Lukas juveniles to invade Delta Downs

Big money and a shot at an Eclipse Award will be on the line when the venerable D. Wayne Lukas sends a pair of top juveniles down south for Delta Downs Jackpot night. There will certainly be other good ones running next Saturday evening in Vinton, Louisiana, but in Mr. Z and Take Charge Brandi, the 79-year-old trainer has a chance to sweep the track’s two biggest races.

After breaking his maiden first asking at Churchill Downs, Mr. Z, has not found the winner’s circle since, but not for a lack of trying. The 12th running of the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot will be the son of Malibu Moon’s seventh trip to the starting gate. Since the debut win, the Zayat Stables’ runner has finished 2nd three times, and 5th twice, with all five of the defeats coming in graded stakes racing.

Most recently, Mr. Z came home 5th in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, after being involved in a fast and contested pace, under Mike Smith. It should be noted that of all the horses on or near the early lead in the Juvenile backed out from the pressure. The top finishers in the race, including the winner, Texas Red, came from well off the pace. In fact, of the early speed, it was Mr. Z who finished the best.

Before that, Mr. Z  finished 2nd of 12 in the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, beaten only by the very talented Carpe Diem, who went on to finish second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as the 9-5 favorite.If Mr. Z is to break his losing streak, it looks like it will come at the expense of a deep and solid field.

Other promising youngsters pre-entered for the Delta Downs Jackpot include: Wake Up Nick, Conquest Tsunami, Prime Engine, Golden Actor, and Ocho Ocho Ocho.

As an added bonus to the already rich race, the top four finishers in the Delta Downs Jackpot will be awarded 2015 Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 10-4-2-1 scale.

On the same evening as the Jackpot, the fillies will compete for the lion’s share of a $400,000 purse in the Delta Downs Princess, and the field will be headlined by a Breeders’ Cup winner. Take Charge Brandi also won at first asking at Churchill Downs for Lukas, but, like Mr. Z, could not find the winner’s circle in her next few races after being stepped up into graded stakes racing. Of course, unlike Mr. Z, her four-race losing streak came to a resounding end with a surprising win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

The daughter of Giant’s Causeway was sent off at odds of greater than 60-1 after finishing 2nd in the Schuylerville, 5th in both the Adirondack and Pocahontas, and 8th in the Alcibiades in successive races. She looked like anything but a sixty-to-one shot, though, as she sprung right out to the lead after the opening bell at Santa Anita. Despite setting fast fractions under Victor Espinoza, the Lukas trainee kept going, and had enough left in the tank to hold off the fast finishing Top Decile by a half-length.

While a surprise to most, the big victory leaves her in shouting distance of a year-end championship. With only a maiden and a Breeders’ Cup win out of six races, Take Charge Brandi likely needs another graded stakes score to bolster her candidacy, and back up her Juvenile Fillies win as more than just a fluke. Enter the Grade 3 Delta Downs Princess. D. Wayne Lukas has never been one to back away from a challenge, and with Take Charge Brandi, a win in Louisiana could well translate into an Eclipse Award.