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“It’s very awkward,” Shirreffs said standing outside Barn 41 on the Churchill Downs backstretch.

Getting the Friars’ foursome off to a fast start was Jorden Wells, who passed the baton to Benjamin Harris around the first turn and watched as the Long Beach Poly transfer took the lead on the backstretch and handed off to Jaelen Hunter, who maintained his team’s margin before passing to Robert Gardner, who widened the margin on the anchor leg.

He came out of the gate strong, was carried wide on the first turn, led down the backstretch and gave up the lead in the stretch.

Ryan Preece got the worst of it in the nine-car accident as he pinwheeled down the backstretch, partly upside down, before righting itself and coming to rest.

Granada Hills entered the event having clocked 40.29 — the fifth-fastest time in state history and eighth fastest in the nation this year— and easily won its heat Friday, but a yellow flag was raised on the backstretch and following several agonizing minutes the Highlanders learned they had committed a zone violation and would not be moving on to Saturday’s finals.