Sweet Luca repeats in Addison Cammack Handicap

Sweet Luca won just once during his six-start 2013 campaign, in the Addison Cammack Handicap at Arlington. He began his 2014 season with two losses. Then came the Cammack again Saturday at Arlington, and there came Sweet Luca.

Closing from last under Carlos Marquez Jr., Sweet Luca nailed the heavily favored Work All Week in deep stretch – just like he did last year – and won the Cammack by 1 1/4 lengths.

Work All Week, the 3-5 favorite, toiled mightily in the final furlong. He battled with two pace rivals through some of the fastest Polytrack fractions seen here all season, an opening quarter-mile in 22.01 seconds and a half in 44.60. Work All Week’s only previous sprint loss in 11 starts had come in the 2013 Cammack, and recent sharp victories over open competition led the Arlington racing office to saddle the gelding with a 130-pound weight assignment Saturday, 11 pounds more than Sweet Luca carried.

“I just think giving away 11 pounds got to him a little bit,” said Work All Week’s jockey, Chris Emigh. “When we got into the turn, he felt like he was a little more dead than usual. Usually, he’s dragging you, and you’re trying to slow him down.”

Into the turn, Sweet Luca was just getting going. He split rivals, switched to the outside under Marquez, and took aim at the leader, running down Work All Week with much more room to spare than in the 2013 Cammack. Work All Week barely held second over Sir Applesolutely, a stablemate of Sweet Luca in the barn of Chris Block.

“He ran a big race,” Block said of Sweet Luca, who runs for owner-breeder Ed Fortino. “Work All Week is just a phenomenal racehorse. I knew they’d have to go fast for us to beat him, and they did.”

Sweet Luca, a 5-year-old son of Candy Ride who won for the fifth time in 22 starts, was timed in 1:10.65 for six furlongs. He paid $10.60 to win.