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Knicks Go Has Home-Field Advantage In Saturday’s Lukas Classic

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go, the top-ranked horse in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll after convincing wins in this year's Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream Park and Whitney (G1) at Saratoga, was made the overwhelming 2-5 morning line favorite in Saturday's $400,000 Lukas Classic (Grade 3) at Churchill Downs – his final test before tackling the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

“He's a horse that puts a lot into his training and he's done that leading into Saturday's race,” trainer Brad Cox said. “He's accomplished a lot this year and we believe the Lukas Classic is a good race to compete in prior to the Breeders' Cup. This race doesn't require him to ship and he can run out of his own stall.”

Knicks Go (22-8-3-1—$5,368,995) had a strong 1 ½-mile gallop early Thursday morning prior to schooling in the paddock at 10 a.m. The Maryland-bred competed four times at Churchill Downs while under the care of trainer Ben Colebrook but has not recorded victory beneath the Twin Spires.

Knicks Go is scheduled to face five rivals in the 1 1/8-mile Lukas Classic including Juddmonte's multiple graded stakes winning homebred Tacitus. The gray son of Tapit arrived to trainer Bill Mott's Churchill Downs base earlier in the week from Saratoga. Saturday's race will be the first time Tacitus has competed since finishing seventh in the $20 million Saudi Cup (GI) in February.

The Lukas Classic is carded as the eighth race on Saturday's 11-race program. First post is 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) and the Lukas Classic will go at 4:22 p.m. Named after Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, the race shares the Saturday spotlight with the $300,000 Ack Ack (GIII), which goes as Race 10 at 5:26 p.m.

The complete field for the Lukas Classic from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): New Orleans Classic (G2) winner Chess Chief (James Graham, Dallas Stewart, 20-1); Knicks Go (Joel Rosario, Cox, 2-5); $3.7 million earner Tacitus (Jose Lezcano, Mott, 5-2); multiple stakes winner Shared Sense (Brian Hernandez Jr., Cox, 15-1); Pegasus World Cup third Independence Hall (Javier Castellano, Michael McCarthy, 10-1); and West Virginia Governor's (G3) winner Sprawl (Joe Talamo, Tommy Drury Jr., 12-1).

Wagering is available on www.TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated and its family of racetracks.

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Kentucky Oaks Winner Shedaresthedevil To Be Offered At Fasig-Tipton November Sale

Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil, a current leader in the distaff division, will be offered this fall at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

Hunter Valley Farm will consign the 4-year-old daughter of Daredevil on behalf of owners Qatar Racing Limited, Flurry Racing Stables LLC, and Big Aut Farms.

A graded stakes performer each year from two to four, Shedaresthedevil is a three-time Grade 1 winner and seven-time graded stakes winner of $2,291,458. Last year at three, she defeated the best of her generation to win the 146th Kentucky Oaks in the fastest time for 1 1/8 miles in the race's history. That classic win highlighted an outstanding 3-year-old season that included five graded stakes wins or placings, resulting in her being named an Eclipse finalist for 3-year-old filly.

This year at four, Shedaresthedevil has been nothing short of dominant – winning four of five starts. She began the year with a victory in the Grade 2 Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn, and then took the G1 La Troienne Stakes at Churchill Downs. Following a third in the G1 Ogden Phipps Stakes, she traveled cross-country to Del Mar, cruising to her third Grade 1 victory in the Clement Hirsch Stakes. Most recently, she captured Churchill Downs' G3 Locust Grove Stakes on Sept. 18 and will now be pointed for the Breeders' Cup Distaff, where she will be one of race's favorites.

“Very rarely does a multiple Grade 1 winner and classic winner, in the best form of her career, come to public auction,” said consignor Fergus Galvin of Hunter Valley Farm. “She is a remarkable talent, and at just four years old, can provide her next owner with a world class racemare to campaign on the sport's biggest and brightest stages.”

A 4-year-old daughter of Daredevil, the sire of multiple classic winners, Shedaresthedevil is out of a multiple graded stakes-producing Congrats mare. Her immediate family includes G1 Santa Anita Derby winner Crafty C. T., and traces back to the prolific producer Mumtaz, ancestress of nearly 70 stakes winners and 27 graded stakes winners. These include North American and European Group 1 winners Hernando, Palace Music, Well Time, Johann Quatz, and Prize Spot.

“Shedaresthedevil showed talent from the start. A debut winner at two, she progressed to win Grade 1 races at three and four,” said her trainer Brad Cox. “She's a tremendous filly who is as sound and consistent as a racehorse could be.”

The Fasig-Tipton November Sale will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 9, after the Breeders' Cup.

Added Boyd Browning, president of Fasig-Tipton: “Buyers will have an opportunity to purchase one of the finest fillies in the world with unlimited potential both as a racehorse and a broodmare – and she could very well have a significant update from the Breeders' Cup.”

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Multiple Grade I Winner Shedaresthedevil to Sell at Fasig-Tipton November

Multiple Grade I winner and last year's GI Longines Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) will be offered this fall at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Hunter Valley Farm will consign the 4-year-old filly on behalf of owners Qatar Racing Limited, Flurry Racing Stables LLC, and Big Aut Farms.

A graded stakes performer each year from two to four, Shedaresthedevil is a three-time Grade I winner and seven-time graded stakes winner of $2,291,458. Last year at three, she defeated the best of her generation to win the 146th Kentucky Oaks in the fastest time for 1 1/8 miles in the race's history. That classic win highlighted an outstanding 3-year-old season that included five graded stakes wins or placings, resulting in her being named an Eclipse Finalist for Three-Year-Old filly.

This year at four, Shedaresthedevil has won four of five starts, beginning the year with a victory in the GII Azeri S. and a score in the GI the La Troienne S. Following a third in the GI Ogden Phipps S., she traveled cross country to Del Mar, cruising to her third Grade I victory in the Clement Hirsch S. Most recently, she captured Churchill Downs's GIII Locust Grove S. Sept. 18 and will now be pointed for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, where she will be one of race's favorites.

“Very rarely does a multiple Grade I winner and classic winner, in the best form of her career, come to public auction,” said consignor Fergus Galvin of Hunter Valley Farm. “She is a remarkable talent, and at just four years old, can provide her next owner with a world class race mare to campaign on the sport's biggest and brightest stages.”

Shedaresthedevil is out of a multiple graded stakes-producing Congrats mare. Her immediate family includes GI Santa Anita Derby winner Crafty C. T., and traces back to the prolific producer Mumtaz, ancestress of nearly 70 stakes winners and 27 graded stakes winners. These include North American and European Grade I/Group 1 winners Hernando, Palace Music, Well Time, Johann Quatz, and Prize Spot.

“Shedaresthedevil showed talent from the start. A debut winner at two, she progressed to win Grade I races at three and four,” said her trainer Brad Cox. “She's a tremendous filly who is as sound and consistent as a racehorse could be.”

The Fasig-Tipton November Sale will be held Tuesday, Nov. 9, after the Breeders' Cup.

Added Boyd Browning, President of Fasig-Tipton: “Buyers will have an opportunity to purchase one of the finest fillies in the world with unlimited potential both as a racehorse and a broodmare–and she could very well have a significant update from the Breeders' Cup.”

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Top-Rated Knicks Go Leads Field Of Six In Saturday’s Lukas Classic

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go, the top-rated horse for this year's Breeders' Cup Classic (Grade 1), headlines a compact field of six accomplished older horses that entered Saturday's $400,000 Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill Downs – the marquee race on closing weekend of the September Meet.

The Lukas Classic, which could serve as a final prep prior to the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar, was carded as the eighth race on Saturday's 11-race program. First post is 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) and the Lukas Classic will go at 4:22 p.m. Named after Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, the 1 1/8-mile race shares the Saturday spotlight with the $300,000 Ack Ack (G3), which goes as Race 10 at 5:26 p.m.

Trained by Brad Cox, Knicks Go won last year's $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) to close his 4-year-old campaign. The now 5-year-old son of Paynter started the year with a 2 ¾-length victory in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream Park and will enter the Lukas Classic following his dominating 4 ½-length score in the $1 million Whitney (G1) at Saratoga.

Knicks Go has competed four times at Churchill Downs but has yet to record a win beneath the historic Twin Spires. The speedy Maryland-bred's career record is comprised of 22 starts with eight wins, three seconds and one third with purse earnings of $5,368,995. Jockey Joel Rosario, who has ridden Knicks Go in his last eight starts, will have the call Saturday from post No. 2.

Chief among Knicks Go's competition in the Lukas Classic is multiple Grade 2 winner Tacitus. The Juddmonte homebred is scheduled to make his first start since his seventh-place effort in the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) on Feb. 20. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the 5-year-old son of Tapit has recorded graded stakes triumphs in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2), Wood Memorial (G2) and Suburban (G2). New York-based jockey Jose Lezcano will travel to Churchill Downs Saturday for the mount from post 3.

Also entered is Claiborne Farm and Adele B. Dilschneider's $200,000 West Virginia Governor's Cup (G3) winner Sprawl. Trained by Tommy Drury Jr., Sprawl gamely prevailed by 1 ¾ lengths in the Aug. 7 West Virginia Governor's Cup under jockey Joe Talamo. The chestnut colt by City Zip will have Talamo in the irons for Saturday's affair from post 6.

The complete field for the Lukas Classic from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

New Orleans Classic (GII) winner Chess Chief (James Graham, Dallas Stewart)
Knicks Go (Rosario, Cox)
Tacitus (Lezcano, Mott)
multiple stakes winner Shared Sense (Brian Hernandez Jr., Cox)
Pegasus World Cup third Independence Hall (Javier Castellano, Michael McCarthy)
Sprawl (Talamo, Drury)

Fans who are unable to make it to Churchill Downs for the races can download and watch all the action on the Churchill Downs LIVE app. The Churchill Downs LIVE app is available free of charge on Amazon, Apple TV and Roku and features full access to the HD live stream of the Churchill Downs simulcast signal and three additional angles including the Saddling Paddock.

Action from Saturday's card at Churchill Downs is also scheduled to air from 12:30-6:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 2 as part of “America's Day at the Races.”

Wagering is available on www.TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated and its family of racetracks.

The final Twilight Thursday presented by Blue Moon of the calendar year will kick off closing week of the September Meet. Thursday's eight-race card has a first post of 5 p.m. and features $1 Blue Moon and select domestic beer, local food trucks and live music from Roadie. Racing on Friday-Sunday will have a first post of 12:45 p.m. Tickets and more information for racing this week can be found at www.ChurchillDowns.com/tickets.

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