Kentucky Derby trail: Lukas makes plans for his 3-year-olds

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas is finalizing February plans for his Kentucky Derby 2025 hopefuls. They include a geographic swap for two candidates and the stakes debut for a popular third.

Well-traveled Innovator is being pointed to the Grade 2, $1.25 million Rebel Stakes going 1 1/16 miles Feb. 22 at Oaklawn, Lukas said Saturday.

Click here for Oaklawn entries and results.

Innovator, from the first crop of 2020 horse of the year and Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, already has tested graded-stakes company twice in his career, finishing fifth in the Hopeful (G1) at seven furlongs Sept. 2 at Saratoga and third in the Lecomte (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 18 at Fair Grounds.

The speedy Innovator nearly wired the field in the Lecomte, a Kentucky Derby qualifying race that marked his two-turn debut. He was collared in the final 100 yards by Disco Time and Built and beaten by three-quarters of a length.

“That’s the longest stretch in America,” Lukas said, although at 449 yards it actually is shorter than the 460 at Los Alamitos. “That’s even longer than Churchill (411). We always talk about Churchill being long, but that one’s longer yet. And I knew with that being his first two-turn race, and with that long old stretch, he was going to wonder where he was. And that’s just exactly how it turned out. He showed a lot of courage to stay around like he did. He’s a nice horse.”

The Lecomte was the eighth start for Innovator, a $900,000 Keeneland September yearling-sale graduate who races for BC Stables owned by John Bellinger and Brian Coelho. As a maiden, Innovator ran in the Hopeful and finished second in the $150,000 Advent Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs Dec. 6 at Oaklawn. Innovator broke his maiden at six furlongs Dec. 29 at Oaklawn before shipping to Louisiana for the Lecomte, his 3-year-old debut.

The Rebel will offer 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby. It is Oaklawn’s third of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races.

Fair Grounds’ Kentucky Derby qualifying series continues with the Risen Star Stakes (G2), another race awarding 50 points to the winner. The Feb. 15 race is 1 1/8 miles.

Lukas, who is based during the winter at Oaklawn, said he plans to start American Promise in the Risen Star. The Justify colt also owned by BC Stables broke his maiden by 1 1/2 front-running lengths Dec. 29 at Oaklawn. In his stakes debut American Promise crossed the finish line sixth in the $1 million Southwest (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 25 at Oaklawn, but he was disqualified and placed seventh for stretch interference.

“I’m still trying to make some decisions, but I’m going to juggle them around,” Lukas said, referring to Innovator and American Promise. “Just switch those two.”

Lukas said Bon Temps, fourth in the Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 4 at Oaklawn and ninth in the Southwest, will return to the maiden ranks. Bon Temps is winless in four lifetime starts. The 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones was Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Derby qualifying race.

Caldera, who broke his maiden last month at Oaklawn, “probably” is headed to the Sunland Park Derby on Feb. 16 near El Paso, Texas, Lukas said.

The 1 1/16-mile Sunland Park Derby will offer 20-10-6-4-2 Derby points to its top five.

Caldera, in his third career start, cruised to a 5 1/2-length maiden victory Jan. 17 under Rafael Bejarano. Lukas trains Caldera, a gray son of Grade 1 winner Liam’s Map. The colt belongs to MyRacehorse, which offers fractional ownership in horses.

Lukas and MyRacehorse teamed to win last year’s Preakness with Oaklawn allowance winner Seize the Grey, a gray son of champion Arrogate. Seize the Grey reportedly had more than 2,500 owners.

“I want to say north of 3,000,” Lukas said. “There’s more ownership in that one than there was in Seize the Grey. What happened there is they (MyRacehorse) put that one I think out right after Seize the Grey started getting good. They decided it (Caldera) was going to go to us. I didn’t have any idea where he was, and they were breaking him obviously themselves. It overnight sells because all the Seize the Grey people jumped in.”

Caldera received a career-high 96 Equibase Speed Figure for his maiden romp at 1 1/16 miles. He finished sixth behind Speed King in his Nov. 1 career debut at Churchill Downs and closed his 2-year-old campaign with a runner-up finish in his first two-turn race Dec. 13 at Oaklawn. Speed King returned to win the Southwest, Oaklawn’s second Kentucky Derby qualifying race.

Caldera’s Equibase numbers have improved with each start going from 74 to 75 to 96. MyRacehorse bought Caldera for $500,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March auction of 2-year-olds in training.

“The last race he showed up like we expected,” Lukas said. “We’ve had high hopes for this horse and liked him from the start. He had a couple of questionable trips, but the other day, he put it all together. Bejarano, he should have done that for half price and give me the other half back. As long as he didn’t fall off, he was going to win.”

Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby qualifying series concludes with the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) going 1 1/8 miles March 29.