The Estate of R. Larry Johnson’s Future Is Now has made two previous trips to Keeneland with both ending in success with victories in last fall’s Franklin (G2) and this spring’s Giant’s Causeway (G3) in her 5-year-old debut.

She returned this week for a date in Sunday’s 29th running of the $400,000 Franklin (G2) and a chance to become the first repeat winner of the 5½-furlong grass test since Ayrial Delight in 1999.

“She has been training very well since the Smart and Fancy (L),” trainer Mike Trombetta said of Future Is Now, who won that Saratoga race for the second year in a row on Aug. 15.

Future Is Now ran three times at Saratoga this summer as she did in 2024 with two victories each year. In all of those races, she was ridden by Paco Lopez, who has been aboard for her past nine starts with seven wins.

Lopez will not be aboard Sunday as he is serving a six-month suspension.

“That is not by design but I have a very capable replacement and I am sure he will figure it out,” Trombetta said of Irad Ortiz Jr., who will be riding Future Is Now for the first time.

“She is a very nice filly and she always shows up,” Ortiz said Saturday morning.

The Maryland-bred is closing in on millionaire status and given her roster of races this season, Sunday could close the 2025 campaign.

“Hopefully she runs next year,” Trombetta said. “We’ll evaluate her after this and make a decision.”

Trombetta has won five stakes at Keeneland with two from Future Is Now and two from Arzak who was retired this week.

“Two days ago I found out he had a stallion deal in New York,” Trombetta said of the 7-year-old millionaire, who won the 2023 Woodford (G2) Presented by Fan Duel and the 2024 Shakertown (G2) here. “He had lost a step and had terrible luck this year and caught a lot of soft courses. We figured he had done enough.”