IT’S rather rare to have three of four of the best three-year-olds still racing at four, and even rarer that they all meet.

That is the case in a fascinating Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes (11.02pm) at Churchill Downs this evening.

Six of the seven runners are less than 6/1 on the morning line and the winner of the nine-furlong contest will be the top older horse in the US.

Met Mile winner Raging Torrent is the only other among the older horses with the hope that the 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna gets back to winning ways earlier on the card in the Grade 2 Fleur De Lis (8.52pm).

Sierra Leone made hard work of things last season, coming from the rear but notching up placings in many of the top contests – second by a nose in the Kentucky Derby, third in the Belmont and Travers before winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic in good style.

His return to action when third in the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds in March was a poor effort and he needs a big step up in that and this distance could be on the short side.

Mystik Dan won that Kentucky Derby, but lost his way afterwards. He finally found the winning thread again last time, winning the Grade 3 Blame Stakes back here at Churchill Downs.

Brad Cox and Wathnan Racing struck with the five-year-old Hit Show in the Dubai World Cup but that form may be just below the best here, for all that Forever Young, third in the Derby last year was beaten two lengths there back in April. At five, Godolphin’s First Mission put up a decent performance to win the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap in April, with Skippylongstocking over seven lengths behind in third.

Preference is for Mindframe to come front and centre of the older horse division. The Todd Pletcher-trained and Repole Stable & St Elias Stable-owned son of Constitution was unraced at two, won his first two last season before taking on Grade 1 company and was second in the Belmont and Haskell before missing the latter part of the season.

He only just got home in front last time at this track, winning the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes over seven furlongs on Derby day. This race sets up much better for him.

SELECTION: Mindframe