giant's Causeway Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland during the spring meet. The extraordinarily consistent mare with 10-2-1 record from 16 starts on the turf has drawn the outside rail in this field of nine and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. A strong challenger to Future Is Now will be Luna Louska, a 3-year-old daughter of Complexity, who is enjoying a four-race winning streak that includes two black-type stakes. The filly broke her maiden in her third career start in May and has not stopped winning. She comes into the Franklin off a 2 3/4-length win in the Clarksville Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis and a 1 3/4-length win in the Floral Park Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. Luna Louska seems comfortable on the Keeneland turf, having breezed 3 furlongs Oct. 5 in a smart :37 1/5. She is trained by Gustavo Delgado and will be ridden from post 7 by Kendrick Carmouche, who was aboard in the Floral Park Stakes. Another key contender in the Franklin will be Resolute Racing and Miller Racing's In Our Time, a 4-year-old by the hottest sire so far during the Keeneland fall meet, Taylor Made Stallions' Not This Time. In Our Time won her first stakes in November 2024 at Gulfstream Park and has placed in five stakes since then, including seconds in the Honey Fox Stakes (G3T) and Tropical Park Oaks, and thirds in the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (G2T) and the Ladies Turf Stakes (G3T) at Kentucky Downs. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., In Our Time comes into the Franklin off a gate-to-wire win in a $214,104 allowance-level race at Kentucky Downs. She will break from post 6 with Luis Saez on board. Other stakes winners in the field include Pipsy (IRE), a 4-year-old Irish-bred daughter of Kodiac (GB) who beat Future Is Now in this year's Intercontinental Stakes, and Pondering, a 3-year-old daughter of Hard Spun, who won the Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes going the same 5 1/2 furlongs as the Franklin. Also in the field is two-time stakes winner Won Happy Mama, a 4-year-old daughter of Runhappy. She has won two, 6-furlong black-type events at Prairie Meadows that were both on the main track. She contested the Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Sprint where she faded to fifth at the end.