Grade 1 winners Happy Saver and Hot Rod Charlie are among the nominated older horses that are scheduled to face 80-1 upset Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Rich Strike in the $500,000 Lukas Classic (G2), which comes five weeks in advance of the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland.
Rich Strike, owned by RED TR-Racing and trained by Eric Reed, finished sixth in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and fourth in the Travers (G1) but returns to Churchill Downs where he is a perfect 2-for-2, including his unforgettable three-quarter of a length triumph over divisional leader Epicenter on the first Saturday in May.
The 3-year-old colt by Keen Ice would become the first Derby winner to return to Churchill Downs since Mine That Bird finished eighth in the 2010 Firecracker (G2) at age 4.
Rich Strike will face older horses for the first time in the Lukas Classic. Two of the top likely entrants in the race are Alain and Gerard Wertheimer's Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) winner Happy Saver, runner-up in this year's Alysheba (G2), Metropolitan (G2) and Whitney (G1), and Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, Bill Strauss and Gainesway Thoroughbreds' $5 million earner Hot Rod Charlie, the 2021 Derby runner-up who finished second in this year's Dubai World Cup (G1) and third in the Whitney (G1).
Likely entrants for the Lukas Classic, according to Churchill Downs' Assistant Racing Secretary and Stakes Coordinator Dan Bork are: Dynamic One (trainer Todd Pletcher), Happy Saver (Pletcher), Hot Rod Charlie (Doug O'Neill), King Fury (Kenny McPeek), Last Samurai (Wayne Lukas), and Rich Strike (Reed).
The Lukas Classic is the co-headliner on Saturday's card along with the 30th running of the $300,000 Ack Ack (G3), which is a “Win and You're In” event for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1). Likely Ack Ack entrants, according to Bork, are: Injunction (Carlo Vaccarezza), Senor Buscador (Todd Fincher), Speaker's Corner (Bill Mott), Three Technique (Jason Cook), and Untreated (Todd Pletcher).
Entries for Saturday's card will take place Wednesday.
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