Lucullan faces tough group in Knickerbocker

ELMONT, N.Y. – The presence of Grade 1 winners Catholic Boy and Glorious Empire may have increased the degree of difficulty for Lucullan in Monday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Knickerbocker Stakes on the turf at Belmont Park, but the 5-year-old still looks well-spotted to win his first graded stakes.

Since returning from more than a year layoff this summer, Lucullan won an allowance race at Belmont and took the Lure Stakes at Saratoga by a nose. He stepped into Grade 1 company in the Woodbine Mile and, despite breaking poorly, crossed the finish line third, beaten a length. He was ultimately disqualified to fourth for drifting out in the stretch.

“He didn’t break, then was rushed up, didn’t have a great trip,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “He’s doing great and has performed well on this track.”

Lucullan is 3 for 5 at Belmont with a second-place finish in the 2017 Hill Prince in his only try at the Knickerbocker distance of 1 1/8 miles. In that race, he was beaten a neck by Yoshida and finished a half-length in front of Bricks and Mortar, this year’s top older turf male.

Following the Woodbine Mile, Lucullan was being considered for the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland, but he didn’t have enough earnings to crack the oversubscribed field. The Knickerbocker then became the next target.

Lucullan will break from post 3 under Luis Saez.

Catholic Boy was supplemented to the Knickerbocker for $2,000 after he was not among the original nominees to the race. Catholic Boy has started only twice this year, winning the Grade 2 Dixie on turf at Pimlico in May and finishing second to Preservationist in the Grade 2 Suburban on dirt on July 6.

He’s had a few minor setbacks that kept him away from the races for the summer, but his last two works – both on turf – have his connections feeling good. The hope is to use the Knickerbocker as a springboard to a Breeders’ Cup race. Three, including the $6 million Classic, are under consideration. Trainer Jonathan Thomas believes Catholic Boy will get more out of a race than he would if he tried to train him the next three weeks.

“I don’t think there’s anything that can take the place of a race,” Thomas said.

Catholic Boy has run well fresh and he’s 2 for 2 over the Belmont turf courses, having won the Pennine Ridge at 1 1/8 miles and the Belmont Derby at 1 1/4 miles in the summer of 2018.

Catholic Boy won both of those stakes racing on the lead. Monday, he could meet other speed horses, including Dr. Edgar and Glorious Empire. Noble Indy also has speed, but his connections were expected to run him in Sunday’s $100,000 Point of Entry.

In 2018, Glorious Empire dead-heated for win with Channel Maker in the Grade 2 Bowling Green and won the Grade 1 Sword Dancer in gate-to-wire fashion. After finishing last in the Breeders’ Cup Turf – a race run over a boggy turf course – Glorious Empire bounced back to win the Grade 2 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream last December.

He came out of that race with the start of a tear in a suspensory and was give time off. Trainer Chuck Lawrence said he was hoping to get Glorious Empire to the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, but the horse had a virus in the summer that delayed his return. He finally made it back to the races in the Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup where he finished sixth, beaten two lengths.

“I was extremely pleased with his performance,” Lawrence said. “I was a little disappointed in our rider keeping him as close as he did. Going a mile and a half I want him on the lead. Going a mile, there’s usually plenty of speed to sit behind. He went way too fast on the lead, especially for a horse coming off a nine-month layoff.”

Lawrence is reuniting Glorious Empire with the Hall of Fame rider Edgar Prado, who is 2 for 2 on the 8-year-old gelding.

Olympic, Dr. Edgar, and Cullum Road finished first, second, and third in the Grade 3 Ft. Marcy Stakes here on May 4 and are all back in this field. Cullum Road is coming off a late-running third in the Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup.

Argonne had won three straight races – including two at Belmont – before finishing 10th in the Bowling Green at Saratoga in July. This will be his first start since then.

The Knickerbocker goes as race 8 on a nine-race card that begins at 1:15 p.m.