Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas used an old-school approach to reach a milestone Saturday at Oaklawn.
Lukas recorded his 50th career Oaklawn stakes victory when Last Samurai captured the Razorback Handicap (G3) for older horses at 1 1/16 miles under Cristian Torres. Owned by Willis Horton Racing (Kevin Horton), Last Samurai was running just three weeks after finishing fourth in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park.
“Had a good work in between,” the legendary Lukas, 87, dead-panned moments after the Razorback. “I sometimes think that 21 days is ideal, if they come back good. I never shied away from 21 days in a major race. It may be old school, but it worked.”
Wheeling a horse back in a week, two weeks, or three weeks was common decades ago. But horses, particularly the caliber of Last Samurai, are campaigned much less frequently in today's climate. Last Samurai concluded his 2022 campaign with a runner-up finish to Bal Harbour in the Tinsel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles Dec. 17 at Oaklawn. After traveling to Florida for the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus, Last Samurai returned to Oaklawn and breezed a half-mile in :51 Feb. 10 in advance of the Razorback.
“We had the long trip to Florida for the Pegasus and we came back here on a short window of time,” Lukas said. “But he trained so darn well since the Pegasus, and he finishes his works a lot better and I thought we had a pretty good chance today to pull this off.”
Last Samurai ($18.80) received a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 105 for his 1 ½-length victory over favored West Will Power in the Razorback. Last Samurai covered 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in a meet-best 1:42.19. The Razorback is a major local prep for the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) at 1 1/8 miles April 22. Last Samurai won the 2022 Oaklawn Handicap for trainer Dallas Stewart and Horton's father, Willis, who died last fall. Last Samurai also won the $150,000 Poinsettia Stakes at 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-olds in 2021 at Oaklawn.
Oaklawn's final major prep for the Oaklawn Handicap is the $500,000 Essex Handicap (G3) at 1 1/16 miles March 18.
“We'll see him in the Essex, that's for sure, and then right on down the line,” Lukas said. “You know me. I don't dodge many of them.”
Last Samurai, a 5-year-old son of Malibu Moon, has a 5-4-4 record from 23 career starts and earnings of $1,607,639.
Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen holds the Oaklawn record for career stakes victories by a trainer with 98.
The Oaklawn racing department listed nine probables Sunday morning for the $1-million Rebel Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 25. The Rebel is Oaklawn's third Kentucky Derby points race, a series that concludes with the $1.25-million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 1.
Expected Rebel entrants are Bourbon Bash for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, Confidence Game (Keith Desormeaux), Event Detail (Paulo Lobo), Frosted Departure (Kenny McPeek), Giant Mischief (Brad Cox), Gun Pilot (Steve Asmussen), Red Route One (Asmussen), Reincarnate (Bob Baffert), and Verifying (Cox).
Cox (four) and Baffert (three) have combined to win seven of Oaklawn's last 10 Kentucky Derby points races, including the first two in 2023. Victory Formation (Cox) captured the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at one mile Jan. 1. Baffert won the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 28 with unbeaten Arabian Knight. Arabian Knight wasn't nominated to the Rebel.
Reincarnate, from the first crop of champion Good Magic, has won his last two starts, including the $100,000 Sham Stakes (G3) at 1 mile Jan. 8 at Santa Anita. Baffert has won the Rebel a record eight times.
The Rebel will bring back the 2-3 Southwest finishers in Red Route One and Frosted Departure, respectively. Verifying, in his 3-year-old debut, was a powerful 5 ¼-length first-level allowance winner Jan. 14 at Oaklawn. The son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify covered a mile over a fast track in 1:37.23. Gun Pilot, second to Verifying Jan. 14, returned to post a sharp two-length entry-level allowance victory at 1 mile Feb. 4 at Oaklawn. Bourbon Bash finished second in the race.
Lightly raced Giant Mischief (2 for 3) will be making his 3-year-old debut in the Rebel. The son of champion sire Into Mischief concluded his 2022 campaign with a troubled runner-up finish in the Remington Park Springboard Mile Dec. 17 at Remington Park. Confidence Game finished third in the Lecomte Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 21 at Fair Grounds in his last start.
The Rebel will offer 100 points (50-20-15-10-5, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby. Horses trained by Baffert remain ineligible to collect qualifying points, owing to a suspension by Churchill Downs. The suspension stems from Baffert's Medina Spirit being disqualified from his 2021 Kentucky Derby victory because of a medication violation.
Post positions for the Rebel and two other Feb. 25 stakes races – $300,000 Honeybee (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles and the $150,000 Carousel for older female sprinters – will be drawn Monday. The Honeybee is Oaklawn's second of three points race for the Kentucky Oak (G1).
Early Honeybee probables include the Cox-trained Wet Paint, who won the $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 28 at Oaklawn. Taxed, Defining Purpose, Take Charge Briana and Olivia Twist, the 2-3-4-5 finishers, respectively, in the Martha Washington are also expected for the Honeybee.
The Honeybee will offer 100 points (50-20-15-10-5, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks, the country's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies. Secret Oath, last year's Honeybee winner, also captured the Kentucky Oaks. The Honeybee is the final major local prep for the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles April 1.
The Carousel is expected to attract, among others, 2022 Fantasy champion Yuugiri for trainer Rodolphe Brisset and multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Pretty Birdie for trainer Norm Casse.
Yuugiri completed major preparations for the six-furlong Carousel by working a half-mile in :48.20 over a fast track Sunday morning at Oaklawn. Brisset was aboard Yuugiri, who breezed with Rebel nominee Talladega. Yuugiri was a sharp allowance winner sprinting of her Dec. 30 comeback at Oaklawn.
Pretty Birdie won the $150,000 Poinsettia Stakes at 5 ½ furlongs Dec. 17 at Oaklawn in her last start.
Weather permitting, the infield will be open for the first time this season Feb. 25.
Stepping up to the top level for the first time in what has already been a productive career, Godolphin's Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) ran a strong 1600 metres and comfortably held a final-furlong rally from the classy Red le Zele (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) to land Sunday's February S. at Tokyo Racecourse. A fourth consecutive American-bred winner of the 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, Lemon Pop will remain over shorter trips and holds an invitation to the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in five weeks' time. Despite the obvious appeal of such a journey, connections were playing it close to the vest post-race.
“Lemon Pop has been invited to Dubai, but we won't be making a decision on this for some time yet,” said Godolphin Japan President Harry Sweeney, who purchased the chestnut in the name of Paca Paca Farm for $70,000 as a weanling at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. “Thrilled that Lemon Pop has won a Group 1 race at his first attempt and won in good style. We are relieved that he now has a JRA Group 1 on his curriculum vitae which will be very important for his next career whenever he finishes racing.”
Handed a good draw in gate seven, Lemon Pop was in the vanguard early, but was content to drift back a few spots as the mare Shonan Nadeshiko (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) took the 16-strong field through an opening half-mile in a solid :46.60. Tipped out into the four path with about 600 metres to travel, Lemon Pop traveled strongly into the race and was under a long hold–having yet to be asked for his best–as the field hit the quarter pole. Finally given a dig by Ryusei Sakai approaching the final furlong, Lemon Pop pinched a break as Red le Zele flashed and loomed a momentary danger, but the favourite had the race well and truly in safe keeping and proved a clear-cut winner. Meisho Hario (Jpn) (Pyro) nearly unseated jockey Suguru Hamanaka at the break and was a long last down the backstretch, but rallied strongly to finish third.
The other US-bred winners of the race include Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}) in 2020 and Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah) the last two years.
The victory was the second at group level for Lemon Pop, who rebounded from a tough loss in the G3 Musashino S. over course and distance Nov. 12 to reverse form with Gilded Mirror (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) in the G3 Negishi S. over seven panels Jan. 29. Jockey Keita Tosaki had ridden Lemon Pop to each of his seven previous wins, but opted for fourth-placed Dry Stout (Jpn) (Sinister Minister) Sunday, much to Sweeney's surprise.
“[We] were shocked to read in the sports papers just two weeks ago that Keita Tosaki had decided to get off Lemon Pop to ride another horse,” said Sweeney. “We then had to scramble to find a replacement and we are delighted with Sakai-san's performance today. It was a pressure ride for him too as he was riding Lemon Pop, the favourite, for the first time and in a Group 1 race.”
Added the winning jockey: “I am grateful to be given the chance to ride such a strong and favored horse and am happy we won. He responded well and pulled away strongly all the way to the wire.”
'TDN Rising Star'Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) sat an inside trip from a disadvantageous low draw and was beaten about 10 lengths into ninth.
“From what the jockey was telling me, he wasn't enjoying the kickback that much, but I think he ran an OK race,” said trainer Roger Attfield. “I just think he's a superiour turf horse, but we gave it a try.”
Pedigree Notes:
On behalf of former Darley executive Olly Tait and his wife, Blandford Bloodstock went to 165,000gns for Unreachable from the Juddmonte draft at the 2012 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Unreachable is a daughter of Harpia, a full-sister to the highly influential Danehill as well as Eagle Eyed and Shibboleth, etc., and is a half-sister to the stakes-placed First Word (Chester House) and the young American regional stallion Redesdale (Speightstown). This is also the family of Dundonnell (First Defence), a Group 3 winner in England, a listed winner in Hong Kong and Group 3-placed in Dubai.
Unreachable was offered in foal to Good Magic at the 2020 Keeneland January Sale but was led out unsold on a bid of $55,000. The mare was privately acquired by Jay and Christine Hayden's Saintsbury Farms and the colt the mare was carrying at the time–an Ontario-bred now named Equivoque–would go on to fetch $325,000 from China Horse Club/Gandharvi at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. Unreachable is also the dam of a 2-year-old colt by Good Magic and a yearling colt by Maclean's Music. A Maximum Security colt out of Lemon Pop's half-sister Regal Rags (Union Rags) was sold for $110,000 at Keeneland November last fall. Unreachable, now 14 years of age, was entered for, but was unsurprisingly withdrawn from this year's Keeneland January Sale when again in foal to Maclean's Music.
Lemon Pop is the 10th worldwide Grade I/Group 1 winner for his sire, who was pensioned from stud duties at Lane's End in 2021 and is his second top-level winner out of a Giant's Causeway dam. The late 'Iron Horse' is now the broodmare sire of 32 G1SW/GISW.
Sunday, Tokyo, Japan FEBRUARY S.-G1, ¥232,860,000, Tokyo, 2-19, 4yo/up, 1600m, 1:35.60, gd.
1–LEMON POP, 128, h, 5, by Lemon Drop Kid 1st Dam: Unreachable, by Giant's Causeway 2nd Dam: Harpia, by Danzig 3rd Dam: Razyana, by His Majesty 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. ($70,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV). O-Godolphin; B-Mr & Mrs Oliver S Tait (KY); T-Hiroyasu Tanaka; J-Ryusei Sakai; ¥123,403,000. Lifetime Record: 11-8-3-0, ¥288,439,000. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Red le Zele (Jpn), 128, h, 7, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)–French Noir (Jpn), by French Deputy. O-Tokyo Horse Racing; B-Shadai Farm; ¥48,972,000.
3–Meisho Hario (Jpn), 128, h, 6, Pyro–Meisho Ohi (Jpn), by Manhattan Cafe (Jpn). O-Yoshio Matsumoto; B-Mishima Bokujo; ¥30,486,000.
Margins: 1HF, 2HF, 1. Odds: 1.20, 8.00, 9.70.
Also Ran: Dry Stout (Jpn), Admire Lupus (Jpn), Speedy Kick (Jpn), Helios (Jpn), Soliste Thunder (Jpn), Shirl's Speight, Kenshinko (Jpn), Sekifu (Jpn), Auvergne (Jpn), Keiai Turquoise (Jpn), T M South Dan (Jpn), Shonan Nadeshiko (Jpn), Jasper Prince. Click for the JRA chart.
Dubawi (Ire), the world's most successful active stallion, achieved another major milestone on Saturday by siring his 250th individual stakes winner.
Away from all the bright lights and razzmatazz of a big festival, Godolphin homebred Lake Lucerne, who began his career with John Gosden, achieved that landmark success when running out a cosy winner of the Albert M Stall Memorial S. at Fair Grounds for Brendan Walsh and Tyler Gaffalione.
That victory means that Dubawi has now achieved 599 stakes wins in total. A whopping 53 horses by him have scored at the highest level, with many serving to harden Dubawi's reputation as a sire of sires, which leading bloodstock agent Anthony Stroud has explained is one of the most pleasing aspects of the evergreen 21-year-old's influence.
He said, “Dubawi is just an unbelievable stallion. To be a sire of sires, which he is, it's unprecedented really. Dubai Millennium (GB) was a very special horse for everyone at Godolphin and it's wonderful that the line is continuing. We have Dubawi and his sons who will continue.
“You've got New Bay (GB), Zarak (Fr), Night Of Thunder (Ire) and lots of other young sires coming through like Ghaiyyath (Ire) and Space Blues (Ire) who are all by him. There's a lot to look forward to.”
Stroud added, “I don't think you could ever get tired of speaking about a stallion who is so on top of his game like Dubawi is. He has been a consistent sire at the highest level. We are just very privileged to have had stallions like Galileo (Ire), and now Sea The Stars (Ire), Frankel (GB) and Dubawi in Europe.”
Stroud has bought a large portion of Godolphin's yearlings at public auction in recent years and, alongside Sheikh Mohammed, returned to the market at Book 1 at Tattersalls last year to snap up 14 yearlings to the tune of just over 13,000,000gns by the dominant stallion. Put simply, there are few people better qualified to comment on the success Dubawi is having than he is.
However, while Stroud admits that what Dubawi has achieved already is astounding, he said that he firmly believes that the ink is still wet on his story.
He explained, “It's a great landmark for him to have achieved but, in racing, you never look backwards and always push forward. Yes, 250 is great, but there is still more to come from him. I firmly believe that the trajectory that he is on, it will continue to go upwards.
“The great thing about Dubawi is his versatility. He can get top-class horses over six furlongs, a mile or any distance. It's remarkable really. Another thing, they all seem to have very good minds. They have wonderful temperaments.”
Of the 250 individual stakes winners sired by Dubawi, 133 were colts or geldings and, in terms of Group or Graded winners, 98 have been achieved by colts or geldings and 65 by fillies or mares.
Stroud also acknowledged the huge significance surrounding the fact that milestone winner Lake Lucerne was bred by Godolphin and carried the famous royal blue silks to victory on Saturday.
He said, “Yes, it's quite fitting as the homebreds are the backbone to the Godolphin operation. They are key to any successful racing operation. The homebreds are the spine.”
Providing an update on Dubawi, who is set to stand for a whopping £350,000 this year, Stroud added, “He is really good, really well, and understandably has a fantastic book of mares to look forward to this year.”
