Art Collector will ship in from Saratoga for Lukas Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Art Collector has been confirmed for what already was an outstanding lineup for the Grade 2, $500,000 Lukas Classic, which will help close out the September meet at Churchill Downs with its ninth running Saturday.

Owner Bruce Lunsford said the decision was made Sunday to have Art Collector shipped to Louisville from Saratoga, where the star 5-year-old horse has been in training since the spring for Bill Mott. Going in the 1 1/8-mile Lukas Classic averts a clash with Life Is Good, who will be heavily favored Saturday in the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Belmont-at-Aqueduct.

Art Collector, whose last-out victory in the Aug. 26 Charles Town Classic lifted his career bankroll to more than $2.3 million, had his final pre-race work Friday when going five furlongs in 1:00.40 over the Oklahoma surface at Saratoga. He was scheduled to ship out Tuesday afternoon to longtime Mott assistant Kenny McCarthy at Churchill, arriving early Wednesday.

Entries are to be drawn Wednesday for the Lukas Classic, which already had Hot Rod Charlie and Rich Strike among its confirmed starters. Hot Rod Charlie, an earner of more than $5.25 million for trainer Doug O’Neill, had his final pre-race workout Saturday at Keeneland when going six furlongs in 1:11.60, while Rich Strike, the 2022 Kentucky Derby winner, was sent through his final pre-race drill last Wednesday at Churchill by Eric Reed.

:: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now!

Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Life Is Good, will be represented in the Lukas Classic by two contenders, Happy Saver and Dynamic One. Other probable starters in a field of at least seven include King Fury and longshot Last Samurai. The top finishers can be expected to proceed to the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland.

Riding assignments include Luis Saez on Art Collector, Tyler Gaffalione on Hot Rod Charlie, and Sonny Leon on Rich Strike.

Last Samurai is trained by D. Wayne Lukas, the 87-year-old Hall of Famer for whom the race is named. Lukas has tangential ties to some of the other horses in the race; not only was he Pletcher’s former boss and mentor, but it was Lukas’s last-minute scratch of Ethereal Road from the main body of the May 7 Derby that allowed Rich Strike into the race as an also-eligible prior to the colt posting his improbable upset at 80-1.

A second graded race – one with a Win and You’re In designation toward the Nov. 5 BC Dirt Mile – also is on tap for Saturday with the Grade 3, $300,000 Ack Ack going a one-turn mile. Mott will be represented by Speaker’s Corner, who figures as a decisive favorite in a field also expected to include Three Technique, Injunction, Untreated, and maybe a few more.

First post Saturday is 12:45 p.m. Eastern. Sunday is closing day at the 14-day meet.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.