Old class horses Breaking Lucky, Imperative spice up Friday feature

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A couple of horses with plenty of Grade 1 experience trying to get back to their best form –Breaking Lucky and Imperative – will help liven up Friday’s $48,000 main event at Gulfstream Park, a second-level allowance and optional-claiming race at a mile.

Breaking Lucky was third in both the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill and the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga in 2017 and second in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap in 2016, when trained by Reade Baker. On Friday, he will make his third start since being transferred to trainer George Weaver’s barn for the 2018 campaign.

Breaking Lucky finished a solid third behind Petrov returning from an 11-month layoff in a seven-furlong optional claimer in August at Saratoga, and eighth after showing brief speed in the Grade 3 Lukas Classic in September at Churchill Downs, won by Mind Your Biscuits.

“He’s a nice, classy horse who ran well for us off the bench at Saratoga then just didn’t show up in the Churchill race,” said Weaver. “It kind of left us scratching our heads and is one of those things we really don’t have an answer for. He’s doing fine now, and it’s time to lead him over there. . . . If he runs his best, he should have a good chance to win.”

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Weaver wasn’t happy that Breaking Lucky drew the rail in the field of 11 3-year-olds and up. Luis Saez will ride.

“Obviously I’d much rather he’d be drawn outside, although he showed some speed in the seven-eighths race at Saratoga,” said Weaver. “He’s got Luis aboard and he’s a class horse who’ll just have to deal with the post. What he did at Churchill Downs was probably the worst performance of his career, and he is getting a little older and a little longer in the tooth. But this is the softest spot he’s been in for a while, and we’re still hoping he’ll be able to get back to where he was earlier in his career.”

Imperative is winless in five starts since capturing the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic in April 2017. Imperative turned in dull efforts in both the Grade 1 Woodward at Saratoga and Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland earlier this season before rebounding to finish third in an optional claimer at Laurel four weeks ago.

An 8-year-old gelding by Bernardini, Imperative has won nearly $3 million.

Breaking Lucky and Imperative aren’t the only members of this lineup with Grade 1 experience. Shagaf, fifth in the 2016 Wood Memorial before being pulled up later that spring in the Kentucky Derby, returns for trainer Chad Brown off a 19 ½-month absence. He will be reunited on Friday with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who guided the Shadwell homebred to three consecutive victories to open his career, including in the Grade 3 Gotham.

The field also features recent winners Mucho Prospect, Mr Atila and Biblical, along with restricted stakes winner Third Day and speedy Belle Tapisserie.