Caldera will make his 4-year-old debut for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in the seventh race Thursday at Gulfstream Park, a first-level allowance at a mile on dirt. Trained by the late D. Wayne Lukas in his first six career starts, the colt holds special meaning for Joseph, who hopes to do right by the legendary trainer. “Obviously, it’s special to have a horse from Lukas, to carry on his legacy,” Joseph said. “He had run well for him and he has had some time off after. He’s trained well since then, and we’re excited to get him back and started. Hopefully, we keep his flag flying for a while.” Though he only ran four times as a 3-year-old and began his 2025 campaign as a maiden, Caldera nearly became a stakes winner on two occasions for Lukas. In his first start against winners last February, the Liam’s Map colt finished second by a nose in the $400,000 Sunland Derby. That effort briefly sparked hopes for the Kentucky Derby, but he suffered an unlucky trip in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, stumbling at the start and brushing multiple rivals before checking in the run to the first turn. :: Play Gulfstream Park with confidence! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports are available now.  In his last start for Lukas in April, Caldera ran another strong race in the $200,000 Bathhouse Row at Oaklawn Park, coming up three-quarters of a length short against Instant Replay, now a three-time stakes winner. Lukas passed away in June of last year, leaving the colt without a trainer in the midst of a long layoff. “Lukas was a legend, so you want the horse to do well for him so he can keep living on,” Joseph said. In an effort to prepare him after more than a year away, Joseph said he wanted to ease Caldera back into action at Gulfstream. The mile will be the shortest he has run since his six-furlong debut as a juvenile, but the trainer plans to give him more distance soon. “He’s a horse that wants to go longer,” Joseph said. “I think for a mile, it’s the right thing to get him started back at this distance. He’s trained like a horse that obviously has ability. He’s shown that before, so hopefully he comes back just as he was before.” None of the contenders in the field of six have the class to feasibly challenge the even-money morning-line favorite, but several local runners could hold an advantage under the conditions. Skellig Michael, a 4-year-old gelding trained by Victor Barboza Jr., will return from a nearly four-month layoff after winning a statebred allowance at a mile in January. He earned an 80 Beyer Speed Figure on the front end that day and should be the one to catch again Thursday. Barboza also entered 5-year-old gelding Lou the Body, who improved to win a $6,250 claiming race by seven lengths on April 10. It was his first start for Barboza since the trainer lost him in a claiming race at Gulfstream last July. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.