Lukas Classic tests Toast of New York's Breeders' Cup fate

It’s not often that Thoroughbreds return to the racetrack after being retired for stud. However, Al Shaqab Racing's 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up Toast of New York, now a 7-year-old gelding, is poised to come back into limelight in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Lukas Classic. The Churchill Downs feature could propel him back to this year's Classic run Nov. 3 under the Twin Spires.

“We’re certainly hoping for the best off the long rest,” said Jimmy McCarthy, a former jockey turned assistant to trainer Jamie Osborne. “It was a good trip over and we’re hoping to stay longer to run in the Breeders’ Cup. If ‘Toast’ runs well enough Saturday night, we’ll talk about staying. If not, we’ll head back to England.”

Toast of New York arrived at Churchill Downs on Tuesday and trained both Thursday and Friday following his mandatory 42-hour quarantine period from the Department of Agriculture. Osborne is expected to arrive in Kentucky late Friday evening, McCarthy said.

The 1 1/8-mile Lukas Classic for 3-year-olds and up, which honors the iconic 83-year-old Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, is the centerpiece of an 11-race “Downs After Dark” evening program – the final nighttime card at Churchill Downs this year. Three other stakes events are showcased on the card: top milers in the $100,000 Ack Ack (G3); 3-year-olds in the $100,000 Jefferson Cup (Listed) at 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course; and purebred Arabians in the $100,000 President of the United Arab Emirates Cup (G1) over 1 1/16 miles.

Toast of New York has had a whirlwind of a career. The son of Thewayyouare won the 2014 UAE Derby (G2) by 2 ½ lengths prior to his controversial runner-up finish in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, in which the narrow winner Bayern appeared to crowd multiple horses out of the gate. Following a stewards’ inquiry, no action was deemed necessary and the result stood as is.

In late 2015, it was announced Toast of New York was retired to stud in Qatar following a tendon injury. He returned to Osborne’s stable in 2017 after his injury healed and was eventually gelded.

Toast of New York returned to the racetrack on Dec. 6, 2017, when he defeated four rivals in a 1 ¼-mile conditioned-stakes event over the synthetic surface at England’s Lingfield Park. Toast of New York then traveled to Gulfstream Park in Florida for the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational but finished well behind eventual Horse of the Year Gun Runner. 

Saturday night will mark Toast of New York’s first start since the Pegasus and will face the likely heavy-favorite Mind Your Biscuits, who is using the 1 1/8-mile race to prep for the Breeders’ Cup.

Jockey Julien Leparoux will have the call on Toast of New York and will break from post No. 4 at odds of 15-1 on Mike Battaglia’s morning line.

“I’m excited to ride him,” Leparoux said. “I know it won’t be the easiest of tasks having a horse come off of this long of a layoff but he ran well in the Breeders’ Cup a few years ago. Anything is possible in this game.”

Saturday night’s first race is 6 p.m. ET and the Lukas Classic will go as Race 9 at 10:11 p.m.

The complete Lukas Classic field from the rail out (with jockeys, assigned weights and morning line odds): Honorable Duty (Corey Lanerie, 121, 5-2); Remembering Rita (Alex Birzer, 123, 15-1); Rated R Superstar(Brian Hernandez Jr., 123, 12-1); Toast of New York (Leparoux, 121, 15-1); Flowers for Lisa (Jose Ferrer, 121, 15-1); Mind Your Biscuits (Tyler Gaffalione, 121, 1-1); Term of Art (Shaun Bridgmohan, 121, 10-1); and Breaking Lucky (Ricardo Santana Jr., 121, 6-1).