See who will face Derby winner Rich Strike in Lukas Classic

Grade 1 winners Happy Saver and Hot Rod Charlie were among the talented older horses that scheduled to face 80-1 upset Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike at Churchill Downs in the ninth renewal of Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Lukas Classic, five weeks in advance of the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland.

Rich Strike, owned by Rick Dawson and trained by Eric Reed, finished sixth in the Belmont Stakes and fourth in the Travers (G1). He returns to Churchill, where he is 2-for-2, including his unforgettable, three-quarter of a length triumph over presumptive division leader Epicenter on May 7.

Click here for Churchill Downs entries & results.

The 3-year-old colt by Keen Ice would become the first Derby winner to race again at Churchill Downs since Mine That Bird finished eighth in the 2010 Firecracker (G2) at age 4. Rich Strike will face older horses for the first time in the Lukas Classic.

Two of the top likely entrants in the race are Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) winner Happy Saver and $5 million earner Hot Rod Charlie, the 2021 Derby runner-up who finished second in this year’s $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1) and third in the Whitney (G1).

These were the likely entrants Sunday for the Lukas Classic, according to Churchill Downs assistant racing secretary and stakes coordinator Dan Bork: Dynamic One (trainer Todd Pletcher), Happy Saver (Pletcher), Hot Rod Charlie (Doug O’Neill), King Fury (Kenny McPeek), Last Samurai (D. Wayne Lukas) and Rich Strike (Reed).

The Lukas Classic will be the co-headliner on Saturday’s card along with the 30th running of the $300,000 Ack Ack (G3), which is a “win and you’re in” event for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

These were the likely Ack Ack entrants, according to Bork: Injunction (Carlo Vaccarezza), Señor Buscador (Todd Fincher), Speaker’s Corner (Bill Mott), Three Technique (Jason Cook) and Untreated (Todd Pletcher).

Entries for Saturday’s card will be taken Wednesday.