Lucullan may get ideal setup in Lure

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – When he brought Lucullan back from a 14-month layoff in an allowance race last month at Belmont Park, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin thought his horse would be compromised by a seeming lack of pace.

Lucullan overcame that plus the layoff to win the 1 1/16-mile race by 1 1/4 lengths.

Saturday, when Lucullan steps back into stakes company in the $100,000 Lure Stakes, McLaughlin sees plenty of early pace with the likes of Voodoo Song and Gidu in the eight-horse field.

“I was worried about lack of pace in that race last time, so we had to have him a little closer, but it’s the opposite this time,” McLaughlin said. “It looks like four horses want to go to the lead. Maybe it’ll set up well for us to come from off of it.”

Lucullan, a 5-year-old son of Hard Spun, was twice placed in stakes, including a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Hill Prince in fall 2018. He was beaten a neck by Yoshida and finished a half-length in front of Bricks and Mortar. Both of those horses have since won Grade 1 stakes.

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In May 2018, Lucullan finished third to Robert Bruce in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy at Belmont. Lucullan had two subsequent workouts and was later diagnosed with hind leg condylar fracture.

“He’s a really nice horse, we were happy to get him back and get him back into the starting gate,” McLaughlin said. “He looks fabulous from time off.”

Lucullan will have to take on a trio of horses from the barn of Chad Brown. The most intriguing of Brown’s trio is Sacred Life, a 4-year-old French-bred colt making his U.S. debut. Last raced in a Group 3 at Saint-Cloud in March, he shows a strong work tab and was working with Mascha, a 4-year-old filly who won a first-level allowance race here Wednesday.

Sacred Life had made his last three starts at 1 1/4 miles.

“I think a cutback’s in order, at least to get started,” Brown said.

Brown also sends out Projected, second in this race last year but who has not won since September 2017, and Ticonderoga, who did win an allowance race here last summer.

Trainer Todd Pletcher has both Noble Indy and Gidu entered. Pletcher said Noble Indy has shown renewed interest since being moved to the turf. Gidu, Pletcher said, could run here or scratch and point to next Saturday’s Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap.

Say the Word, third in the King Edward Stakes on June 29 at Woodbine, seeks his first stakes win for trainer Graham Motion.