Time for the stakes to kick off here at rainy Turfway, with an all-stakes pick four starting the sequence. (There is another beginning with the eighth race.) Take note - Pick 4s at Turfway have just a 14% takeout, far less than the customary 22% rake here for exotics.

The Animal Kingdom, named in honor of the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner who won the Jeff Ruby when it was called the Spiral, drew a field of eight to race 6 1/2 furlongs, led by Hawaiian Noises and comebacking Armistice Day (my selection).

Both horses have synthetic experience, with Hawaiian Noises having won an allowance at Turfway in December after winning a maiden race at Keeneland on dirt, and Armistice Day having competed over the Tapeta surface at Woodbine last July. Armistice Day has not raced since.

Armistice Day shows no published works in his past performances, having readied off track at trainer Tommy Drury’s Skylight Training Center base, but he is expected to be ready. Horses returning for Drury following breaks of 180 days or longer have won 10 of 49 starts over the last five years (20 percent winners, $2.01 ROI), according to Daily Racing Form’s Formulator database.

Hawaiian Noises, trained by Wesley Ward, has a high-profile jockey aboard: Southern California-based Rafael Bejarano, a leading rider at Turfway during the early part of his career.