McCarthy sends Rushie, Independence Hall to Churchill stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Michael McCarthy maybe could’ve run Independence Hall and Rushie back home in California, but nah. They’ll both run Saturday at Churchill Downs.

“We’re set up pretty good there in Kentucky, and Rushie has done some of his best work over that track,” McCarthy said early this week from his Santa Anita base. “We figured, why not?”

Independence Hall will join Knicks Go and Tacitus in what shapes up as a short field of older horses going 1 1/8 miles in the $400,000 Lukas Classic on a Saturday card that also features the $300,000 Ack Ack, a one-mile race that could have Rushie as the favorite in a larger field.

Javier Castellano will be in from New York to ride the McCarthy horses, both of whom were sent through their final pre-race drills going five furlongs Sunday at Churchill when overseen by assistant Justin Curran. Independence Hall went in 1:00.80, and Rushie, a winner of the Pat Day Mile here last September, went a tick faster in 1:00.60.

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It was a big weekend for works at Churchill, with Knicks Go prepping for the Lukas with a five-furlong move in 1:00.80 early Saturday for trainer Brad Cox. Whereas Cox is using the Lukas as a final stepping-stone to the Breeders’ Cup Classic for Knicks Go, he is opting to train Essential Quality, his other major candidate for that Nov. 6 showdown at Del Mar, straight into the race off his victory in the Aug. 28 Travers at Saratoga.

Essential Quality also worked Saturday in his first breeze since the Travers, going an easy half-mile in 50.60 seconds well before dawn.

Tacitus, unraced since the Feb. 20 Saudi Cup, will assimilate this week into the Bill Mott barn overseen by longtime assistant Kenny McCarthy after doing all his major prep work over the Oklahoma track at Saratoga, with a five-furlong breeze in 1:00.80 Saturday being his last drill there.