LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Brian Lynch always believed Admission Office was a top-echelon turf horse, especially at longer distances. The trainer’s faith was rewarded Saturday when Admission Office outran the highly accomplished Arklow in an exciting conclusion to the 83rd running of the $100,000 Louisville, the last of 11 Saturday races at fan-free Churchill Downs. “He’d gotten beat a head and a neck in some of these bigger races after getting himself in the wrong spot at the wrong time,” said Lynch. “He’d probably been crying out for more ground, and to hold off Arklow, who we all know is an outstanding horse, was very gratifying.” Ridden by Julien Leparoux, Admission Office returned $9.20 as second choice in a field of 12 older horses after finishing 1 1/2 miles in 2:27.25 over firm going. Arklow, the 13-10 favorite, was a head behind the winner and another 1 1/4 lengths before He’s No Lemon when making his first start in nearly five months. Admission Office, a 5-year-old horse by Point of Entry, is owned by his breeders, John and Jerry Amerman. He was winning for the fourth time in 14 starts, but for the first time in his last nine – a span that included narrow defeats in such graded events as the Dixie, Wise Dan, River City, Fort Lauderdale, and Mac Diarmida. :: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more. “Thankfully we got our head down at the right time and avoided another of those tough beats,” said Lynch. While Admission Office was rallying from mid-pack with an outside surge, Arklow and jockey Florent Geroux were fighting through a tight opening along the inner hedge in the upper stretch. With 100 yards to run, those two edged away from several others, with Admission Office proving narrowly best. Lynch said the July 12 Elkhorn at Keeneland is a likely next spot for Admission Office, with the Sept. 12 Kentucky Turf Cup also a logical goal. The $2 exacta (12-5) paid $28, the $1 trifecta (12-5-4) returned $97.10, and the 10-cent superfecta (12-5-4-11) was worth $78.52. A victory by Arklow would have meant huge windfalls for solo-ticket winners in both the late pick five (races 7-11) and jackpot Single 6 (races 6-11), but Admission Office foiled that. Instead, there are carryovers in both pools for Sunday, most notably one of $163,012 in the late pick five (races 6-10). Art Collector in emphatic tally Earlier on the card, Art Collector led all the way in winning a 1 1/16-mile allowance by 6 1/2 lengths, earning the Bernardini colt a spot in an upcoming Kentucky Derby prep race. He returned $4.80 as favorite. Bred and owned by local businessman Bruce Lunsford, Art Collector went in a snappy 1:41.35 over a fast track. It was the fourth time the colt has finished first from seven races, although he was disqualified from one of those victories last fall for a medication violation. Brian Hernandez Jr. was aboard Art Collector for trainer Tom Drury. Shared Sense was second, while Finnick the Fierce, the 3-2 second choice, had no excuse when finishing third in a field of just four 3-year-olds.