breeders' cup classic | Horse Racing Free Tips

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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Medina Spirit Faces Older Horses Seeking Classic Berth In Saturday’s Awesome Again Stakes

Medina Spirit, upset first-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, will face older horses for the first time as an outstanding field of eight three-year-olds and up contest Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita. A Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, the winner of the Awesome Again will earn a fees-paid berth into the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

Although a cloud of uncertainty continues to hover over the validity of the Derby result due to the fact the Kentucky Racing Commission has not yet issued a ruling on Medina Spirit's positive test for an excessive amount of the permitted steroid betamethasone, the Florida-bred colt by Protonico has gone on to finish third in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes May 15 and he comes off a sharp gate to wire score in the ungraded Shared Belief Stakes going one mile at Del Mar Aug. 29.

Entered but scratched by Bob Baffert out of last Saturday's $1 million Pennsylvania Derby, Medina Spirit stayed home and drilled a solid five furlongs Saturday in 59.80, fourth best of 59 at the distance. Owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., Medina Spirit, who was purchased for a bargain $35,000 at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' July Sale of 2-year-olds in training and older horses, has now amassed earnings of more than $2.3 million. With a win in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes in his third start on Jan. 30 and three seconds from four starts at Santa Anita, Medina Spirit has an overall mark of 8-4-3-1.

An overachiever with an abundance of natural speed, look for regular rider John Velazquez to send Medina Spirit in a race that will unquestionably command the focus of the entire racing world.

John Sadler's Tripoli, an up and coming 4-year-old colt by Kitten's Joy, has the look of a “now” horse as he comes off a scintillating 1 ¼ length score going a mile and a quarter in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic Aug. 21, a race in which he pressed the early pace en route to his third win from six starts this year. A maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs on turf in his second start here on June 14, 2020, Tripoli will be making his second Santa Anita main track start on Saturday.

Owned by Hronis Racing, LLC, Tripoli has had three recorded works since his Pacific Classic win, his most recent a five furlong drill at Santa Anita Sept. 26 in 1:00.20, which ranked sixth of 89 that morning. With his first career stakes victory in-hand, he'll again be ridden by Tiago Pereira.

Well beaten by Tripoli as the 2-1 favorite in the Pacific Classic, the John Shirreffs-trained Express Train, a forwardly placed winner of the Grade II San Diego Handicap two starts back on July 17, will try to bounce back with regular rider Juan Hernandez up. A close second five starts back in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap March 6, Express Train, who is owned by Lee and Susan Searing's C R K Stable, LLC, is 6-1-3-1 at Santa Anita and should bounce back with a much improved effort on Saturday.

C R K and Shirreffs will also send out the venerable but quirky 6-year-old gelding Midcourt, who will likely be forwardly placed in the early going.

Sent to San Luis Rey Downs over the summer, the Richard Baltas-trained Idol will be making his first start since rallying from off the pace to win the Santa Anita Handicap, which was his first stakes win. Lightly raced, this 4-year-old colt by Curlin has three wins from six starts and he's got a pair of local works to his credit for his return, a five furlong drill in 1:01.40 on Sept. 19 and six furlongs on Sept. 26 in 1:12 flat. Owned by Calvin Nguyen, Idol will be out to validate his Big 'Cap score and to make his way on to the Breeders' Cup Classic stage.

Tizamagician, who earned a career-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure while finishing second, beaten 1 ¼ lengths by Tripoli in the Pacific Classic, can be counted upon to be sent early as he again tries to employ gate to wire tactics with Flavien Prat up. Trained by Richard Mandella and owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, LLC, this 4-year-old colt by Tiznow is enjoying a terrific year with three wins and as many second from seven starts and 2021 earnings of $487,000.

THE GRADE 1 AWESOME AGAIN WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 10 of 11 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT

Tizamagician—Flavien Prat—124
Midcourt—Edwin Maldonado—122
Express Train—Juan Hernandez—124
Stilleto Boy—Kent Desormeaux—118
Medina Spirit—John Velazquez—122
Azul Coast—Abel Cedillo—122
Tripoli—Tiago Pereira–126
Idol—Joe Bravo—124

The Awesome Again is one of five stakes to be run a blockbuster 11-race card Saturday. Special early first post time is 12:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Ahead Of Final Prep, Knicks Go Retakes Lead In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings

Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go hopped over stablemate Essential Quality and back into first place in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, a weekly poll of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). This year's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic will be run at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, Calif., on Nov. 6 as the final race of the 38th Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Trained by Brad Cox, Knicks Go has retaken the No. 1 position which Essential Quality had held for the past three weeks. The Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) and Whitney (G1) winner received 322 votes, 18 of which were first-place votes. Knicks Go is scheduled to make his final start before the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic in this Saturday's Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill Downs. Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, also trained by Cox, won the Belmont Stakes (G1) and the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1). He is now in second place with 316 votes.

Hot Rod Charlie, another top 3-year-old, moves into third place this week following his impressive victory in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx. Owned by Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss, and trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie has 252 votes.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, dropped one position to fourth place with 238 votes. Maxfield has won three races this year, including the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in June, in which he secured an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

George E. Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp's Max Player, a winner of two Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races in the Longines Classic Division in 2021, remains in fifth place with 180 votes. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the 4-year-old Max Player won both the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park in July and The Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga earlier this month.

Hronis Racing's 4-year-old Tripoli, who captured the “Win and You're In” TVG Pacific Classic (G1) for his automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, stayed in sixth place with 116 votes. Trained by John Sadler, Tripoli is slated to start in this Saturday's Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, which is the final automatic qualifier for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic this year.

Zedan Racing Stable's 3-year-old Medina Spirit, who won the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar last month, rose from ninth place to seventh with 76 votes. Prince A A Faisal's 4-year-old Mishriff (IRE) remained in eighth place with 75 votes.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Mishriff earned an automatic starting position in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York Racecourse in England on Aug. 18.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska, a three-time Grade 1 winner this year for trainer Fausto Gutierrez, improved from 10^th place to ninth with 56 votes.

CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm's Life Is Good, winner of Saturday's Kelso Handicap (G2) at Belmont Park, moved from 12^th place to 10^th. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Life Is Good has 45 votes.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' 3-year-old Midnight Bourbon received 74 votes, but his connections announced on Monday that he would not be pointed to this year's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – Sept. 28, 2021*

Rank	Horse	Votes	First-Place Votes	Previous Week
1	Knicks Go	322	18	2
2	Essential Quality	316	9	1
3	Hot Rod Charlie	252	1	4
4	Maxfield	238	4	3
5	Max Player	180	0	5
6	Tripoli	116	0	6
7	Medina Spirit	76	0	9
8	Mishriff (IRE)	75	2	8
9	Letruska	56	0	10
10	Life Is Good	45	0	12

*Note – The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

The 2021 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be run at 1 ¼ miles on the main track, is limited to 14 starters. The race will be broadcast live on NBC.

The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers, and members of the Breeders' Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Rankings will be announced each week through Oct. 11. A list of voting members can be found here.

In the Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.

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Cox Classic Contenders Breeze at Churchill

Brad Cox-trained divisional leaders and GI Breeders' Cup Classic-bound runners Knicks Go (Paynter) and 'TDN Rising Star' Essential Quality (Tapit) each breezed Saturday morning at Churchill Downs. The former, last seen running away with the

GI Whitney S. at Saratoga last month, was clocked in 1:00.80 (17/61) for five panels. The Korea Racing Authority colorbearer is expected to go postward a heavy favorite in next Saturday's GIII Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs.

Last year's champion juvenile and leading sophomore Essential Quality, meanwhile, went a half-mile in :50.60 (87/102). Most recently victorious in the GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 28, the Godolphin homebred is expected to train up to the Breeders' Cup.

“These are two extremely talented horses that we have in our barn,” Cox said. “They've both accomplished a lot this year and we're looking forward to the Breeders' Cup.”

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