Lukas Classic – Grade II
CD Race #2 1 1/8m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $500.000 For Three Year Olds And Upward.

1 All Take Alydar Stables Conner T 124 —

A small but select field here which sees a renewal of a few rivalries, not least this one and Wahpekute Sioux. The six-year-old has been a top router since taking out the Preakness in 2022 but lost his way a bit as a four-year-old as some of these top three-year-olds can. He bounced back as a five-year-old and has continued that trend this year with 4 graded stakes wins. Last time out he was a close fourth in the Pacific Classic just behind his biggest rival today so once again, I expect the two of them to go very close again.

2 Face The Lunatic Martyparty Jimenez A 124 —

The five-year-old has just gone a little off the boil in his last two, but they were at grade one level, so he can be excused for finishing just outside the top four in both. A solid type, as he proved in an early season win in the KY Cup Classic, he will need to be right at the top of his game to take this one out.

3 Platform Team 7 Illusions Gallardo A A 124 —

A winner of three from nineteen with no stakes form and yet he is pretty much out working the field, such is life at HRP where a horse’s ability to run never seems to translate fully into a race. But just maybe the horse has been waiting for this day.

4 Wahpekute Sioux Mb Stables Luzzi L J 124 —

You would think this is his race to lose, but that’s what we thought in the Whitney after his stunning win in the Foster. That day, he fell away pretty tamely off a fast pace and that is always a danger, but he showed in the Pacific Classic last time that he has the form to beat this field when just going down by a nose in the shadow of the post. He will start justifiably favorite to win.

5 Shadow Senator Arindel Cedillo A 124 —

Claimed back in February the seven-year-old was upped in class dramatically after winning his first three for the new owner and has run pretty well in both without winning. He was a close third in the Seagram Cup but was then a bit one-paced in the CT Classic but a bad draw that day give me cause to forgive that effort. I don’t think he is up to the best in this race but a top four may be a possibility.

6 Guitars And Cadillac Night Rider Stables Castellano J J 124 —

Well, the stable has hit form and who is to say this giant of a six-year-old won’t continue that today. Sprinting recently, I don’t think the trip will be a problem and he may just use the outside speed push to stalk Mb’s horse, and that would give him his best chance of top three.

SUMMARY

It looks like Wahpekute Sioux will get a soft lead here, and in that role, with an average pace he is almost unbeatable. It will take some gaming buttons from the others to upset him, but this looks pretty comfortable. If he is pushed early All Take and Guitars and Cadillac will be looking to stalk and pounce but the real unknown here is Platform which is clearly moving up the improvement curve rather quickly and could just be the fly in the ointment.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES