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D. Wayne Lukas Turns Back Time at Summer in Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – This has been a turn-back-the-clock, very D. Wayne Lukas-like, summer at Saratoga for the Hall of Fame trainer.

As he approaches his 87th birthday on Sept. 2, the racing legend has won a graded stake, finished second in two others, and made his presence felt at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale with the purchase of five yearlings for $2.725 million, led by of a son of Medaglia d'Oro for $1.35 million.

After skipping the past two Saratoga seasons due to a combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and a downturn in talent in his stable, Lukas returned in July with the star filly Secret Oath (Arrogate) and 15 others he felt had the quality to compete at the tough meet in upstate New York. While the Briland Farm homebred disappointed, finishing a distant second to Nest (Curlin) in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks on July 23, Lukas said he is satisfied with the way things worked out in the opening weeks of the season. Through Sunday's 24th day of the 40-day meet, Lukas' stable had a record of 3-4-2 from 19 starts– 47 percent in the money–and earnings of $433,259.

“I think we've done all right, except for that one race,” he said after supervising the morning training from the back of his pony. “That one race bothers me and is nagging at me a little bit. I'm talking about the Coaching Club Oaks. That really bothered me. I know that our filly is so much better than that and we didn't get a chance to showcase her yet.”

Lukas said he was unhappy with the way jockey Luis Saez rode Secret Oath in the CCA Oaks and discussed that race after he worked her five furlongs in 1:01.55 on Aug. 9. Lukas described the breeze over the Oklahoma training track as “brilliant.”

“If you take that one out of it, I think everything else has been real fine,” Lukas said. “I really have enjoyed getting some of the 2-year-olds started and so forth. I think we can finish up here with a little flourish.”

BC Stable's 2-year-old Bourbon Bash (City of Light) sent Lukas to the winner's circle on Saturday to celebrate his eight-length victory in a maiden special weight race. He said the colt could make his next start in the GI Hopeful, a race Lukas has won a record eight times.

“He's been training really strong,” Lukas said. “He's a very immature looking horse, if you look at him closely, but he's starting to get his act together. Having the one out and the rest of the field didn't have any, he got away beautifully and Flavien (Prat) put him on cruise speed and away he went.”

Lukas said the Hopeful on the final day of the meet could be a good fit.

“We're right here,” he said. “You know me, when they're good I like to run them back. That was not a hard race on this horse. ”

On Aug. 9, the second night of the Saratoga Sale, Lukas purchased the Medaglia d'Oro colt for John Bellinger, a partner in the new BC Stable, that owns Bourbon Bash and Summer Promise (Uncle Mo), who was second in the GIII Schuylerville S. on opening day. It was the first time in a while that Lukas bought a seven-figure yearling.

“I don't know it just exactly. It had to be had to be mid-2000s–2005, 2006, 2007, somewhere in there,” he said. “We've been active in the sales, but we're buying $400,00-$500,000 ones which is not to be watered down. But this horse, we got into a bidding war with I think WinStar and some of those people. That was plenty for him, but he was something else. Good horseman all said the same thing. Actually, Kenny McPeek and I were talking and he said it was the No. 1 horse in the sale for him.”

Lukas said he called Bellinger a couple of hours before the session started and proposed buying the horse.

“I said, 'I think the best horse in the sale is selling tonight,'” Lukas said “I said, 'we can probably put together a group of three or four, or, John, you can just step up if you want to and we'll just try to buy him.'”

Lukas told him the colt would sell for “north of a million, for sure” and Bellinger agreed have Lukas jump into the bidding.

Lukas on his pony | Mike Kane

Naughty Gal's victory in the GIII Adirondack S. was Lukas's third graded stakes victory of 2022 and matched his combined total for the previous seven seasons. He expects to bring her back in the GI Spinaway S. on the closing weekend of the meet. With $2,614,795 in earnings through Sunday he is a cinch to have his best year since 2014 when he topped $4.7 million. His success has brought him new business.

“Surprisingly, yes. It really has,” he said. “I don't know if the exposure or the fact that people were sitting back and saying 'He's old. I wonder if he's still got it?' You know, that attitude. Then when you bang, bang, bang start to get on the front page again, they probably think 'Well, hell, he's out there and he's doing okay, we can give him another horse.' I don't think anybody questions that we can train. I think that's probably a given. But at my age they could sure question the work ethic and some of that and I think they feel comfortable.”

Among the additions to his stable in recent months were 14 horses owned by former client Willis Horton Racing LLC.

“Not only that, I've gotten a couple of new ones in the sale ring by buying yearlings, which is now a three-year look down the road,” he said. “So they must think I'm doing okay, physically.”

Lukas has made a few concessions to his age–using a cane when he is walking and steps to get up off the ground and onto his horse–but said he only feels old when he looks in the mirror. Earlier in the meet he had a mild case of Covid-19, which kept him away from the stable. It was a far different than his bout in 2020 when he said he thought he might die from the virus.

Lukas is confident in Secret Oath | Mike Kane

Secret Oath steps back into the spotlight this week and will face Nest again Saturday in the 142nd running of the Grade I Alabama S. The outcome could have a significant impact on the 3-year-old filly championship. Secret Oath beat Nest in the GI Kentucky Oaks then ran fourth in the GI Preakness S. Nest came out of her runner-up performance in the Oaks to finish second in the GI Belmont S. and ran away from Secret Oath in the CCA Oaks to win by 12 1/4 lengths.

Lukas said Saez told him after that Secret Oath “never felt better” under him. In the CCA Oaks, Secret Oath was closer to the pace and was wide in her first start in some eight weeks. At the top of the stretch, when it looked like the two stars would battle to the wire, Nest easily ran away from her rival.

With a race over the track and couple of breezes since the race, Lukas said he is confident that Secret Oath is capable of winning the 1 1/4-mile Alabama. She will be his 14th starter in the race. He was won it twice, most recently with Open Mind (Deputy Minister) in 1989

“I think it's just a trip,” Lukas said. “She actually is doing better right now than any time. I really feel that. I think she's filled out and getting stronger and everything. The work really put a punch on that line that she is better and Luis, when he worked her, said the same thing.”

“So we're down to a trip. We've got to get a trip, the trip we got in the Oaks back in Kentucky. If we get that I am not afraid of anybody.”

Lukas praised Nest, trained by is former assistant Todd Pletcher, and said the rivalry is something to look forward to.

“This thing's going to get down to where–this is not Alydar and Affirmed–but I think we could have a great fall with these two fillies,” he said.

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Some Old, Some New As Saratoga Opens For Summer 2022

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – D. Wayne Lukas is back and so is the Wilson Chute, after a much, much longer absence, for the 154th summer of Thoroughbred racing in Saratoga.

The 40-day season at historic Saratoga Race Course launches Thursday and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 5. It will be the 77th consecutive year of competition at Saratoga–since the closing for three years during World War II–which coincidentally makes it the second half of the very long run since the first meet was held in 1863. During the eight-plus weeks of racing, 77 stakes worth $22.6 million in purse money will be contested.

In 2020, the Saratoga season was conducted without fans to comply with COVID-19 protocols in place at the time. With fans back on the grounds last summer, the meet was a smashing financial success. Even though 45 races were moved off the turf due to wet conditions, Saratoga had a record all-sources handle of $815,508,063. Luis Saez was the leading rider for the first time and Chad Brown won his fourth training title.

Lukas, 86, was stabled at Saratoga for 36 consecutive years, but missed the last two seasons due to a combination of the pandemic and a drop in quality of his long-powerful stable.

After his 3-year-old filly Secret Oath (Arrogate) won the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks and finished fourth in the GI Preakness S., he talked about shipping her to Saratoga for the GI Coaching Club American Oaks and the GI Alabama S. Instead, the typically enthusiastic Hall of Famer brought a crew of runners from Kentucky and is back at his longtime Saratoga base, Barn 83, on the northeast corner of the Oklahoma training track stable area.

“We're a little bit deeper than that one horse,” Lukas said. “That's one of the reasons. You cannot survive here financially if you don't have a couple of horses that are competitive. If you try to come up here with one horse, this place is just right under the national debt as far as expenses. We've got a little depth. We've got a couple of 2-year-old fillies that have already exposed themselves and can run and we've got a couple of colts that we think can run. So, we brought 16 head trying to think that we were somewhat competitive. The racing here is good but it's not overwhelming. It's awful good in Kentucky right now, too.”

Lukas debuted at Saratoga in 1984 and made an immediate impact, finishing 1-2 in the Alabama with Life's Magic (Cox's Ridge) and Lucky Lucky Lucky (Chieftain) and won the GI Spinaway S. with Tiltalating (Tilt Up). He has won at least one race every year at Saratoga, is a six-time training champ and has 254 victories, 60 in stakes. Three of those stakes wins came in Saratoga's signature race, the GI Runhappy Travers S. He could have his 21st Travers runner on Aug. 27, Ethereal Road (Quality Road), who is headed to the GII Jim Dandy S. on July 31.

Briland Farm's Secret Oath will have her final work for the $500,000 July 23 GI CCA Oaks on Friday or Saturday.

Lukas suggested using capital letters for his comments on how the filly is doing a week out from the race.

“Very, very good,” he said. “Very good.”

Lukas will saddle BC Stables's 'TDN Rising Star' Summer Promise (Uncle Mo) in the GIII Schuylerville S. for 2-year-old fillies on Thursday. He has won the six-furlong opening day feature six times and sits in a tie with his former assistant and fellow Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher. Summer Promise, a $500,000 yearling purchase, won her debut by five lengths June 25 at Churchill Downs. His most-recent win in the Schuylerville was in 2004 with Classic Elegance (Carson City).

This will be the eighth summer that the Fitch brothers, Patrick, Jason and Adam, have operated King's Tavern on Union Avenue, across from the main entrance to the track. They leased a drab seasonal bar and turned into a busy year-round venue that is popular with track fans. They managed to get through the difficult first pandemic year in 2020 and had a solid 2021.

“We're looking at this meet and the only real concern we have is the weather,” Jason Fitch said. “If we can, let's get some sunny days and have the rainy days be on Monday and Tuesday. We're hoping that it's smooth sailing and the buzz has been–even throughout the hard winter with foot snow storms–that people are coming out.

“People just want to be out of the house. That whole post-COVID-locked-up-let-me-be-free vibe is still going on. I think this is going to be our busiest Spa meet yet. Hands down, I think it's going to be the busiest one.”

In January, NYRA announced plans to rebuild the Wilson Chute, which would bring back one-mile dirt racing back to Saratoga. The chute, which runs parallel to Nelson Avenue, provides jockeys and horses a straight run before entering the main track on the first turn. The original Wilson Chute was first used in 1902 after the track, which opened in 1864, was reconfigured and expanded from one mile to 1 1/8 miles by the new ownership group headed by William C. Whitney. It was named for Richard T. Wilson, Jr., a prominent horseman and partner in Whitney's group. Wilson, a three-time winner of the Travers, served 20 years as the president of the Saratoga Association and was instrumental in rebuilding the clubhouse and Turf Terrace, which opened in 1928. The chute was closed after the 1972 season and the space it occupied used for parking.

With the Wilson Chute gone, NYRA could not card dirt races at distances between seven furlongs and 1 1/8 miles. It was also an issue when one-mile turf races had to be moved off the grass and run at either seven furlongs or nine furlongs.

In 1992, NYRA experimented with one-mile races, ran 25 of them during the season, then scrapped the plan amid criticism that the configuration favored horses that drew inside.

“It wasn't a chute,” said retired jockey Richard Migliore, who was in the midst of his long career that season. “They basically just put the starting gate on the outside fence. They backed it up as far as they could with room enough, obviously, to load the horses, but there was no true chute there at all.”

Migliore said he was skeptical at first when he heard about the new chute, but changed his opinion after seeing images of how it was constructed.

“It appears to be a proper chute where the angle's good,” he said. “It shouldn't be bad on the horses and the riders to get position and it looks like there's actually a straightaway into the bend, not that it's a long one.”

A half-dozen jockeys tested the chute on Tuesday. A decision on how many horses will be allowed to start from that gate will be made after some races are run. NYRA would like a maximum of 10 starters. The first one-mile dirt race in 30 years will be the inaugural running of the Wilton S. for 3-year-old fillies on opening day. The Wilton drew nine starters, three of them from Pletcher.

A new permanent two-story building on the west side of the horse path from the paddock to the track will open Thursday. The Post Bar and Paddock Suites replace The Post Bar, which operated under a canopy for several seasons. The Post Bar will remain an open-air facility, while the suites above it are climate controlled.

A year after he won the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational with State of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Irish trainer Joseph O'Brien is scheduled to have six stalls for a satellite division at Saratoga this summer. O'Brien, the son of legendary trainer Aidan O'Brien, and Freddy Head are the only two people to ride and train Breeders' Cup winning horses.

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Veteran Channel Maker Wins The Grand Couturier S.

Though he hasn't displayed the form that saw him named champion turf male in 2020, Channel Maker is still showing he can be competitive on the track in his 8-year-old season. Given five months off following his fifth-place effort behind Yibir (Dubawi {Ire}) in last November's GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf, Channel Maker returned sharp off the layoff to take the GII Elkhorn S. at Keeneland Apr. 23. When last seen, he was never part of the race after blowing the start, coming in ninth in Belmont's GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan S. June 11.

Off as the 6-5 betting and sentimental favorite, the veteran got a better break this time and quickly found his way to the front, setting the tempo along the rail into the first turn with Highest Honors not far off in second. The pair raced one-two up the backstretch through unhurried fractions of :25.02 and :50.47. As the pace began to quicken into the far turn, Channel Maker had pressure from the outside as both Highest Honor and Solider Rising (GB) came running. Under a hard drive, he fought back against Soldier Rising who posed the more significant threat, sticking a head back in front inside the final sixteenth and just holding on to win by a neck.

“He always tries–that's him,” said winning jockey Luis Saez. “He's always waiting on other horses, and today he came to the top of the stretch and was fighting. He finally got the jump in the last bit. He fights and he doesn't win that impressively, but he can run in a little stake or a big stake the same. He just wants to be there first and he doesn't want to give in to anyone.”

Channel Maker is a full-brother to Canadian champion Johnny Bear and a half-brother to SW & GISP Court Return (Court Vision), who is his dam's last reported offspring. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Life Is Good Headlines Star-Studded Saturday of Racing

Holiday weekends are often synonymous with exciting race cards and this Fourth of July weekend is no exception with a dozen graded events on tap Saturday that include some of racing's best. The highlight of the day's action is the return of 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief), who is making his first start back since finishing fourth in the G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 26 in Belmont's GII John A. Nerud S.

A dominant winner of last year's GII Kelso H. and GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and this term's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., Life Is Good spent some time at WinStar after his return from Dubai and has been breezing steadily at Belmont for Pletcher since Memorial Day weekend. Flavien Prat climbs aboard the fleet-footed bay for the first time Saturday.

“Flavien has proven he rides really well in any occasion,” said Pletcher, who indicated this race is a prep for the GI Whitney S. “There might be some similarities to Flightline (Tapit) and Life Is Good, but we'll have a talk about the horse a little bit. He's got kind of a quiet touch, so that should suit him well.”

While Life Is Good will certainly be the heavy favorite, there is one member of this five-horse field who could give him a run for his money. Godolphin homebred Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) kicked off 2022 with a trio of seemingly effortless victories in the GIII Fred Hooper S., GII Gulfstream Park Mile and GI Carter H. He received a 114 Beyer Speed Figure for that win, which trumps Life Is Good's best figure of 110 in the Pegasus. The bay enters this off a third-place finish behind unbeaten sensation Flightline in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Met Mile June 11 and Jose Ortiz takes over the controls from Junior Alvarado, who will be riding for trainer Bill Mott in Kentucky.

The Nerud certainly looks like a match race between these two formidable foes as Repo Rocks (Tapiture), Harvard (Pioneerof the Nile) and War Tocsin (Violence) are overmatched to say the least.

Also on tap at Belmont Saturday is the GIII Dwyer S. for sophomore colts. The regally bred Charge It (Tapit) looks to rebound in this cutback in trip after a poor effort in the GI Kentucky Derby, where he finished 17th. The 'TDN Rising Star' was a green, but good second in the GI Curlin Florida Derby in April and the Run for the Roses may have just been too much too soon. You can count on Pletcher to have the colt ready to roll in this softer spot and his back-to-back bullets on the local training track affirm that. With the colt's regular rider Luis Saez at Churchill Downs for Americanrevolution (Constitution), the Hall of Famer calls on his right-hand man John Velazquez to take over the reins.

Chad Brown has an intriguing runner in the Dwyer in Peter Brant's Nabokov (Uncle Mo). The $775,000 KEESEP buy earned his diploma at this oval when extended to two turns last time in his second start May 15.

Cox Holds Strong Hand at Churchill

Churchill Downs also offers a pair of intriguing graded events and Brad Cox has a strong chance to take both. He sends out Juddmonte homebred Mandaloun (Into Mischief)–who is making his first start since a well-beaten ninth in the G1 Saudi Cup–in the GII Stephen Foster H., a Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' event. The colt was promoted to first via DQ in both the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Haskell Invitational S. last year and crossed the line first in the GIII Louisiana S. in January. Cox also saddles Caddo River (Hard Spun) off a trio of optional claimer scores.

Olympiad | Coady

That pair face some stiff competition from New York in Olympiad (Speightstown) and Americanrevolution (Constitution). The Bill Mott-trained Olympiad is a perfect four-for-four this season, topped by wins in the GIII Mineshaft S., GII New Orleans Classic and GII Alysheba S. Meanwhile, Americanrevolution, who shares the same connections as Life is Good, looks to return to winning ways. Capturing the GI Cigar Mile Dec. 4, the chestnut spent six months on the shelf and was a disappointing fourth in his return in the track-and-trip Blame S. June 4.

The GII Fleur de Lis S. attracted just five distaffers, but two of them are Grade I winners. Cox sends out Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil), whose trio of Grade I wins includes the 2020 GI Kentucky Oaks. The bay was run down last time by this field's other top-level scorer Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) in this venue's GI La Troienne S. May 6. That Stonestreet homebred ran back in the local Shawnee S. June 4, finishing fourth as the heavy favorite behind She's All Wolfe (Magna Graduate).

Sprinters Star at Gulfstream

Female sprinters get a chance to secure a spot in the Breeders' Cup Saturday at Gulfstream in the GII Princess Rooney S., a 'Win and You're In.' Champion Ce Ce (Elusive Quality) won this event last term en route to a victory in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint and she will be heavily favored to defend her title. Winner of the GII Azeri S. earlier this year, the chestnut was third behind champion Letruska (Super Saver) and last-out GI Ogden Phipps S. winner Clairiere (Curlin) in the GI Apple Blossom H. Apr. 23.

Her biggest competition will come from claim-to-fame Glass Ceiling (Constitution), winner of the GIII Barbare Fritchie S. and GIII Distaff H. The bay enters off a third to Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) in the GII Bed O'Roses S. June 10.

Male sprinters get a chance at graded glory in Hallandale too in the GIII Smile Sprint S. The race will go through GI Woody Stephens S. winner Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music), who makes his first start since finishing seventh in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen S. Mar. 26.

Delaware & Canada Also Offer Graded Action

Sophomores will be in the spotlight at Delaware Park Saturday with the GIII Delaware Oaks and GIII Kent S. Ruthless S. winner Shotgun Hottie (Gun Runner) looks like the one to beat. The bay receives Lasix for the first time off a third-place finish in Aqueduct's GIII Gazelle S. Apr. 9.

The GIII Kent S. features 3-year-old colts on the grass and the likely favorite is Harrell Ventures' Main Event (Bernardini), winner of the Cutler Bay S. He was last seen finishing ninth in the GII American Turf S. at Churchill May 7. He faces Brad Cox runner Tommy Bee (Medaglia d'Oro), who was second in a trio of listed stakes.

Woodbine hosts four graded events Saturday: the GIII Selene S. for 3-year-old fillies, the GIII Marine S. for sophomore colts, the GII Nassau S. for older fillies and mares, and the GII Highlander S. for older male turf sprinters. Jonathan Thomas could win both the sophomore events with Catiche (Arrogate) in the Selene and Fuerteventura (Summer Front) in the Marine.

Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), winner of this venue's GII Bessarabian S., faces SW & MGSP Crystal Cliffs (Fr) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) and GSW Plum Ali (First Samurai) in the Nassau. The Highlander is topped by the Wesley Ward-trained Bound for Nowhere (The Factor), a two-time winner of the GII Shakertown S. at Keeneland.

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