Churchill Downs: Cox could have big night in Lukas, Ack Ack

Trainer Brad Cox is set for a potentially huge weekend at Churchill Downs as two of his standout horses, Hit Show and Saudi Crown, headline the Grade 2 $500,000 Lukas Classic and $400,000 Ack Ack Stakes (G3), respectively, on Saturday night.

Wathnan Racing’s Hit Show is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Lukas Classic, which will be run at 1 1/8 miles under the lights as race 10 at 10:40 p.m. EDT. The 4-year-old son of Candy Ride comes off a determined half-length victory in the West Virginia Governor’s Cup (G3) at Mountaineer.

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Hit Show made his seasonal debut with a sharp 2 1/4-length victory in an allowance race at Churchill Downs. He finished fifth in last year’s Kentucky Derby but was sidelined for the remainder of the season after a disappointing performance in the Oklahoma Derby (G3). Hit Show has posted four strong workouts at Churchill leading up to Saturday’s race, according to Cox.

“Hit Show ran a big effort at Mountaineer,” Cox said. “He had to dig in late to get the job done. He bounced out of that race in good shape, especially with how big he ran. We got him back here to Churchill, and he put together four solid works leading into this race. He’s shown he can be pretty tactical within the race. In the (West Virginia Governor’s Cup) they went fast early, so he was pretty far out of it. He’s shown he’s able to be more tactical, and if the pace isn’t as fast early, I’d expect him to be a little closer early like he was in the allowance race at Churchill earlier this year.”

FMQ Stables’ Saudi Crown is the 4-5 favorite in the Ack Ack, which will be run at one mile as race 8 at 9:37 p.m. EDT. The 4-year-old colt is entering the race off a gate-to-wire victory in the R.A. Cowboy Jones Stakes at Ellis Park, where he returned to top form after a 12th-place finish in the Godolphin Mile (G2).

Saudi Crown, who had an impressive 3-year-old season with a win in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) and close runner-up finishes in both the Jim Dandy (GII) and Dwyer (G3), has been training well at Churchill Downs in preparation for Saturday’s race.

“Saudi Crown is a very talented horse,” Cox said. “We were very pleased with how he came back over the summer at Ellis Park winning the Cowboy Jones. Obviously, we were disappointed he didn’t win when he shipped overseas this winter, but we’re happy with the way he responded when we brought him back to Kentucky. He’s worked very well at Churchill since the Cowboy Jones, and we’re expecting him to run another big race on Saturday night.”

Both Hit Show and Saudi Crown will face competitive fields in their respective races. Hit Show’s primary challengers in the Lukas Classic include Grade 3 winner and 2023 Travers (G1) runner-up Disarm as well as eight-time winner and Stephen Foster (G1) runner-up Rattle N Roll.

Saudi Crown’s main opposition in the Ack Ack includes Hanshin Stakes top two finishers Cagliostro and Tumbarumba.

The Ack Ack will award the winner an automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 2 at Del Mar.