Lunsford may have Kentucky Derby candidate on his hands
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – You might say Bruce Lunsford has expanded his horizons since he got into racing in the mid-1980s by partnering on lower-level claiming horses trained by Phil Thomas Jr.
Now semi-retired in Louisville at 72, Lunsford has been a politician and film producer while amassing a fortune in the health-care business, all the while maintaining a foothold in racing as a breeder and owner. Stakes horses such as Madcap Escapade, Vision and Verse, First Samurai, and Bel Air Beauty have carried the black and cerise Lunsford silks, but he’s never had a serious horse for the Kentucky Derby.
:: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more.
Until now, perhaps. Art Collector earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure with a 6 1/2-length romp Saturday in a Churchill Downs allowance, and now the homebred son of Bernardini will make his next start in the July 11 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, looking to earn his way into the 146th Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5.
“I’m not gonna get over my skis about it,” said Lunsford, “but I must admit it’s pretty exciting.”
:: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Now trained by Tom Drury at the Skylight training center on the eastern outskirts of Louisville, Art Collector began his career by finishing first in 2 of 5 starts for Joe Sharp, ending with a 7 1/2-length triumph in a six-furlong allowance on closing weekend of the 2019 fall meet at Churchill. But a subsequent medication violation for what turned out to be an over-the-counter dewormer resulted in the colt being disqualified from that victory, and Lunsford made a change.
“I’ve been pretty outspoken about medication issues in this business,” Lunsford said. “I really like Joe and I’m still a supporter of his, but there are a lot of frustrated people in the racing industry in regard to these issues. There’s no sense in making those people your enemies by standing pat. I’d really like to think we’ll all move on from this.”
In his first start for Drury, Art Collector rallied to win a seven-furlong allowance on opening weekend of the Churchill spring meet before returning Saturday to go wire-to-wire against three other 3-year-olds, finishing 1 1/16 miles in a swift 1:41.35. Only Honor A. P. (102) and Tiz the Law (101) have registered triple-digit Beyers among 3-year-olds currently in training.
“There are plenty of tough cookies we still have yet to face out there,” said Lunsford, “but this horse keeps getting better, and he’s got all the tools that good horses have. We’re looking forward to the next step.”