Lukas Classic wide open; Quip's speed makes him dangerous

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Lukas Classic has been won by some heavy favorites in its brief history, starting with Fort Larned ($2.60) in the 2013 inaugural and more recently with Honorable Duty ($3.20) in 2017 and Mind Your Biscuits ($4.60) last year.

This year, however, there won’t be such a short win mutuel. That’s because an extremely well-matched field is set to clash Saturday night under the Churchill Downs lights in the seventh running of the Grade 3, $250,000 race.

Quip, Pioneer Spirit, Kukulkan, Mocito Rojo, and Tenfold promise to make for a wide-open toteboard ahead of the 1 1/8-mile Lukas Classic, the richest race of the 11-day September meet. Silver Dust, another would-be contender, is likely to be scratched, leaving no more than nine older horses.

Quip, who came to peak form this spring with a win in the Oaklawn Handicap and a just-miss second in the Stephen Foster at Churchill, will be looking to rebound off a head-scratching drubbing in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic last month at Del Mar.

“We don’t know why he ran so bad,” said trainer Rudy Brisset. “He’s come back to train very well and I look for him to be himself again.”

With Florent Geroux riding, Quip figures on or near the lead, along with Pioneer Spirit and Kukulkan. Pioneer Spirit, trained by Brad Cox, earned a hard-fought victory in his last start, the July 13 Schaefer Memorial, marking the second straight year he won the Indiana Grand fixture.

“He’s been working bullets, so we’ll lead him over there hoping for the best,” said Cox.

Kukulkan, the Mexican-bred and -raced standout with 15 wins from 18 starts, most recently was a close second as the favorite behind Silver Dust in the West Virginia Governor’s at Mountaineer Park. Fausto Gutierrez is the trainer of record, although Ignacio Correas oversees much of his training at Keeneland.

Mocito Rojo also owns a remarkable career record, having won 16 of 24 starts. The 5-year-old horse is in from Louisiana and will risk a four-race win streak, all stakes for trainer Shane Wilson.

Tenfold, winner of the Pimlico Special in May for Steve Asmussen, is among the deep closers, along with Big Dollar Bill and the 9-year-old millionaire Hawaakom. Two more late runners, Blueridge Traveler and Sir Anthony, round out the lineup.

As for Silver Dust, the gray gelding “had a couple of tying-up issues lately, including this morning,” trainer Bret Calhoun said early Thursday.

“We’ll probably have to come out,” he said

First post for the Downs After Dark card is 6 p.m. Eastern. The Lukas Classic, the ninth of 11 races, is set for 10:11.

The Lukas Classic was known as the Homecoming Classic for its first two runnings before being renamed in 2015 to honor D. Wayne Lukas, the still-active Hall of Fame trainer who has made Churchill his base of operations for some three decades. It’s the last of three straight stakes under the lights, following the Ack Ack (race 7) and Jefferson Cup (race 8). All are part of the 20-cent Single 6 (races 6-11), which the track has announced will have a mandatory jackpot disbursement Saturday. The jackpot stood at $63,034 into Thursday action.

General admission is $12. Nighttime temperatures in the mid-70s are in the forecast.