Silver Max, Guys Reward could relish River City's nine furlongs

Trainer Dale Romans will saddle the morning-line favorite

and co-second choice in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 River City Handicap at Churchill Downs with Silver Max

(7-5) and Guys Reward (5-1).

Grade 1-winning millionaire Silver Max has only made three starts

in 2014, taking the June 28 Firecracker (G2) in his seasonal bow before

finishing eighth in the Fourstardave (G2) at

Saratoga and fourth in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland. With all three of his races this year being at the distance

of a mile, Romans thinks the pace scenario could work in the Badge of Silver

five-year-old's favor going 1 1/8

miles.

"It's a different pace scenario going a mile-and-an-eighth

and maybe it will be better for him," the trainer said. "He should be able to open up

on the field and hopefully he can keep on going."

Romans also noted that it always helps Silver Max's chances

when he doesn't have to face two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan.

"It's a major class drop when you go from facing the

two-time Horse of the Year to a race like this," he admitted. "These are good

horses but not near Wise Dan's level."

Coming off a runner-up effort in the September 28 Remington Green in his

last start, Gentleman's Kitten is one of the 10 horses who will be trying

to knock off Silver Max in the River City.

Prior to the Remington Green effort, the four-year-old son of

Kitten's Joy was a wire-to-wire, 8 3/4-length winner of the September 1 Cliff Guilliams Handicap at Ellis Park.

That was his second victory of 2014 after opening the year with a 6 1/2-length

romp at Fair Grounds.

Trained by Mike Maker, Gentleman's Kitten has won five of

14 starts, and most of his victories have come from either being on the lead for

the majority of the race, or stalking very closely throughout.

"He's like any other horse; if he gets the lead uncontested

that definitely works in his favor," Maker said. "We'll see how he does. There's

obviously some more speed in there but he'll run his race no matter where he

starts out."

Gentleman's Kitten has raced under the Twin Spires twice in

his career, finishing third in last year's Grade 3 Jefferson Cup and winning an

allowance race as a three-year-old, but Maker said he doesn't take his track with

him.