'Sharp' Art Collector looks to repeat in Charles Town Classic

Bruce Lunsford hopes for a replay of 2021 when Art Collector runs in the Charles Town Classic (G2) Friday evening.

Trained by Bill Mott, Art Collector came off a gate-to-wire win in Saratoga's Alydar Stakes last year and won the Charles Town Classic by 1 1/2 lengths over Sleepy Eyes Todd. This year, he led at all calls in the Alydar, beating Masqueparade by two lengths as the odds-on favorite.

"He really ran comfortable" in the Alydar, Lunsford told Horse Racing Nation Thursday. "I think he's sharp now. Bill's told me he's probably never been sharper than he is right this moment. So we'll see."

After last year's Charles Town Classic, Art Collector won the Woodward (G1) and then finished sixth in the Breeders' Cup Classic. His first start this year was a 12th-place trip in the Saudi Cup (G1).

After Lunsford and Mott flirted with the idea of turf, the 5-year-old son of Bernardini returned in the Alydar.

After the Saudi Cup, "He effectively got back to put on some weight and do some stuff, and we kind of pointed for the Alydar. And we even tried him on the turf just to see, plus he gets a good workout," Lunsford said. "I think horses, it's nice to work out on turf, and he worked out pretty well. But I think the opinion everybody said was he gets over it well, but not as good as the dirt. So that sort of set our wheels in motion."

This year, Lunsford said, "the difference is if we'd gotten back earlier, we might have had another race before. But I think, especially as a horse gets older, I think time off is good for him."

As for the losses in the Breeders' Cup and Saudi Cup, "there was nothing to do about about the race over there because it was just deep track and all the speed horses fell apart," Lunsford said. "And then he had a little bit of a bruised foot. We got all the way up to Breeders Cup. So he's had two pretty good excuses for those two races. But other than those two, we've had a pretty good run here. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed he stays healthy until we're ready to quit."

For his career, Art Collector has a record of 18: 9-1-0 and earnings of $1.7 million.

His competition in the Charles Town Classic includes Mind Control, who won the Salvator Mile (G3) last out, and Officiating, winner of the Tom Fool (G3) in March and the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3) last out.