Hollywood Park: Lucayan will focus on turf marathons in 2014

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Lucayan, the winner of Saturday’s $250,500 Hollywood Turf Cup, will have a 2014 campaign geared toward further starts in turf marathon stakes, trainer Neil Drysdale said on Sunday.

The Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup, run over 1 1/2 miles, was the first American stakes win for Lucayan, who won the Group 1 French 2000 Guineas at Longchamp in a 27-1 upset. In the Turf Cup, Lucayan was the 8-5 second choice and ran accordingly, closing from last in a field of six to win by a half-length over 7-5 favorite Temeraine.

Drysdale said on Sunday that he does not have any specific plans for Lucayan at Santa Anita’s winter-spring meeting, which begins on Dec. 26.

“We’ll have to sit down and make a schedule,” he said.

Santa Anita will race two months later than normal in 2014, through June 29, absorbing a majority of the dates previously held by Betfair Hollywood Park for its spring-summer meeting. Hollywood Park is being closed for development after the current meeting ends on Dec. 22.

For the first four months of its meeting, Santa Anita is offering a different stakes schedule for turf marathoners than in past years. The $200,000 San Luis Rey Stakes over 1 1/2 miles will be run at its customary time, on March 22, but the $150,000 San Juan Capistrano over about 1 3/4 miles on turf has been moved from late April to late June. The full stakes schedule for late April to late June has not been announced.

Lucayan, a 4-year-old French-bred colt by Turtle Bowl, races for Pandora Stud. Lucayan ended a streak of nine losses since the French 2000 Guineas in the Hollywood Turf Cup.

Lucayan was second to top turf miler Obviously in the Grade 2 American Handicap in his American debut in May, and later fifth in the Shoemaker Mile and third in an optional claimer over a mile on turf at Del Mar before being tried over longer distances.

“We thought of him as a miler, but it was too fast for him, the way the races are run,” Drysdale said on Saturday. “On these courses, it’s difficult to win coming from behind going a mile.”

Lucayan was a troubled second to Vagabond Shoes in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap over 1 3/8 miles on turf at Del Mar on Aug. 24 followed by another traffic-marred journey when third in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship over 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita on Sept. 29. Lucayan was ninth in the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine on Oct. 27, a race Drysdale dismissed because of yielding turf.

“He had two very tough trips,” Drysdale said. “In the race at Del Mar behind Vagabond Shoes, he got stuck. I think Vagabond Shoes ran well, but we could have been closer. The same thing happened in the John Henry.”

For 2014, the emphasis will be on longer turf races, and perhaps even the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita in the autumn.