Oaklawn Park

Switch to turf likely for Lucky Player

Mary Rampellini|Jan 21, 2015

Lucky Player with trainer Steve Asmussen at the Breeders' Cup

Nikki Sherman Lucky Player, shown at the 2014 Breeders' Cup with trainer Steve Asmussen, will likely switch to turf for his next start.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Lucky Player, the winner of the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill Downs in September, likely will make his next start on grass, said trainer Steve Asmussen. Lucky Player finished eighth in the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park on Monday.

“I don’t think he handled the racetrack at all, watching the replay,” Asmussen said. “He just jumped up and down in the sand, swapped leads in the dirt, wasn’t holding his head the way he does when you watch him train on a good day. We know he’s better than that. He trains like too nice of a horse.”

Lucky Player, owned by Jerry Durant, likely will return to Fair Grounds, said Asmussen.

◗ Spring in the Air, who was an explosive winner of the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland in 2012, has been retired, trainer Mark Casse said on Wednesday.

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